'Settle': Finding Balance in a Busy Business World

Knowing Self-Aware Leadership

Hello KSKOers

You know when you buy a yellow car, you start seeing yellow cars everywhere? Well, right now, for me, it’s the word ‘settle’. Different people keep using it in different places. It’s got me thinking about the benefit of settling ourselves, taking a moment of calm and resetting for whatever is to come next. Settling feels like resilience walking. Join me as I share my musings and how a 3 second reset can benefit us all.

Looking forward to joining you on your learning journey!

The word 'settle' keeps cropping up. In the last few weeks, I've noticed that the word 'settle' is used quite frequently in my yoga and tai chi classes. One of our tai chi instructors uses the word ‘settle’ ad infinitum. He never explains what he means, but it’s clear what he’s saying: find your balance, be confident where you are and be surefooted before you move on to the next pose.

Settle in tai chi is about finding that point in your transition between one pose and another, where you’re midway between both. It’s that spot where you feel absolute balance. You’ve done the thinking about where your hands and feet are and whether your weight is equally distributed. You’re confident you’re not going to fall over. You’re now in that place where you can shift your focus to regulating your breathing and calming your mind.

You’ve settled. You’ve moved on from what has been, found that point of neutrality, and you’re prepared for what’s next. You’ve left the past behind and you’re ready to move on to the future, with sure feet, a system in equilibrium and a calm mind.

As I sat on the edge of the bed the other night, scrolling through John Kabat Zinn's meditation app, it dawned on me that calling 'settle' was another way of invoking a mindful pause.

Now, full disclosure - I am not a fan