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If you noticed something missing last month - you're
right. Last month we made the radical
decision to give ourselves a break. Yes,
balancebreak needed a break. Instead of masking
the need for a break by sending out an eletter "from
the archive", we decided to do it rather transparently.
The urge to take care of everything, please everyone
and check every box along the way can be quite an
obsession. Self-worth becomes enmeshed with
externalized ideals of who we SHOULD be rather than
feeling grounded and empowered by who we truly
are. As creators of balancebreak, we noticed the very
same happening with us.
We asked ourselves - how can we model leading
from self-mastery? If we know that striving for
perfection leads to insanity, how can we allow
a little imperfection here and there? What risk must
we take to be as human as greatness requires?
The time off served us well just as we hope the pixels
below will serve you. This month's issue is dedicated
to the concept of being small, of being true to,
transparent with and absolutely connected to one's
own humanity in the midst of the charge for greatness.
Because lets face it: for your success to be
sustainable, you will always need to honor both your
humanity and your greatness.
Be well,
Tevis Gale
Editor & Founder
Balance Integration
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Small and Great
Several weeks ago, hundreds of senior executives
from around the world gathered for the World
Business Forum at Radio City Music Hall to be
reminded of the importance of qualities such as
courage, the ability to connect, curiosity and risk
taking. Attendees spent
somewhere around $4K to hear Jack Welch, Kofi
Annan, and Alan Greenspan tell stories of being
human and humane, of making the difficult choices, of
opportunities lost by playing it safe.
These are lessons we've all heard since
kindergarten. But there's a reason great
leadership lessons bear repeating: for most of us, all
too often fear trumps inspiration. Even in this
auspicious crowd, fear set in quickly after the
applause ended and
everyone was set loose to mingle. Rather than freely
approaching each other in the spirit of courage and
openness, the breaks and networking lunches were
characterized by moving in safe herds among familiar
faces, clinging to cell phones, and averting eyes for
fear of not knowing what to say or how to connect.
Being great requires us to be small and humble. It
requires us to remember that we are simple human
beings and that the same is true of everyone around
us. These lessons of greatness are evergreen
because our fear of each other and vulnerability at
exposing ourselves often feels stronger than our
longing to move with freedom in the world - to
experience true greatness.
The next time you want to practice greatness, risk
being the first to smile. Take a break from worrying
about looking foolish and be the first to say hello. At a
networking event, go ahead and feel the pounding of
your heart and loss for words, really feel it. Remind
yourself that these symptoms are just indicators that
you are afraid and proof positive that you are smack
dab in the middle of an opportunity to be great. Then
walk up to the first person you see and say, "hi, where
are you from?". Beyond the relief you give the other
person at finally connecting, you'll feel your own smile
as a celebration that you have just managed to be
great.
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Sensational Moment
Moving through the day with a million things to do,
often your thoughts can become muddy or - at it's
worse - your sense of stimulation can actually lead
you to SHUT DOWN a bit, making you feel sleepy,
overwhelmed, listless.
Just as they play a key role in feeling dull, your
senses can also act as a great tool for waking
yourself back up, clearing your mind, and re-engaging
on the spot.
- Feel - notice RIGHT NOW how your body feels
sitting in your chair. Notice how your clothing feels on
your skin, how your body's weight feels in the chair.
Notice if the moment you pay attention you decide to
uncross your legs or sit up straight.
- See - Close your eyes and contract your muscles
around your eyelids. Notice any sensations in your
eyes. Now let your eyes SEE the inside of your
eyelids - how would you really describe what you see?
Now open your eyes, keeping your gaze soft, and
allow light to come to the surface of your eyes. As you
allow your gaze to move across the vista around you,
what textures, colors, intensities do you see?
- Hear - close your eyes and notice the aggregate
of sound around you. Like hearing the whole of a
symphony, allow all the noises around you to swell.
Then begin to isolate each sound
one by
one, also paying attention to the space between you
and each sound.
- Taste - Draw your attention to your mouth and
notice how your tongue feels gently resting inside the
ridge of your teeth. Notice how the moment you pay
attention to your tastebuds, your mouth becomes
sweeter.
- Smell - take a deep inhale, but this time notice
whatever smells are present by drawing your attention
to the tip and the inner wall (septum) of your nose.
What smells do you perceive?
Go through the five senses once or twice - if you keep
it up this will
become a quick pick-me-up for interminable
meetings, late lunch dates, and even early mornings
after the late nights.
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Balance In a Bottle?
Whether the situation at hand involves turkeys in the
office or at home over the holidays, balance in a bottle
certainly sounds like a great idea. Forgoing distilled
spirits in favor of a healthier approach, we tapped
local aromaguru Susan Reimer-Torn of Scentient
Beings for her favorite go-to essences to cure
whatever ails you.
- Reduce stress with Lavender, Neroli or Mandarin.
- Gain clarity with Peppermint, Lemongrass or
Basil.
- Get confident with Petitgrain, Myrrh & Palmorosa
You can pick any of these up at a local health food
store - just be sure to check with your doctor for
allergies and
always use aromatherapy grade essences.
To use them as a centering tool, Susan
advocates closing your eyes for a few
deep breaths and slowing your breath to a count of
five. Then, take a moment for envisioning your
desired state - stress free, clear, courageous - what
exactly would that look like for you? When you have
the image in your mind, use the essence of choice
and take a deep inhale to anchor the feeling in your
mind.
Sound far fetched? Just remember what a pick-me-
up a whiff of fresh bread can be when you're passing
a city bakery - when it comes to aromatherapy most of
us are old pros.
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Small Packages
Coming home from weeks on the road teaching our
corporate yoga teacher training in studios across the
nation, the last thing I felt like doing was rifling through
the tower of mail that awaited.
Yet in the middle of that tower I could see a little
package poking out - in it this lovely book by Michael
Gellert advocating that we all scale back in every
sense, most importantly starting with our egos.
Gellert presents just how important being small and
imperfect is in allowing ourselves to create and to
connect. Although he strikes a fervent tone at times,
the pages are full of stories of great
smallness from a range of folks from Bob Dylan to
Harry Truman. Moving through the week, it's been a
nice reminder that we're all great and small and no
matter how different, none of us are ever alone.
Get smaller!
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