Mindfulness and Competition: Book Yourself Selectively
For example, the day after Thanksgiving is Buy Nothing Day in the US, an intentional opportunity to refrain from the traditional day-after- Thanksgiving shopping spree.
Instead of hitting the malls at dawn, individuals are encouraged to spend time at home puttering or playing, sleeping or creating, connecting with whatever they already HAVE instead of fulfilling their desire to do or buy MORE.
In other words, it's a good time to just be. And the more time I spend outside the US (several years at this point) the more I see that Americans are just not good at that. What's worse is that we goad each other into continuing to do/buy more because of our culture's tendency to be very competitive.
There's a website I have visited that sort of sums up this approach. It's called "Book Yourself Solid" and it offers strategies to help coaches/consultants build a full, thriving practice with a long waiting list of clients.
I don't want to pick on Michael Port or his website--he actually does have a sense of humor and approaches his own work with great lightness. But I DO want to poke a little fun at his "Book Yourself Solid" idea.
The problem is that although Michael does address the idea of being selective, anyone seeing his book or website title alone is likely to zero in on the "solid" part-- and get stuck there.
Are we really supposed to book ourselves solid? Is filling up our schedules--in business and in life--the end goal?
Hmmm. I don't think so.
The only way you should be "booked solid" is if you make sure to fill your calendar with plenty of hours marked "relax," "play," and "daydream."
Down time isn't wasted time--it's essential for creativity. If you're spending every moment of every day doing, you're losing.
Losing. Ooh, isn't that a loaded word? We don't like to think we might be losing out, losing time, or--yikes-- becoming a loser.
But when we focus on avoiding losing time or losing opportunities for more "doing" we end up feeling lost.
One of the greatest skills we can develop as humans is the ability to reflect. As it turns out, reflection isn't something that occurs naturally when we're in go-go mode. It's just not easy to reflect and run a meeting at the same time.
Reflection allows us to see if what we are doing is what's best for us in a Big Picture way. Packing your schedule with clients, meetings, or extracurricular activities isn't likely to boost your health, your relationships or your ability to connect.
"Book Yourself Solid" might be a fine mantra for someone mindlessly pursuing a lifestyle that someone else has deemed successful, but it's a lousy credo for anyone who doesn't want to feel lost in the process.
Book Yourself Selectively. Make sure you've got plenty of time for reflection. Open your eyes and see the Big Picture.
And pay attention to your own need to be competitive simply for the sake of being competitive.
Skip the holiday shopping just for today, and reflect on what it means to create a life in which you cannot lose.
It might be your best gift EVER.
Related Tags: shopping, stress, holidays, awareness, competition, mindfulness, michael port, book yourself solid
Maya Talisman Frost has taught thousands of people how to pay attention. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she teaches playful, eyes-wide-open alternatives to meditation. An American from Oregon, she now lives in Argentina with her husband and three of their four daughters. To read the latest about her Sexy Spanish Club in Buenos Aires, visit http://www.SexySpanishClub.blogspot.com
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