In last week’s Monday Morning Tip we started off 2014 talking about the benefits of doing a 3-Centers practice that aligns the head, heart and body in seconds.  This week we have a “real” example that highlights the value of doing this practice.  Many of you shared with us your insights as you did this practice.  Here’s one that everyone can relate to!

As Tony sat at his desk early one morning, he began his new practice of checking in with his three centers – head, heart and body – as he prepared for his day. As he checked in with his head his thoughts went to an interaction that he had with his 8-year old daughter the prior evening. He played the interaction again in his head and as he did, he wished he had handled it differently and replayed it in his head how he would have handled it saying to himself, “the next time that happens I’ll do that.” He then moved to his heart and found that he was having a reaction to the encounter with his daughter. This surprised him. He thought he had figured out what he would do the next time so all was well but when he moved to his heart he felt sadness. Sadness about the way he interacted with her, about the impact he had on her and felt that the connection with her, from his side, was “off.” He then checked in with his gut and felt a sense of urgency to call her. She would be sitting at the kitchen table having breakfast and he wanted to talk with her so he called her and told her that he was sorry about how he had acted the night before and told her why he reacted the way he did. This resulted in him asking her to change one of her behaviors and he promised to work on his reactions. They hung up reconnected.

Tony shared this story with me during our coaching session and he was amazed how this small daily practice of checking in with his 3 Centers revealed information he would have missed if he hadn’t taken the time to check in. He said he would have never know or felt the sadness and in acknowledging it and then taking action to reconnect with his daughter, he felt energized and focused for the rest of the day.

All day long we are being impacted and impacting others. With this little practice, we give ourselves permission to stop, pause and, if necessary, declutter, unhook and/or release unwanted or unresolved energy that gets in our way of being fully present during the day.

Tony asked me “how frequently should I do this practice?” I suggested that doing the practice daily, even a few times a day, is important because in doing so you are building the muscle of self-observation, a crucial skill in leadership and personal mastery, within you. By doing so, when difficult situations arise you’ll have spent enough time in each of the 3 Centers that when you need them most to inform your thinking feeling and acting, they will be ready and able to support quicker, more informed and aligned outcomes.

So what’s going on in your head, heart and body today?