Reflection: There’s more than enough confusion to go around these days. Options and opinions abound. It’s easy to be pushed by a persuasive argument, or shoved by a compelling assertion.

In the face of it all, the central questions are really, “How do YOU feel?” and “What do YOU think?” And how best do you tap into your beliefs and choose actions that fit with the values you hold to be important?

The answer is not more input, it’s more insight. And insight is mostly an inside job that involves disengaging from the commotion around us while tapping the core within. Clear head…clear path.

Action: If you don’t yet have a regular mindfulness practice – something that helps you stay aware of what’s going on in your body and your mind – there is still time to develop one.

Five minutes in the spray of a good hot shower. Ten minutes writing in a journal. Fifteen minutes in meditation. Twenty minutes on your feet in the great outdoors. They all work for some. What works for you?

The key is engaging in some kind of practice every day. A practice that lets you set the outside world aside and connect more deeply with what’s going on inside.

It’s from that core of connection that we live more intentionally in synch with what really matters to us. With a stronger connection to ourselves, we’re likely to be more thoughtful in our interactions with others.

Quote Of The Week: “Mindfulness will help you clear away the trivia and needless worries about unimportant things, nurture passion for your work and compassion for others, and develop the ability to empower the people in your organization.” – Bill George

Resource Of The Week: Check out this Harvard Business Review article: Mindfulness Helps You Become A Better Leader.

Readers Write: In response to last week’s message – What’s In Your Bucket? – Pause reader TH writes: Your reflection on the bucket and dipper analogy is similar to the one our family refers to as an ‘emotional bank account’. You and the people in your life make deposits and withdrawals into each other’s emotional bank accounts. If a person makes too many withdrawals it can destroy a relationship. It’s one way of determining if a relationship is not worthy of trying to maintain, the same way you would back off and take stock if something was ruining you financially.