And Something Else - A Microdose Meditation for More Mindfulness and Resilience

<p> Hey there, it's Michael. On Mondays, I love sharing a shorter practice with you to help you navigate today's uncertainty with more mindfulness, resilience, and grace. In today's practice, you can find on my Pause, Breathe, Reflect app, which is free to download in Apple's App Store and on Google Play. And in it, there's a story from my childhood, and it's about one of the most powerful words we tend to forget.</p>
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<p>I hope you like it, and I hope it's meaningful to you</p>
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<p>Growing up, we used to tag along with my mom as she went grocery shopping. One stop was to the peanut shop, and once the owner was done bagging my dad's cashews, she asked this question, "And something else?" I thought it was brilliant. The store was filled with possibilities. I took this question into my corporate life, and I used it when I found myself or the team getting stuck.</p>
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<p>Perhaps we only saw one option or we wanted to brainstorm. So before we locked in on the very first option that bubbled up, we would ask, "And something else?" Meaning, what other options are possible?</p>
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<p>In this practice, we will play with the question and something else to help you see that you might have more options than you first realized</p>
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<p>When you're ready, find a comfortable position. And as you settle in, you can close your eyes or keep them open And we'll begin by taking a few healthy inhales and nice slow releasing exhales as we do</p>
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<p>giving yourself permission to tune out all the outside noise And tune into this moment</p>
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<p>Connecting with your body, your heart, and your mind Slowing down and settling in</p>
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<p>And now bring to mind something you're working on. It might be personal, it could be something at work</p>
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<p>I imagine it's something that you've thought about from time to time And as you bring this to mind, also bring forward the options you currently see</p>
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<p>And now ask yourself that question and something else</p>
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<p>And as you reflect on that question, what's another option that appears? It might be straightforward. It might be crazy. Believe me, when I was shopping with my mom, I came up with some crazy responses Sit with this question and something else</p>
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<p>And as another option comes to mind, come back to the question and something else to see if there's another possibility that wishes to bubble up to the surface</p>
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<p>There's no need to judge the options at this point. Simply generate new options and keep coming back to this question. And something else</p>
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<p>Allow yourself to remain in brainstorming mode to help you generate potentially new options that can help you get unstuck and move the project forward</p>
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<p>When you're ready, you can begin to ease your attention And begin to open the eyes if you've had them closed, and wiggle your fingers and toes</p>
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<p>I hope you enjoyed the practice. And if you believe someone else you know might enjoy it as well, I hope you'll share it with them. You can find this practice as well as many more on my Pause, Breathe, Reflect app, which you can download for free in Apple's App Store and also on Google Play. And until Wednesday's episode, may our practice together benefit all living creatures, and may we celebrate our scars as golden symbols of our strength and resilience</p>