The Next Play

Much is said (and, truthfully, I’ve said much) about mindfulness. It can give a huge boost to your energy focus, sense of peace, and wellbeing. Please do be mindful. (and If you’re feeling inspired read our series of posts about mindfulness). But also, know that there’s power in being mindless.

Have you noticed that your days are spent flying from one activity to the next? Crossing one thing or another off of a seemingly endless To-Do list?

Do you ever just take time for silence? To let your mind wander, unharnessed and uninhibited?

This is what I mean when I say mindless.

A space of mindlessness can be the place where you do your best creative thinking and problem-solving. Good, old-fashioned day dreaming.

I’m not talking about spacing out during a meeting, practice, or dinner with friends and family. I’m talking about a place you intentionally create for yourself to be totally unfocused on any one thing, and yet undistracted by outside noise.

Can you think of the last time you did this? Where does your best intentional mind-wandering take place?

I experience my best mindlessness when I drive. When I’m in the car alone, I choose silence (turn off that podcast!), and I dedicate that time to just being with my thoughts. I don’t try to harness them or focus them on any one thing, and I’m always amazed at what pops up.

I frequently end this time feeling inspired, refreshed, and with new ideas about how to move forward with more purpose and intention.

Mindlessness is a great compliment to your Pause (or mindfulness) practice. Try it, and see what it’s like for you! For bonus points, try journaling about your experience with mindlessness, or at least jot down the great ideas that come to you.

Happy wandering, friends.

For further reading on the power of silence, check out this post from HBR.

We set out two years ago to ask and answer, “how can we better equip women athletes to confidently and boldly embrace their roles as the next generation of leaders?  In the time that followed, we’ve worked intensively with college and professional women athletes, and have discovered what we believe to be a missing, yet essential, link in their development: individual leadership coaching. 

Knowing what emotion you’re in is a hallmark of self-awareness, and self-awareness is one of the cornerstones of emotional intelligence. A highly emotional intelligent leader holds the ingredients that make for transformational leadership. And that’s what we’re shooting for, right?

But, what happens when the emotion you’re in is a negative one?

In our last two posts, we’ve discussed ways to practice mindfulness for a less stressful, more joyful life. We’ve highlighted the importance of slowing down and even stopping, working with the SANE acronym for mindfulness and incorporating meditation and breathing. In this final installment, we’ll discuss an additional practice that we believe will add value to your life.

In our last post, we continued our quest for a less stressful, more joyful and effective life by presenting the SANE acronym for mindfulness and introducing the practice of meditation. In this post, we’ll add to your stress-busting arsenal by explaining the role of,  and some tips for properly breathing.

In our last post we outlined 5 habits to help you breathe easier and be more productive. Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to think about those, and even try out a few. Feeling those deeper breaths? Becoming a bit more productive? Great! Now let’s take it a step farther.

Feeling stressed? Heart racing? Can’t sleep? Biting those nails again? Snapping at the people closest to you? Noticing that your mind flutters from one thing to the next, but can’t seem to land on something long enough to make progress? Yep, you’re overwhelmed. And you’re not alone.

About a quarter of Americans agree that their stress levels have increased in the past year, yet a significant 20% say they never engage in an activity to manage this stress.1 As an athlete, you’re no exception. You have constant demands to juggle the pressure of your sport and your life. Add to that the physical and emotional tax that travel levies, and it’s no wonder you’re feeling this way. We’re here to help.

The first year of The Next Play Pilot program is complete and we have some very encouraging and positive results to share. Our objective was to measure student progress against program goals and receive feedback on the program design and implementation. What we discovered was insight on what constitutes confidence and, also, how we can help women athletes more successfully navigate a multitude of daily challenges and demands.

We’re excited to introduce a new service to help women athletes prepare and build their futures: a life they will love and not just “end up in.”  We’re currently in pilot mode and will share results, news and insight… so check back.  We also invite you to connect with us on Twitter @NxtPlay