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“If you have a clear mind you won’t have to search for direction.
Direction will come to you.”
– Phil Jackson
“Have you seen the movie American Sniper?”, one of my clients asked me at one of our meetings.
As it turned out I had.
The story revolves around a US soldier, played by the actor Bradley Cooper, who suffers from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). My client proceeded to tell me that there was one scene that really struck a chord with him.
The solider had returned from a recent tour of duty and was trying, unsuccessfully, to re-integrate with his family at home. In one scene, the solider’s wife says to him:
‘You’re not here. I see you. I feel you. But you’re not here.’
My client went on to tell me that he’d watched the movie a few weeks prior and had been very touched by that scene. But it wasn’t until the recent weekend that he’d realised the deeper reason for it’s impact.
He said that he was playing a game with his son on Saturday morning and was aware that his mind was drifting in and out of thinking about work issues.
Then in the middle of the game, his son stopped and said to him angrily:
“Daddy, you’re not even here”.
“The comment cut through my heart like a knife – because it was true”, he told me.
In that moment he became aware of all of the times he’d been in the room with his family but hadn’t really been there. This exact scenario is playing out in homes all over the place as people’s minds get busier and busier.
But I’d say that for many, the same issue is taking place during our working days – at meetings, in 1 to 1 conversations and so on.
This is perhaps THE challenge of our time.
The challenge of being mentally present and clear so that we can experience life and bring out our best. What’s fascinating to me is that this inner skill also impacts our performance in whatever field we are in.
Why? – because high performance lives in the zone of a clear mind.
What can you do more of or less of, this week, to be more here’?
Best,
Shane
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New Podcast Episode – Winning The War Within
War is never a good thing. But there is a war inside everyone that matters more than others – and it need to be won. The next episode of my podcast The Inner Edge is now available on all major podcasting platforms or on my website here.
