Just Breathe

I had two big meetings today. And when I say "big," I mean BIG.

No, they weren't the most important meetings ever. No, they didnt have the most important people in attendance. No, I wasnt about to tilt the world on it's axis.

However, they were meetings that I had been preparing for for weeks. I had combed through data and created spreadsheets and powerpoints and had thought and rethought (and rethought) what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it, so that my point got across. It was a project that I had poured my heart into.

I think that's one of my "problems." I pour myself into things. I care about them. I fight for them. I get passionate about them. This is especially true at work. And recently I felt myself getting my back up in meetings. Because people didnt see the work I was doing, or because they didnt understand the importance, or because they werent putting in as much effort and time as I was. And let me be the first to admit-- getting your back up is the first way to ensure no one listens to you.

Knowing this about myself, 15 minutes before my meeting, I found an empty room.

And I breathed.
And breathed some more.
And recited the 7 dwarves and did some mental math (engages intellect rather than emotion- try it!).
And breathed some more.

And my meetings went exceptionally well. Better than I could have hoped.
Sometimes, we need to slow down. To recenter. To just breathe.