Leading and Love

The mining industry is all about extracting valuable minerals from the earth. A very dirty job where the more valuable materials are found deeper in the earth. A lot of technology is used in order to minimize environmental impact and injury. I have seen videos of mine exploration and I get claustrophobic just watching.

The concept of mining is used in other areas as well like data, where data scientists use quantitative techniques to extract valuable information from loads and loads of data. Same idea as regular mining - extract valuable information from all the information. There is also cryptocurrency mining, which I don’t really understand.

What about thought mining? We get overloaded with so much information that it’s hard to sift through. Some folk end up being carried with the wave while others become paralyzed by the amount of stuff that gets thrown at us over the course of a day. 

Well thought mining is what we call mindfulness. Mindful.org describes mindfulness as “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us...The goal of mindfulness is to wake up to the inner workings of our mental, emotional, and physical processes.”

Mayo Clinic describes mindfulness as “a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment.”

Idea #1

It’s critical to be mindful. If you are not adequately mining your thoughts and behavioral patterns, you can easily get swept up in all of the activity around you without producing anything valuable.

Idea #2

Mindfulness should be treated as a core value and practiced routinely until it becomes a habit.

Quote #1

“Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” -Jon Kabat-Zinn

Quote #2

“Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.” -Robin S. Sharma

Quote #3

“Wherever you are, be there totally.” -Eckhart Tolle

Challenge

Establish a routine of practicing mindfulness whether it's prayer, meditation, or quiet time. Create a place of retreat for yourself where you can practice mindfulness. 

Affirmation

I am responsible for owning my moments of truth.