When I don't know what to do in a situation, I take a deep breath and smile gently.
As I started to write this issue, I felt a sudden rush of anxiety.
I had no topic. Nothing to write about.
Just a few years ago, this would have sent me down a spiral of negative thoughts and an increasing feeling of panic.
But now it's different.
As soon as I noticed this feeling, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled.
And I let go of the anxiety. “I've already found 75 topics to write about. I'm sure I'll find another one. If not now then in the next few days”.
Then it hit me. That this 2-minute interaction with my mind was a powerful example of what practicing mindfulness regularly for years can do to your brain. I wrote it down.
And now here we are.
I believe training this reflex of returning to the breath and then letting go drastically improves our quality of life.
“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” ― Amit Ray
Reading Recommendations
“One thing I’ve learned about myself in the last year or so is how much I shut down what I want. Somehow the world taught me that what I want is not acceptable, that I should only want what seems reasonable, doable, or won’t inconvenience others.”
“The self-concept is a general term used to refer to how someone thinks about, evaluates or perceives themselves. To be aware of oneself is to have a concept of oneself. […] If there is a mismatch between how you see yourself (e.g., your self-image) and what you’d like to be (e.g., your ideal-self ) then this is likely to affect how much you value yourself.”
10 Deep DevOps Thoughts From Chef’s Jez Humble
“4. You don’t have to trade throughput for stability. Jez noted that the 2014 Puppet Labs State of DevOps Report separated the key indicators for IT quality into two flavors: throughput (including lead time for changes and release frequency) and stability (including time to restore service and change fail rate). According to Jez, this is not a zero sum game where you have to trade throughput for stability. “If you’re doing it right,” he said, “it’s quite the contrary.” In fact, high-performing IT organizations did much better on both throughput and stability, while low-performing shops did worse in both areas.”
Weekly Mindfulness Practice
Sit down in a quiet place and close your eyes.
Breathe in deeply, and smile.
Breathe out and relax.
Repeat 10 times, or as long as you want.
End Note
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Have a great week
Simon
PS: What do you think about this? Please hit reply and let me know. I'm curious!