There is no such thing as a self-made man. We are made up of thousands of others. – George Matthew Adams.
Car keys and lunch bag. Check.
And off you go to the office.
As you drive down the busy highways and capitalize on a few short cuts, your mind ruminates on all the plans and projects for the day and especially on the meetings that will certainly bring in more business and take you closer to the ideal business you envisage in the next five years.
You can see your vision as clear as day. You are feeling quite excited and proud of yourself, for everything is on track.
Then suddenly, your thoughts are interrupted by “the idiot” who jumped into the roundabout too late. You let your anger fester to the point where, with disdain, you think “In a hurry to go nowhere” and you “stupse”. After all, you are going somewhere.
You are off to make your day, your life, your dreams come true and it is all up to you. That’s why you have a low tolerance for others who seem mindless and unfocused enough to cross you without thinking.
There is something else going on here. We are all caught up in our worlds, trying to make ourselves into something, and often we forget that others are doing the same thing too. Differently, but doing something too.
Their work is no less important, their dreams no less vital to their survival and happiness, yet we find ourselves thinking that what we want for ourselves is more important that what others want.
Today we explore the art of mindfulness. It is an art, not limited to minutes of regular meditation but including a consistent awareness that others exist and that their lives have meaning. It includes the consideration that everything you do has some level of impact on another person and that regardless of what you think of yourself, you cannot achieve anything in this world on your own.
To the solo professional, the passion of working in and on your business could be all-consuming.
One could get so busy meeting deadlines and going after business that when others speak of their dreams and daily activities, they appear less significant.
We create hierarchies of existence and this leads us to undervalue others, especially those who work alongside us.
We then get caught up with our important and urgent lives and when we interact with service providers, we forget all too often that they are human beings with very significant lives to the people they love, just like you are trying to be significant to your others.
In this vast universe everything is interconnected, whether we perceive it or not. We see it in the physical and the man-made. Storms that start in Africa are swept along by constant wind to North America and the decision to ban box cutters results in our leaving our fingernail clippers at home when we travel.
And so it is in your solo professional world when you make a decision in your business. Think about who is impacted and how. Really think about it.
It could be as simple as taking every evening off early just because you are the owner. After all, you hired “them” to work for you.
You could be failing to ask “them” how they are feeling today. How do those not so mindful moments affect long-term relationships?
Seeing the results of your efforts is one of the most rewarding experiences any solo professional could have. Many of these results are measured by reaching income goals or making substantial purchases.
They may even include becoming a public figure.
While others wasted time and money, you were focused and industrious. Look at what you created – all by yourself. Sure, wife and co-workers helped, but they’re supposed to.
What about the seeds of ideas gleaned from a television documentary? Think about the encouraging prayers of your congregation.
Remember being frustrated that a good idea won’t come only to have it pop into your ear the next morning after eavesdropping on two old guys at the beach?
We all need someone to help us make it.
Be Mindful.
• Cheryl Gittens is a life performance coach to professionals, and a lecturer at the University of the West Indies.