Episode 15: Keith MacPherson | Mindful Leadership
49 mins
“I think one of the most important things we can do right now is notice ourselves in the moments when we're getting taken away by our fear and anxiety, and just pushing the pause button and slowing down, and as simple as it sounds, taking the deep breath. Really, our breath, you know, that's one of the first things that just kind of falls out of whack when we're stressed is our nervous system goes nuts and all of a sudden our breath shortens or is nonexistent. Then all of a sudden, the entire body starts shifting into this fight or flight mode. So, one of the most important things we can do right now, even just to regulate our nervous system from all this fear is to take a deep breath.”
Keith MacPherson knows a thing or two about being mindful and taking big breaths. The author of Making Sense of Mindfulness, he works with individuals to help them navigate what they want and helps them become the best version of themselves. He acknowledges that the time we are living through is not easy and admits that he too has days when he does not feel great. His advice for navigating the rough days, in addition to being present in the moment and being kind to yourself is to be aware of your thoughts. He tells us, “There's a Kahuna in Hawaii that talks about this idea that the world is what you think it is,” therefore, it is important to be aware of what we are thinking about so we can discern the difference between thoughts that build us up and move us towards a place of love and peace versus thoughts that bring us closer to fear and separation.
Our conversation with Keith introduced us to a new community he is part of (myconsciouslife.com), touched on the state of the world, reviewed the importance of mindfulness, discussed the pressures on leaders and outlined the opportunity we have to emerge from the pandemic better than we were prior to it.
If you’d like to learn more about Keith, check out his website, keithmacpherson.com, follow him on Instagram @keithmmac or download his podcast Let’s Connect with Keith MacPherson.