Mindskills

When we listen, we are often more preoccupied with our own inner commentary than with the words and intentions of the other person.

Deep listening means, first and foremost, lovingly but firmly perceiving and gently stopping one's own inner monologue.

Sometimes it helps to (discreetly) place both hands on our stomach, feel our breath, and thus calm our judging, daydreaming, wandering mind. By returning to the breath, our listening skills improve.

Every speaker is only as good as their listeners. Without inner openness, there is no learning.

The quality of our listening has a significant impact on what the other person says and what they don't say. Negative and critical thinking silences our conversation partners and fuels fear and aggression.

Positive thinking and an open mind foster our connection and allow us to share more essential things.

Over time, we recognize the quality of our communication more and more clearly. By deepening our own listening, we also gradually find opportunities to introduce deeper listening into our work environments.

Extra-free means freeing an activity from all the inner "extras" we unconsciously add to it—such as worries, judgments, expectations, or self-presentation. Instead of drifting off into thoughts, emotions, and scenarios, we focus our attention on what actually needs to be done. We moderate a meeting and don't constantly ask ourselves what could go wrong and what that might mean for us. We simply listen and concentrate on the essentials.

Extra-free invites us to perform actions without ego-fueled energy or a need for impact. We simply do what we do—clearly, presently, and without unnecessary effort.

An impulse is the triggering of an action on the level of body or mind. It flashes within us just before we say, think, feel, or do something. We can easily miss it and move directly to the suggested action. The more unconscious this process is, the more unfree and reactive we become. The higher our reactivity, the less freedom we have. Freedom here means following an impulse or not following it. We perceive the impulse calmly and kindly and don't let ourselves be swept away. Only then do we decide.

One ​​to three conscious breaths can be enough to calm a pressing impulse and create sufficient distance to observe it.

Singletasking is the ability of our mind to maintain consistent attention on one activity over a period of time. This ability is becoming increasingly important in the age of multitasking and constant interruptions. When we are focused, our effectiveness increases dramatically. Thoughts are carried through to completion. We avoid creating loose ends or "unfinished business" that constantly catch up with us and pull us out of the current creative and learning process.

Conscious transitions prevent us from rushing from task to task, making mistakes, or losing ourselves in the process. By pausing briefly, we can sense what an activity has triggered within us, allowing us to internally complete and understand it more deeply. These transitions give us the freedom not to be controlled by autopilot, but to consciously begin new actions instead of being dragged into the future by them. Conscious transitions help us perceive our actual state and recognize whether we are tired, tense, or clear-headed. This emotional check gives us the opportunity to act with care. Conscious transitions give us freshness, presence, and a moment of freedom, of new beginnings, even in the middle of the workday.

True goodwill begins with ourselves. When we treat ourselves with kindness, we can carry this attitude into our relationships. By recognizing our own hurts and tensions, we no longer need to fight them in others. Loving-kindness meditation helps us cultivate goodwill step by step—for ourselves, for people we like, for neutral encounters, and even for difficult people. In this way, our minds become softer, clearer, and more open, and we nurture an atmosphere in which understanding and connection can grow. When we cultivate true goodwill, our view of the world changes. Work environments where we encounter goodwill are rare, yet they are beacons of what is possible in human interaction.

Our breaks at work are often not real breaks. They don't nourish us – sometimes they even stress us out. During some breaks, we have more to do than during work itself.

A true break interrupts our usual flow of activity and gives us a moment of genuine regeneration. It can bring us joy and clarity.

In it, body and mind can find peace, so that tranquility and new perspectives arise quite naturally.

Without such breaks, we easily lose touch with ourselves and rush past what is essential.
Regular periods of conscious inactivity nurture joy, presence, and inner freedom.

The True Pause reminds us that doing and not doing belong together—like inhaling and exhaling.