All You Can Control in 2021 is YOU Six Simple Ways to Master Inner Peace in the Upcoming Year
by Ed Hess Hang on leaders. 2021 plans to be a wild ride. If you’re to operate at the top of your game, you need to cultivate Inner Peace. Here are a few tips for getting started. If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that 2020 was a doozy. Chaos reigned supreme. Our best-laid plans crumbled in the face of multiple disruptions. And while most business leaders are accustomed to operating in a state of uncertainty, COVID-19 and its fallout took it to a new level. Frankly, 2021 isn’t looking much more stable. And while none of us know what’s coming, Ed Hess says there’s one thing we can and must control. Ourselves. “The louder the outward chaos, the greater the need for an internal sense of calm,” says Hess, author of Hyper-Learning: How to Adopt to the Speed of Change. “If you’re able to cultivate a state of Inner Peace, you’ll be a far more effective leader in 2021 and beyond.” With Inner Peace, which Hess defines as being fully present in the moment with an open, non-judgmental mind and a lack of self-absorption, you’re open to learning. You’re able to listen to others rather than just confirming your own biases. You’re able to build caring, trusting relationships. All of this allows you and your team to do high-level critical, innovative and emergent thinking to make better, smarter decisions. “Inner Peace is what allows us to bring our best selves to work and engage with others in ways that enable them to be their best selves also,” says Hess. Inner Peace has four parts: a Quiet Ego; a Quiet Mind; a Quiet Body and a Positive Emotional State. By taking ownership of your mind, emotions and behaviors, you’ll learn to generate the positive emotions that enable high engagement with others and behave in ways that enable them to be their Best Selves also. Here are six ways to make tit a resolution in 2021. Take a Good Look at How You Define Yourself Ego is one of the biggest inhibitors of Hyper-Learning. When we define ourselves by how much we know and how “smart” we are (a common problem for leaders), or when someone disagrees with us, our very sense of self is threatened and our ego gets in the way of having real conversations and seeking the best answers. If you want to be open to feedback and want to challenge your own perceptions, you must first make a conscious decision to quiet your ego. “The first step is admitting you have a non-Quiet Ego. The next step is to redefine yourself, perhaps by the quality of your thinking, listening, relating and collaborating. Making this mental shift is surprisingly difficult, but it is a necessary starting point.” Embrace Mindfulness Meditation This is a way of focusing awareness to something specific, like your breath or a part of your body or an object or The National Dipper September/October 2021
mantra, continually bringing your attention back to that thing every time your mind wanders off. Hess recommends you start small, perhaps just two to three minutes at first. Eventually, you’ll be able to work your way up to 20-30 minutes a day. That is how you train your mind so that you can control what you attend to. You must take ownership of your mind. Your mind should not control you. The science on the power of mindfulness meditation is compelling. It is how you can bring your full Best Self to every conversation and every meeting. It is how you can be really, really present. Engage in Acts of Gratitude This practice reduces your tendency to be self-centered and cultivates a Quiet Ego. Acts of gratitude may include saying thank you in the moment, writing thank you notes, keeping a journal, and every night reflecting back on those who’ve had the biggest positive impacts on your life. The idea is to steep yourself in daily reminders that individual success is not all about “me,” and that none of us got here all by ourselves. Practice Deep Breathing to Calm Your Body, Emotions and Mind Hess says back in 2018 he started practicing deep breathing
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