One thing I’ve learned as a chronic worrier of what other people might think, or how they’ll react to what I say about how I’m feeling is…
It’s frustrating as shit for all parties involved when you don’t say the thing.
When you’ve tiptoed around it, inferred it, or just taken the time to be aware of it even being there – it has resulted in energy leaks for everyone, when they have to do the work to try to decipher what you’re really getting at. It’s also resulted in a lot of misunderstanding, miscommunication, and messiness.
Sometimes it’s not actually super messy, it’s more a constant state of dissatisfaction and discomfort.
When you’re a leader, and you’re not finding healthy outlets of expressing yourself or processing your feels (yes, exactly what I mean), you will find (if you choose to look) that it will come out in how you communicate – whether you mean it to or not, and whether you realise it or not!
This is why mindfulness is an ongoing practice, and so, so important as a practice.
Michael Jordan had a mindfulness coach during THE Chicago Bulls era in the 90s. Kobe Bryant also worked with the same mindfulness coach. It’s no coincidence that they were clean and clear in how they performed and expressed their own art in their sport.
You don’t have to be a high-performing athlete. The point is: humans are gonna human, so to pretend you’re above the experience of being human is straight delusional.
This article was originally posted over on my Substack.
