What Needs to Shift Inside You to Collaborate with the Unknown?

Recently I discussed key areas around being a more effective collaborator with others. Now we’ll focus on how to embody the qualities of collaboration so that no matter what is going on in our world, work, or personal lives, we are better collaborators with reality.

I have been practicing embodying these qualities, and it is hard, especially when you are in environments that do not gel with you. There is a breathing technique I practice if something “pushes my buttons” or has me going into “judgment mode.” I breathe in what it is I am feeling – let’s say judgment – and breathe out kindness. I repeat this breathing technique several times in a row, which calms down my nervous system and allows me to roll with the flow. The trigger is your nervous system telling you that a belief or way of being is locked in the body. Your body is your ally if you listen to it, and in order to really listen, we have to stay present with how we feel.

It is a practice that develops our observer mind and being present with all that is happening around and within you. Once an outside event/person causes a trigger, at the same time, you need to shift the attention inside you to be able to know the best course of action to take.

This kind of training is really about opening your awareness to be able to live from a more present space inside yourself. I get why they call it a practice; it takes multiple times for this to become a habit. There are many times I am not conscious enough to even notice what is happening in the moment until after the fact. This is why a sitting meditation practice supports me. It is an opportunity to open awareness without distractions while staying present in my body through various ways (sounds, mantra, breath) to train my mind to remain open. When I am living my life out in the world, it supports me in being able to remember to be present in the moment and make this practice a regular habit.

These three steps elevate my commitment to make this a new way of being:
First, practice being aware of how you feel.
Second, use your breath to bring attention to what you are feeling; allow your breath to send kindness to open to this awareness.
Third, take action once you feel a release or openness occur internally.

This awareness opening leads to more effectively dealing with your present reality so you can collaborate from a more present and aware space.