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V O L . X X I I N O. X I H E A LT H Y B U S I N E S S 10 I recently did a podcast with digi- tal marketing expert and author Stephen Woessner called "Onward Nation" in which I revealed that I have been using hypnotherapy for several years, using it to solve prob- lems and focus on what's important in my life. Revealing this felt like I was coming out of the closet with a dark secret, but once I said it out loud, I felt liberated. And now I will write it here: I have found that hypnotherapy helps me overcome my fears, and helps set my unconscious mind to work in the direction of my goals and dreams. Hypnotherapy isn't the only tech- nique you can use to focus and clear your mind. ere are a lot of other ways to shift your mindset toward a higher level of success and contentment. Meditation, yoga, mindfulness training, acupuncture and even physical exercise, are all prac- tices that many might call New Age, or "woo woo," but actually help you focus on what's most important. In this age full of distractions, with the biggest being our smart phones, it's harder than ever to accomplish your goals. I think the ability to be totally present in what you are doing right now is one of the most valuable skills any executive can possess, whether it's fully listening to the person you are talking to, or participating 100% in the meeting you are attending, or thought- fully writing or reading a document. An article the Harvard Business Review, "How Meditation Benefi ts CEOs," cited the following benefi ts: Resilience: One of the most important skills any executive can bring to work each day is the abil- ity to be cool under fi re. e ability to zero in on the issue at hand and guide others in making a clear- headed decision is invaluable. Emotional Intelligence: ese skills impact an executive's ability to be compassionate and empa- thetic towards others, while also leading them with skills like active listening, coaching, planning, men- toring and collaborating. Creativity: Sometimes when an executive is under stress, he or she might just tell the team to just "do it like we always have," instead of taking a step back and saying, "Why don't we work together to come up with a creative solution to this situation?" Creativity is far more engaging than the status quo. Creative thinking can lead to more impactful ways of address- ing problems and it is oftentimes more fun, too. Have you ever used Crazy Aaron's inking Putty at a meeting? It defi nitely helps get the creative juices fl owing. Relationships: When you are more present in your relation- ships, you honor the other person or people who you are working with, improving the quality of the relationship and usually the work products you are producing as a team. At home, your relation- ships will blossom too if you aren't shrouded in a black fog of issues that you've brought home from work. I know, I know, it sounds a lot easier than it actually is. I've been there. My son (who is now 23) used to pull on my pant leg in the evening when he was 3 or 4 years old, and say "Mumma, no mo' phone" because he didn't want me to work all the time. Talk about causing life-long mommy guilt! Focus: When you are able to clear the clutter out of your mind, an amazing thing happens. Your mind works better. Compare your brain to the hard-drive of your computer. When that hard drive is full of data, it slows down and stops func- tioning at its full potential. Your brain is the same. It needs to slow down and actually reboot in order to perform at its best. Who wouldn't want to be more resilient, emotionally intelligent, cre- ative, relatable, and focused at work? I encourage you to incorporate some of these mindful techniques in order to generate better results in your profes- sional and personal lives. N M i s C E O o f N a n c y M a r s h a l l C o m m u n i c a t i o n s ( w w w . marshallpr.com), which is based in Augusta. She can be reached at @ . Use meditation and mindfulness to help your business B Y N A N C Y M A R S H A L L H OW TO www.NonprofitMaine.org We help nonprofits help Maine. is employed by a Maine nonprofit Maine workers 7 1 in That's over 84,000 jobs in Maine Call us today! Providing solutions for diverse hiring needs for Maine companies • Finance/ accounting professionals • Skilled laborers • Flaggers • Administrative experts • Health Care professionals • Engineers Providing solutions for diverse hiring needs for Maine companies Call us today! Direct Personnel / Project Staffing / Project Staffing / / Project Flagging / Project Flagging / 207-854-2422 directpersonnel.net 800-639-8802 mainestaff.com • • • • • •

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