Getting to the Core: Mindfulness and Inner Centricity

Abstract

Why should we—as Leaders—consider working on inner Centricity? One reason: Because we are all living in a much more dynamic environment today, working on multiple tasks at the same time and are often so busy with all kinds of things that we forget to take a moment to just lean back, close our eyes … and just breathe. In order to draw energy from ourselves, from our Self, from within, an energy that truly helps us to develop a strong, authentic and even spiritual Leadership. A character, a mind and a soul with a calm and stable inner Centricity will naturally develop an overlying level of positive and strong core Values such as respect, fairness, honesty, reliability. The inner energy source that drives these core Values, the inner Centricity, remains unchanged and stable, like the trunk of a tree, and forms the “center of gravity” of your Character, your mind and your soul. One way to practice Mindfulness is already well known today: meditation. However, should not forget that in addition to the Asian forms of mediation techniques and meditation practice, there have long been forms of meditative or contemplative practice in other cultures, too, in particular the practice of religious prayer and religious contemplation, i.e. religious Mindfulness. We should also recognize and acknowledge as Leaders that, for each of us, the respective religion of our own culture—and increasingly also religions of other cultures—have shaped us, ourselves, our Self and our environment, whether we like it or not: the Character our culture, our Habits, what we do, our Words, our Thoughts and our Values. The very thing that forms our Spiritual interior. Therefore, we can ask ourselves how we can make ourselves aware of what shapes us, focus on it and consciously discover and recognize our Spiritual inner core in order to strengthen our inner Centricity.