Working from Starbucks today I walked past a man sitting with a crutch next to him. I really wanted to ask him about it — maybe it’s because I’ve never broken my leg, maybe it’s because I’m nosy. So I did. Turns out he’s got Cartilage damage from pounding on the streets near his job in the city. Before I know it we are talking about the curse of being a man — we say we are fine when we are not , because we don’t want to ask for help. And we feel we need to keep working — is the “how big is my willy/how many hours have I worked” problem a western problem? Why is it so hard to stop, to rest?
I am fascinated by Mindfulness — google it and you are surrounded by courses, stats; the corporates are courting it. And I love it. Well, I love being still, I love stopping, which is hard when you run your own business. So back to the guy with the crutch whose name is John, he used to run his own business, maybe that’s where the drive comes from to keep going. Where does he work now? The Bank of England! I love how he describes his job “It is a place that needs cherishing because of it’s history, whilst moving forward — it can be a sleeping dinosaur”. I feel like in a few minutes I am getting to know what drives this man, this man I would not have met if I had rushed on by.
Why I am writing this? Had I not been mindful to the people around me, had I not taken a moment to breathe, pause and prepare for the day (admin and Xero — how I love it!) I would not have opened that door. At Amplify, we talk all the time about coaching our clients to be fully present — we have to be living that out to be an authentic voice. Today, that is my “living-out” moment.
