Bringing Mindfulness into Your Professional Life

​Mindfulness, or becoming tuned into the present moment with complete awareness, has benefits for all aspects of holistic wellness. For November, the benefits of mindfulness on the ‘professional self’ will be explored.
 
The beauty of completely tuning into the present moment is that it allows us to let go of our thoughts. Removing our attachment to our thoughts means that we can begin to connect to other parts of ourselves more deeply. When our existence isn’t clouded by a racing mind, we feel more deeply, connect more with others, and reacquaint with ourselves.
 
One ‘side-effect’ of reacquainting with ourselves is that we might begin to recognize what brings us joy, what lights us up inside and what we are feeling pulled to do. This is a profound experience and when achieved, provides an opportunity to engage with our true sense of purpose.
 
Some people have already found this in their work. If that is the case, incorporating more mindfulness into your work can serve to invigorate your drive and your passion. It can spark new ideas or new projects. It can reignite that internal fire for something you already love.
 
Others, however, haven’t yet found their professional identity or their true sense of purpose. Even further, not everyone can give up their current lifestyle and career to simply pursue what sets their soul on fire. If either of these is the case, finding fulfilment through a process of trial and error (utilizing mindfulness) can be critical to truly connecting with your purpose.
 
One opportunity to incorporate mindful intentions into your professional identify is to seek out those opportunities that make you feel happy to be alive. This is where a hobby comes in. When we are being truly mindful, we realize with much more depth how certain activities make us feel. If painting, drawing, photography or art in general make you feel enthusiastic and energized, finding ways to bring this into your life through a hobby can be fulfilling and eye-opening.
 
Sometimes, hobbies can become a side-income. If physical fitness and spreading personal self-care is an area of passion, for example, maybe a certification in personal training is an option for some evening and/or weekend work.
 
Even further, hobbies can turn into meaningful volunteer work. If leading and teaching, counseling and mentoring, or supporting others is something that brings you great joy, for instance, there are opportunities abound to volunteer in service to others in these capacities.
 
These are but a few examples; the true goal is to connect with what lights YOU up inside through a process of intentional mindfulness. Once you identify what this is, find a way to do it! Whether it be in your career, or through some version of a hobby—introduce it into your life with a renewed sense of passion and internal light. Sometimes these hobbies lead to career changes, sometimes they don’t. The point is to make room for your life purpose and meaning to grow—because having this is one of the most energizing and fulfilling parts of being human.