Body/Mind and Your Business

When you think of body and mind, you might see them as two separate entities. Yes. They are. At the same time, our body and mind are interconnected in an amazing way. For example, when we breathe deeply to keep the bloodstream fully oxygenated, our entire central nervous system will be calmer and the stress cortical production will be reduced. We will end up in a less stressed mood and our mind will be clearer.

What happens when our mind is clear? We probably have clear vision, ability to plan and the determination to take actions. We will provide better service and design better products for our clients.

What your mom told you

I had clients calling and telling me they were overwhelmed and they couldn't get anything done. I always asked them to take a deep breath to calm down. Then I asked them if they ate right, slept enough and exercised. (It sounds like what your mom would tell you.) Most of the time; I got answers of no, no, no. I could picture a body that is full of toxins and depleting. The nervous system probably was hyper and the mind cloudy. No wonder they couldn’t focus. They probably reacted to the circumstance instead of thinking straight. At this time, I would suggest that they take care of themselves before they do anything else. If building a business is like building a house, our body and mind are the two most important tools.

Be an observer of your body

Ok. You can tell me you eat right, sleep well and exercise. What else can you do to bring your business to the next level? I will ask you to be an observer of yourself.

Our actions reflect our whole self. The self is not what we think or say about ourselves, but how we act and how others assess these actions. Be aware of your physical posture. How do you stand, sit, talk and breathe? Are you inviting conversations with your body language? Simply notice your body reactions when you interact with a potential client. What energy do you bring to the interaction? Are you the person your potential client would like to work with?

What do you do to increase your energy for business? It could be as simple as taking a break or eating breakfast. What do you do to calm your mind down enough to sit still and focus? Sometimes, it could be as simple as doing a guided meditation in the morning. Or you might need to physically place yourself in an environment that works for you. If you are an observer of your body, you will hear what your body is telling you.

Be an observer of your emotions

Taking some time to notice your emotions is also important. We hear people talk about negative emotions like seeing a snake - "let's not step on it".Actually negative emotions (fear, anger, sadness, anxiety and shame) are also our essential emotions along with the positive ones (happiness, joy and love).

It's important that we acknowledge all our emotions instead of judging them or suppressing them. How do we acknowledge our emotions? Simply notice them and experience them with conscious mind.

For example, I drop tears easily when watching movies. Whenever there was an emotional scene in the movie, my kids would turn their heads around to watch me with tears. So I told them I had more empathy than them. J  When I studied emotional intelligence, I realized that what made me tear easily was my emotion of sadness. A death of a family member planted sadness in my body and mind. It’s an emotion that is easily triggered for me.

How about you? What emotion is easily triggered?

Knowing your own emotions to build your business

It's important to experience all of our emotions. Notice which emotion you don’t feel safe to experience and what you do to avoid it. Notice which emotion can be easily triggered and how you react. When we know our own emotions and how we handle them, we then have a choice to manage our emotions. When we can manage our emotions, we can grow our business easily since our emotions won’t be in the way. We can open ourselves to feel the emotions that others are experiencing. The ability to relate to others’ emotions is “empathy”. Empathy is a key to build relationships with your clients. Empathy is also a good tool for marketing since we can offer services and products that are useful for others.

Emotions do affect our body/mind and vice versa

The emotional state that we are in most of the time affects our body and mind. It affects the way we operate our business, the way we see the world around us and the way we carry ourselves physically.

Have you seen someone that looks confident with a proper posture? Someone that looks tired with a burned out expression? Or someone that has an appreciative mind and acts approachable? Who would you like to do business with?

At the same time, our physical presence and activities can affect our mind. Yoga is one of these activities. Some somatic practices also can help us to be more open, aware and increase our ability to take effective actions.  

Practices taking care of our body and mind

Remember we are always learning and practicing something old or something new. Why don’t we practice something that leads us to be a healthier person and a more successful business owner?

Please think of one thing you want to practice with your mind and one thing you want to practice with your body. Observe yourself daily to see the effectiveness of the practice and the difference that they make to your business. Let’s meet on line and discuss what you find out and what works for you.

Recommended resources

Read up and get knowledgeable about exercise and mind.

Hays, K. (2002). Move your body: tone your mood. Oakland: New
Harbinger Publications

Ratey, J.J. & Hagerman, E. (2008). Spark: The revolutionary new
science of exercise and the brain. New York: Little, Brown and Company

Learn how your immediate environment has a profound influence on  your mood, read up

Robert Arnot MD (2000) The Biology of Success