Blog

Self-care is never a selfish act –
it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have,
the gift I was put on earth to offer others.

Anytime we can listen to true self and give the care it requires,
we do it not only for ourselves,
but for the many others whose lives we touch.

– Parker Palmer

John Michael Schert spent 17 years as a professional dancer for organizations including New York’s American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco’s Alonzo King LINES ballet – and now works as a management consultant for companies including Google and McKinsey to help them approach problem solving creatively.

In his article Six Ways to Apply the Creative Process to Business he shares six themes that link creativity to corporate leadership and team building – addressing skills like decision making, efficiency, innovation, maximum presence, and emotional intelligence.

Six Ways to Apply the Creative Process to Business:

1. Creativity isn’t reserved for the arts
2. Some job skills are truly universal
3. Seek independence
4. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
5. Rigid frameworks don’t work
6. Creative thinking can lead to purpose

Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, shares how mindfulness training – that is being really curious about what is happening in our minds and bodies at certain moments – can be helpful in creating new habits.

He simply and brilliantly explains how we can use mindfulness  in order to create new habits – that is moving from knowing something in our head (knowledge) to really knowing something in our bones at a deeper level (wisdom).

Click here to watch Judson Brewer’s TED Talk

“Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally … it’s about knowing what is on your mind.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

9 Attitudes of Mindfulness

1. Beginners Mind
2. Non-Judging
3. Acceptance
4. Letting Go
5. Trust
6. Patience
7. Non-Striving (Non-doing)
8. Gratitude
9. Generosity

Click here to view JKZ’s short, brilliant video on 9 Attitudes of Mindfulness.

A hundred times a day

I remind myself

that my inner and out life

depend on labors of other people,

living and dead,

And that I must exert myself

in order to give

in the full measure I have received

and am still receiving.

– Albert Einstein

Love is not about getting what we want.
Love is about how we live with what we are given.

—C. W. Huntington Jr.

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

— Jellaludin Rumi,
translation by Coleman Barks

Here’s a simple four step approach to being more mindful, that is more deliberate and thoughtful about how you respond to any kind of moment – pleasant or stressful.

Stop: Pause.

Take a Breath: It might be half a breath, one breath or ten breaths – really depends on the situation you are in, and the pace of your experience, so work with what you have.

Observe: notice what’s happening. Pay attention to and honor your thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Say “YES” to this moment, accepting that it is here.

Proceed: what’s the appropriate response here given what you are noticing? Make a decision based on choice versus habit.