You know that feeling when you walk in the room and it’s full of sadness or anger or joy? Our moods are significantly affected by the dominant mood in the room. Given that, it might be smart to choose what you spread to others.
How?
Center yourself. Open your heart then actively focus on whatever positive emotion is present for you, even if there are also negative emotions. For example, maybe you’re about to give a presentation. Focus your own mood clearly on your enthusiasm, even if you also feel concern. If positive emotions are hard to find at that moment, try turning your heart’s attention to someone you care about to generate feelings of warmth and love. Once you’ve got a positive feeling, expand your energetic range to fill the room.
Is that possible? You bet. And the more you practice, the stronger you’ll get. Here’s Lisa’s story.
My client, Lisa, had a difficult negotiation coming up. She needed some concessions from the other party and also wanted to keep the relationship positive. She had thoroughly prepared her negotiating points and outlined her strategy.
Now Lisa was ready to focus some attention on how the conversation would feel. She had been using a centering practice regularly for some time. I invited her to layer on Wendy Palmer’s practice for extending positive energy to fill the room. We practiced in Lisa’s office at first. Lisa centered and allowed her feelings of respect to expand. Both of us felt the difference.
The day arrived for the negotiation. As Lisa approached the conference room, she centered and allowed her feelings of respect and good will to expand, just as we had practiced. As the conversation got underway, there were a few tense moments. Each time, Lisa took a very brief pause, returned to a centered state and extended respect and good will again. At the end of the conversation, Lisa had achieved her business objectives and preserved the relationship. The combination of being well prepared for the content, and being well prepared to manage the mood, was a clear winner for Lisa that day.
I invite you to give the practice Lisa used a try. Not just once, but several times a day for a week or two. See what you notice. I’d love to hear from you!