Duck Alumni Career Blog

October 28, 2014

~ A "Letters from Silicon Valley" Series ~  

There’s a lot that can be written about the topic of knowing yourself. In this post I’ll write about just one fundamental skill that has helped many successful people, in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, better understand themselves.

What do the founder of Twitter, CTO of Cisco, CEO of Zappos, leaders at Genentech and Salesforce, top engineers at social media and search companies, players for the Seahawks, and the Dalai Lama all have in common that's helped them in their careers and personal lives? They practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose in the present moment, without judgment. One thing I’ve noticed when I speak with busy tech leaders who practice mindfulness is they tend to be calm and their attention is very focused on the task or topic at hand. This often helps them to be efficient and clear headed. People who interact with them feel like they’ve been listened to and relationships tend to be stronger. They're kind of like Jedi Knights, focused and attentive.

There’s enough interest in Silicon Valley regarding mindfulness that an annual conference called Wisdom 2.0 in San Francisco draws a teeming crowd of more than 2,000 techies and Buddhist monks. Check out this article from Wired Magazine about mindfulness in Silicon Valley.

A recent study found that, on average, adults spend 47 percent of the time distracted from their task at hand. While it’s natural, and can even be useful, for the mind to wander, it can also lead to lower productivity and moodiness. By noticing when your mind wanders and bringing it back to the present you can cultivate mindfulness. Research shows mindfulness can help you reduce stress, increase focus and productivity, and enhance relationships both at work and at home.

There’s evidence that the simple effort of becoming aware of our own thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations gives us better control over our responses. Mindfulness enables us to recover more quickly from stressful situations, think with greater clarity, and better consider the impact we are having on others.

There are many ways to cultivate mindfulness. The next time you feel stressed or are about to let emotions overtake you, try the STOP technique.
 

  • STOP what you are doing.
  • TAKE a few deep breaths, bringing your awareness to each inhale and exhale.
  • OBSERVE how your body is feeling in the moment. Observe your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Be aware, without judgment or self-criticism.
  • PROCEED with an appropriate action.

I hope you explore mindfulness and practice focusing more of your attention in the present. By rehearsing mindfulness you will notice improvement in how you feel, your productivity, and your interactions with your colleagues, members of your family, and friends.

May you have peace, happiness and success.

Go Ducks!

Contact:
Humberto Chacon
humberto@chacon.us