Dont look back, your not going that way (Part 2)

The advice I gave my colleagues around that board room table, “Don’t look back,” reflected that we were on a journey. And, while on that journey, what does it take to find the path in front of you? The tool I use is a three-step process. The first step is to just “breathe.” That implies giving yourself a chance to breathe in and to oxygenate your brain. I know it sounds more than a bit esoterical, but I’ve found breathing in helps you stay present and allows you to think more clearly.

When you don’t breathe–in fear, flight, or when you’re challenged–you tend to think from the survival quadrant of your brain. When you take a deep breath, you’re now thinking with your frontal lobe, and moves your thinking from the back of your brain, that survival quadrant, to the front of your brain. This one act of breathing allows you to think and be more mindful of where you are; it allows you to become cognizant and not wallow in reactive mode. After taking a deep breath, you realize you can go forward, now. You can find the path in front of you. Now, what?

From this point, you can now assess your situation and make a determination. You’ve recognized you won’t go back. Now you can ask yourself a very important question: “What do I need to pick up and carry forward and what do I need to leave behind?”