“Stop and smell the roses.”

This line always echoes in my mind whenever I feel so overwhelmed with everything that is happening around me.

At first, I must admit, my knee-jerk response would be to say that I have no time. After all, the moment I wake up, my to-do list barges in and fills my gray matter’s limited space. Then my neurons fire up the moment I have my first dose of caffeine, and all that is left is for me to breathtakingly catch my mind as it wanders off in autopilot mode for the rest of the day.

But everything changed when I came across the concept of mindfulness.

Dubbed as the opposite of forgetfulness and described as simply being non-judgmentally present in our here and now, the practice of mindfulness has maintained its rampant spread across our communities. So much so that mindfulness in the workplace and everywhere else has become a prolific norm that can be easily observed in our status quo.

Apparently, the consulting industry is also no stranger to the call for mindfulness.

Let’s face it, consultants are often depicted to be those who have absolute free rein over their time and schedule. That they are the ones whose days are filled with business class seats during travels and lots of meetings with very important people. And while all these may be partially apt to describe a day in the life of a consultant, there is actually more to this line of work than our society is made privy to.

In reality, consultants are prone to as much stress and pressure as any other regular employee. While others view consultants to be seemingly blessed with autonomy and variety, what might be hidden from plain sight is a side that is constantly striving to be the best consultant one can be.

Fortunately, mindfulness is a readily-available tool that consultants can tap on and use to keep them from falling into the trap of career and personal exhaustion. To be a mindful consultant, I learned that one must:

• Be reminded to breathe. Whether it is done immediately upon waking up, or any time during our day, being reminded to take a few seconds to breathe in and acknowledge the present can do wonders for our minds and bodies. We are eased into our routine and are slowly brought back to the present, as we feel the air traverse body. Similarly, pausing to inhale and exhale before a client interview or in between client meetings can help bring about focus and a myriad of other benefits from the long list of effects of mindfulness.

• Consciously communicate. Consultants rely heavily on communication to interact with their clients and execute their work. And while we often see communication as primarily a way to bring our points into verbal form, we need to be reminded that the other half of the process aka listening is just as crucial. As we take time to nurture a healthy communication process, we begin to naturally fall into the habit of gaining better listening skills. In turn, information is better absorbed and sifted, and clients will feel genuinely valued. 

• Take things slow. It may seem counter-intuitive, in the light of fast-paced everything in a digitally-powered world, but sometimes taking the slower route is more advantageous than its counterpart. When we slow down and let each step linger, we become more aware of our surroundings and all the aspects that surround it. In the same manner, releasing the gas pedals instead of pushing them on the consulting highway paves way for a more receptive journey in the field of consulting. When we adopt a slower pace, our senses follow suit, giving each of them more time to perceive what is being presented to them. In the case of consulting, information relayed by the client is processed efficiently. Problems divulged are recognized and responded to with empathy. This is because mindfulness can literally change our brains. Additionally, our bodies and minds are given more chances of learning to be resilient at a slower pace. We give ourselves a relatively longer time to process and sort things out before we react and resolve dilemmas. As opposed to when we are always in a rush to finish tasks and check off lists, where we may end up constantly exhausted and inefficient with all the things on our plate. 

At the end of the day, mindfulness can bring about our much-needed change, whether personally, professionally, or on both levels. And when it comes to the consulting industry, practicing mindfulness is a productive option given to consultants to take care of themselves while also being able to place the needs of their clients on the frontline. By taking time to breathe, communicating and engaging in a more conscious manner, and slowing things down, one can transition into becoming a more mindful consultant.