Connect with us

Featured

Gain a deeper insight with Mindfulness by Avril Quinn, Career Coach

Published

on

The benefits of mindfulness are being promoted across the board today from Medics to Spiritual Gurus to Business Leaders but what is this ancient practice which originated in Buddhism (but is not “Buddhist”) all about? The theory tells us that mindfulness is present moment, non judgemental awareness; it is that easy, the practice however is not as easy!
Let me tell you my story, I first came across Mindfulness while chatting to a friend one Summer who recommended that I read Thigh Nat Hahn’s “Miracle of Mindfulness”.  Cerebral to a fault as I am, I was naturally sceptical and doubted that this practice was going to be of any benefit to me.  Yes it may be wonderful for the Vietnamese Monks in peaceful environments such as Plum Village in France but how was it going to help me? So that was that and I placed Mindfulness in a mental filing cabinet, firmly filed for the moment.

About a year later while treating myself to a long overdue trip to the book store I automatically wandered (as I tend to do) to the Mind, Body and Soul Section.  Immediately the most serene book cover caught my attention and it was none other than Jon Kabat Zinn’s “Wherever you go, there you are”.  This time I gave the book a fair shot although being honest the bite sized chapters made it a very easy read and once finished I resolved that one day I would do a mindfulness course.  

Another year passed and this time it was becoming clearer to me that I needed a support platform that would encourage me to stay in the present more, work was very busy and having a young baby was both amazing and challenging all at once.  I was fortunate enough to come across a MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) Course with a Mindfulness Expert called Catherine Sutton.  For the eight weeks of the course we embarked on a journey as a group of students that certainly was to change my own life forever.  In the midst of a challenging Economy and many other societal pressures we were learning a simple tool to help us stay in the present and not to resist life for whatever it brings.  In addition to that this simple tool was to have many other far reaching benefits for us including better well being, improved concentration, better mood, better coping ability and improved performance across the board in life from home to work to play.  

Trained in the traditional HR paradigm I will admit that as I mentioned previously I was very cynical when I first came across this ancient practice, yes I understood how it worked but I wasn’t convinced it would be of benefit to me.  Today I can say that it is most certainly of benefit and it is of benefit in every aspect of life from the Boardroom to the Canteen to the Playground.  Mindfulness helps us to connect to what is actually happening not what we wish would happen or want to change, it eases us into our natural coping capacity and gives us the strength to live better lives and perform at a higher level at work and at home.  The final advice I would like to give, and I am far from an expert on this is just give it a try and see what you think yourself, I think you will be surprisingly pleased with whatever outcome you experience!

It is neither wealth nor splendour; but tranquillity and occupation which give you happiness – Thomas Jefferson

Avril runs a Career Coaching business called CV Doctor, which helps people with CVs, prepare for interviews, presentations, college applications, job applications and any other Career related items.  Avril also works as a HR Consultant and as an Associate with Motiv8 Performance Excellence.  To contact Avril you can call her on mobile 086 2176742 or by emailing yourcvdoctor@gmail.com  

Facebook page is “CV Doctor – Your Passport To Employment”.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending Locally