For my entire adult life, I have been a Type A personality. I am driven, ambitious, and goal-oriented. If you are like me, you know the pros around this way of being is that you tend to achieve.

But the downside of wiring yourself to lead and live like this is there is little peace in your mind. You are always thinking, strategizing, and planning. Eventually, this can lead to a feeling of never being in the moment because your brain is always swirling around. And before you know it, this becomes the way our lives are conducted as days roll into years and even though we are achieving, we are really not fully living.

How does Mindfulness do all of this?

After I suffered a severe concussion 12 years ago when I fainted and smashed my head off the concrete floor, I was told the only form of treatment was to go home and lie in the dark until at least some of the brain pain subsided.

I lay in my darkened bedroom for 11 days. There was no stimulation of any kind allowed - no music, podcasts, cell phones, TV, even conversations with my husband. And, my baby girls had to be sent to my parents’ house. I didn’t see the sky, or anything outside of my room, other than the ensuite bathroom for 11 full days.

One of the first things I remember when coming out of the darkened room is the details of everything. The bright blue sky. The vibrant green of the trees. The way the wind felt as it caressed my skin in the sunlight

If you are running around the clock, it is time to look at your calendar. It doesn’t matter if you are a CEO or a student. If you are feeling flung through the day, you are not setting yourself up for success. It is no longer a badge of honour for leaders to talk about how busy they are. Busyness doesn’t equate to strong leadership. If you have got so many things to squeeze into your day and you are not sure how to do it, here are some tips for you!

This week, I gave a keynote speech for a corporation. I had a busy morning juggling a few things so got to the point where I realized I didn't have time to BOTH review my notes for this speech AND take a few minutes for me to ground myself, close my eyes and breathe deeply and visualize my connection with the audience. I had to choose one area to put my focus on for my prep for this speech.