Pause and become aware of the moment, which is now

Monday, 6 January 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Key insights from Deepal Sooriyarachchi As leaders and managers we have to be much focused, agile, attentive and up-to date with the happenings in the rest of the world. We are sometimes expected to be available almost 24 hours of the day due to the demanding tasks we have to handle based on the work we are involved in.

But isn’t it strange that only a few of us take an effort to concentrate on ourselves and reflect on our own thoughts at least for a few minutes each day. So said Deepal Sooriyarachchi at the most recent in the series of public lectures organised jointly by the Institute of Management of Sri Lanka (IMSL) and The Management Club – Kalutara (TMC– Kautara), in collaboration with Sri Lanka Foundation (SLF) which was held recently at the Sri Lanka Foundation. Deepal Sooriyaarachchi, the visionary leader, versatile trainer, author and communicator shared many of his own experiences which has helped him develop mindfulness when he made a presentation based on his book ‘Inward bound – Mindfulness as an Executive Capability’, at this event. He spoke about how important it is to be inward bound – to think deeply and concentrate about the current moment we live in, rather than reflect upon what happened to us in the past or dream about what we aim to achieve in the future. His lecture covered many interesting points as he drew examples from a number of Zen stories to describe how important it is to reflect upon the present moment which will lead one to an alert state of mind and put him or her in command of life’s difficult moments. Sooriyarachchi explained how the ability to concentrate on yourself and become aware of what goes on in your mind could help you become in charge of any situation and respond to same with responsibility rather than react to anything on the spur of the moment. Such practice when developed with consciousness will afford any person a greater degree of inner calm and gear him or her to face life with confidence and become more effective in whatever he or she does, according to Sooriyarachchi. This impressive talk which was highly informative and interesting attracted the highest number of participants in this series of events. The public lecture series organised by IMSL and TMC, is a part of their education and knowledge development program, aimed at sharing and developing best practices in management and issues of contemporary and timely interest. Together with SLF, they plan to conduct this series regularly, with leading personalities from the corporate world sharing their knowledge and experience.