The Importance of Mindfulness in Business

Mindfulness and self-care have been hot topics lately, and for good reason. While it may sound like face masks and spa days, the true impact of these concepts goes much deeper. Merriam-Webster defines mindfulness as “the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.” To me, mindfulness is about being present and intentional in life while self-care is about caring for and being connected to yourself. When coupled together, these concepts are vital to success in both your business and everyday life.

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage that “you can’t pour from an empty cup,” but when was the last time you evaluated how full your cup is or intentionally did something to take care of yourself? Let’s start with the concept of self-care, or the ability to care for yourself and reconnect with what’s important in your life. While this may look different based on what you need that day, identifying what forms of self-care are most impactful to you will give you a toolkit when feeling overwhelmed, stressed or burnt out.

In a professional setting, this can include blocking off time to work on your to-do list or canceling a meeting that can be resolved via email. When it comes to your personal life, self-care could be channeled by meditating, trying a new hobby, cashing in your PTO, going to the gym or cooking a nourishing meal. Sometimes the smallest things can have the biggest impact, and by taking a few moments each day to take care of yourself, you can truly change your life.

Now that you have tapped into the power of self-care and are feeling energetic and balanced, how can you channel that energy? Embracing the practice of mindfulness will help give you the answer. Being mindful in your day-to-day life helps create a road map to success. In today’s interconnected world, where it has become increasingly challenging to find a work-life balance, it’s easy to get carried away and commit to multiple projects, trainings and tasks at once. And without intentionality and mindfulness in your life, this can quickly start to feel overwhelming, even if well intentioned. By being present, it’s often easier to discern which tasks will help move you towards your goals and which can be delegated. And with this awareness, you can better find your voice to respectfully decline things that don’t align with your goals while helping to time for things that do.

Showing up for life with a full cup, a clear head and a well-nourished body will better set you up for success. The outcome? You will have more energy to take on new projects, finally overcome that ongoing challenge, conquer your growing to-do list or set yourself up for that promotion. Mindfulness, coupled with self-care, is a great way to accelerate your career. With renewed energy, you can challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone and grow.

There are a multitude of benefits to mindfulness and self-care; start incorporating small things into your day-to-day and see what changes you notice.

This article originally appeared in RISE Together, a newsletter presented by SIA’s RISE community for emerging security industry leaders.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association.