Mindful Eating

In many respects, great leadership is mindful leadership. We cultivate the ability to stay in the moment, without distraction or criticism, in order to bring out the best in ourselves and others. Great leaders therefore adopt mindfulness practices in all areas of life and work. To that end, I found the following tips on mindful eating by Dr. Jennifer Daly in the April issue of the Health Journal to be helpful:

• Always eat in a clean and quiet place either alone or with people you like.
• Look at your food and appreciate its appearance and smell before you eat.
• Chew your food slowly and attentively, concentrating on and appreciating its subtle qualities.
• Eat without distractions such as television, radio or other media.
• Only eat when you are truly hungry.
• Do not eat within 2 hours of bedtime.
• After exercise wait a while before eating to get an accurate gauge of
your hunger level.
• Walk about 100 steps after a meal to aid digestion.
• Do not eat when you are angry, depressed, bored or otherwise emotionally unstable. Instead, try to resolve these feelings first through stress management tools such as exercise (including yoga), meditation, or seeking the support of friends, family, a spiritual adviser or a mental health professional.

Now, have some fun with this list. Substitute the word "lead" for the word "eat," and the word "people" for "food." Read the list again. What new ideas do those substitutions bring to mind? Hopefully, the exercise will encourage you to become both a more mindful eater and a more mindful leader at the same time.

Coaching Inquiries: What does mindfulness mean to you? How can you become more mindful in how you relate to eating and leadership? What benefits might you experience? What benefits might others experience? Who can join you on the path to mindfulness? How could you make it so today?

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