For the majority of my adult life, I’ve woken up each morning and done the same thing: sit on my meditation cushion. As a long-time practitioner, I’ve traveled, read, and studied a lot related to this tradition.
What have almost two decades of daily sitting brought me?
✨ An ability to identify and let go of a state of agitation. I have found that the flip side of this agitation - which can also be called anxiety - has led me closer to a state of well-being: equanimity.
Anxiety vs Equanimity: the 🌊 as an analogy
These two states can be likened to the difference between the ocean waves on a stormy day versus a calm one - the ocean in both cases is still the same, it’s just that it’s manifesting its energy differently, thus leading to two different outcomes.
💫 The equanimous outcome is a feeling of renewed perspective, energy, and insight. The difference can be (in my case) life-changing and therefore extremely beneficial.
In Chinese, equanimity is translated as ‘鎮定。’ The first character ‘鎮’ means calm, tranquil, or at ease while the second character ‘定’ means fixed, settled or established. I appreciate this perspective in two separate characters, as it shows the relationship between two concepts and how they come together to create a dynamic result.
Hotsprings are abundant here in Taiwan! I love visiting them as a way to unwind, improve circulation, and feel all-around relaxed and rested.
As both a meditator and coach, partnering with both myself and my clients in shifting from a state of mental agitation to a state of mindfulness or equanimity is very beneficial.
There is also research emerging showing equanimity as a support for the development of compassion, which is extremely helpful to develop as a global leader and/or coach as it can help you to remove bias, which otherwise might limit the scope of your empathy and compassion.
🌐 This is especially important for anyone (such as myself) who is coaching across cultures and needs to recognize - and transform - any cultural bias that may be affecting the session and my client’s experience.
In fact, you don't need to be a meditator to develop this skill - all you need is a willingness to step outside of your emotional and mental comfort zone, and actively develop your CulturalEQ (Cultural & Emotional Intelligence) in a way that suits your personality, lifestyle and unique professional needs.
Contact me here to set up a Discovery Call on how you can develop your own CulturalEQ for today's VUCA world.