Having been looking at lots of material recently on the subjects of Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence, the penny suddenly
dropped...
All this stuff about self-development and wellbeing - which is said to reduce stress, improve cognitive function, generally making you a more
fulfilled person - can all be boiled down to one simple principle...
And in a sense, if you can do this - or at least aspire to it - everything else follows. Simple,
but not necessarily easy.
Mindfulness is largely about being aware of the movements of mind. And commonly, when you interrupt normal consciousness to look at what's going on,
you'll find plenty of influences taking you away and back to the noise and activity that is so familiar and strangely comfortable.
Emotional Intelligence is about having more choice in our response to circumstances and people by interrupting our habitual reactions to them. And
this is facilitated through awareness and observation. Try it over Christmas when over-exposure to the extended family starts to get to you. Simple but not always easy.
So in my mind at least, Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence are fundamentally approaches for knowing ourselves. And that is all there is to
it.
Let's see what better minds than mine have to say on this subject:
Lao Tzu: Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Robert Bland: If men would search diligently their own minds, and examine minutely their thoughts and actions, they would be more cautious in
censuring the conduct of others, as they would find in themselves abundantly sufficient cause for reproof.
Adam Smith: The first thing you have to know is yourself. A man who knows himself can step outside himself and watch his own reactions like an
observer.
And there are plenty more where these came from.
So although these techniques and approaches may seen new and radical, the essence of what they are about is as old as the hills.
I don't know about you, but I find that quite comforting.
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Chris Pearse has built and managed several successful businesses and now helps others do the same. As an MD, Interim
DIrector, Non-Executive Director, Consultant, Investor and Mentor, Chris has worked with companies ranging from SMEs to FTSE100s, helping them to unblock the paths to growth. Chris is a Chartered
Engineer with broad commercial experience including R&D, Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing and General Management. He has grown businesses in the UK and abroad and has worked internationally.
Well-versed in the mechanics of business, Chris also has extensive experience working on the dynamics of organisations, developing their culture, values, strategy, mission, leadership,
communication and engagement through his company Clarity Space. Chris is a member of the Institute of Directors, sits on the Edinburgh committee, is a member of the Institution of Engineering
& Technology (formerly IEE), and is a Non-Executive Director of Move On, an Edinburgh-based charity. He speaks French and fluent Italian, and is married with 3 adult children. In his spare
time he plays the piano, designs and builds astronomical telescopes and practices yoga and mindfulness. With an office in Bloomsbury, London, and living in Edinburgh, Chris is available to take
on new assignments across the UK. clarityspace.co.uk