There are so many different benefits of Mindfulness, I’m always interested to know what people are most interested in. So I was really pleased to hear from Julia, an L&D specialist for a large energy provider:

A radio interview with Ruby Wax talking about mindfulness caught my ear a couple of years ago.  She made a lot of sense when she explained that nowadays we know so much about what is going on in other countries – e.g middle east, and we worry about what will become of the world.  A few hundred years ago, we only worried about the immediate future and what was going on around us.

This quote from Mark Twain just about sums it up for me:

‘I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, most of which have never happened’.

Of course, this is the good old “circle of concern” / “circle of influence” dichotomy. We know that we waste energy by worrying about the circle of concern, but empower ourselves by focusing on our circle of influence.

But that’s easier said that done!

Mindfulness provides tools to help guide our focus – so we can focus on what matters most.

The first of those tools is simply being aware. When you realise that you’re worrying about something you can’t influence, you can shift your focus. And that’s the first step to peace of mind, as well as greater effectiveness.