From the course: Mindfulness Practices
Improve focus
- Think about a piece of work you did, a problem you solved, or a creative project that you're really proud of. How did you do it? Chances are that it required periods of deep focus when your mind was firing on all cylinders and the answers just seemed to flow. We do our best work when we're in the state of focus, yet we increasingly live in a world full of distractions that demand our attention. Imagine if you had the ability to find, almost at will, states of deep focus and flow. What could be possible for you? Mindfulness training has been shown to help you increase focus because you train your brain to bring your attention back to where you want it to stay. Mindfulness has also been shown to impact creativity. Albert Einstein famously said, "We can't solve a problem by using the same thinking we use when we created it." Mindfulness practice helps you absorb your thoughts. By doing this, you can have insight about how you're seeing a problem and what assumptions you may be making. You may be able to see where you're actually stuck. When you see your mind clearly, you may notice that what you were thinking is a problem isn't actually a problem. Our mind generates thousands of thoughts every day. Untrained, our mind is like a restless little puppy moving from one thought to the other, particularly if it will distract us from what may be uncomfortable or boring right in front of us. We spend most of our time thinking about the past or the future, rather than being here right here in the present. Mindfulness practice is about teaching your mind to stay in the here and now, so you can focus on what matters rather than be distracted by your thoughts; this allows you to notice what is happening in the moment and respond more effectively.
Practice while you learn with exercise files
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Contents
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Calm the mind and release stress1m 59s
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Practice: Calm the mind4m 57s
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Improve focus1m 53s
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Practice: Improve focus3m 21s
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Grow self-awareness2m 5s
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Practice: Grow self-awareness3m 45s
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Find meaning at work1m 43s
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Practice: Find meaning at work3m 29s
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Manage your inner critic1m 40s
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Practice: Manage your inner critic3m 44s
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Grow self-confidence1m 43s
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Practice: Grow self-confidence4m 22s
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Cultivate joy1m 38s
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Practice: Cultivate joy3m 42s
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Practice: Morning mindfulness4m 23s
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Practice: Evening mindfulness4m 51s
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