Once upon a time, there were two brothers, Terry and Jerry. But they were more than just brothers. They were identical twins. They both excelled at sports in high school. And as adults, they did very well in their work as sales managers for two large companies headquartered in
Irvine. Terry and Jerry lived with their families in San Clemente. Every morning, they got into their cars and drove to work on the 5 freeway. On this particular morning, something strange happened to both brothers. But the two brothers reacted to these events differently.

Terry was enjoying an uneventful drive to the office when a large pickup truck swerved into this lane. Terry slammed on the brakes to avoid an ugly fender bender. When Terry got cut off, he got angry. He raised his voice and started to curse in his car. He pounded his fist on the dashboard, and could feel his blood pressure rising, and his heart beating faster.

When Terry arrived at the office, he was still pissed off. As he walked down the hall, he shared his experience with anyone who would listen. “You won’t believe what just happened to me!” He spoke. “Some A-hole cut me off and I almost got into a huge crash!” At his desk, Terry tried to settle down to his work. But he couldn’t stop thinking about his near miss. He continued seething all day. “If I ever see the guy again, I will cut him off!” He yelled out to…no one. That five second incident ruined Terry’s entire day.

Oddly enough, Terry’s brother, Jerry, had a similar thing happen on his way to work. He got cut off on the freeway, too. His initial reaction was a lot like Terry’s. He was startled, and then felt anger welling up inside him. But that’s when Jerry’s experience differed from his brother’s. “Breathe, Jerry. Breathe.” Jerry counseled himself. He tuned into what was going on in his body. He could sense his heart beating faster and he told himself, “that was a little scary. But I’m OK. No harm done.” Jerry took a deep breath, drove on to work, and let the experience go.

Why was Jerry’s experience so different than Terry’s? It wasn’t always that way. Jerry had always been as hot tempered as his brother, Terry. But about five years before, Jerry’s doctor informed him he had high blood pressure, and he told him stress reduction might help. Jerry started doing some simple breathing exercises and learned to be more aware of the thoughts and emotions running through his brain and body.

Now, when something unexpected and unpleasant happens, Jerry doesn’t have the same, strong emotional reaction he once did.

This simple story illustrates what it can be like when we stay more present and pay more attention to what’s going on. In my work as a life and business coach, I find that a focus on aware — or mindfulness, as it’s often called — can be very helpful. So, I decided to create a group coaching program designed around mindfulness.

So, what is mindfulness, and what are the benefits? Simply put, mindfulness just means becoming aware and being present. This includes watching what’s going on outside of you — and inside of you.

Mindfulness has proven benefits for stress reduction, anxiety reduction, improved sleep, better memory — and less emotional reactivity (like the aforementioned Terry).

I’ve found it to be one of the keys to a better experience in my life and business. And I love sharing these ideas with clients.