A Non Anxious Presence

In the training I am taking we are being reminded of being a non anxious presence wherever we are. In the pool this morning I saw the similarities of that and floating. To float you have to totally relax every muscle and joint in your body, to float with ease. If you are anxious, tight, concerned with the waves others are making, you can't float.

There are waves being made all around us most of the time. We can, and often do, try to help or "fix" others so that they stop making waves. We can easily get drawn into that kind of energy and what does it end up doing? We end up being as anxious as them.

As leaders, and we all are, we have to become that non anxious presence. We need to be attentive to the waves, don't avoid them but be present to them. We need to be neutral.. knowing we don't have to stop or fix them but try to understand them. We need to not call one wave better than another. Lastly we need to listen so that others know we care about their anxiety, that we are there for them.

We are most effective when we are non anxious. Just for today try to be a non anxious presence wherever you are. Notice if you begin to get anxious and where you feel it in your body. The work then is to explore the root of your anxiety. What are you believing that is causing the anxiety?

Pic.. A water taxi we took last night to the downtown area.