Mindfulness is a Reliable Way to Control Feelings of Insecurity
Many poor business decisions are made as a result of leaders feeling stressed and insecure about their positions, their career trajectories, their own confidence, and even what others may be thinking about them.
There are tremendous pressures and expectations placed on all leaders, from frontline supervisors and team leads to CEOs and political leaders. As a result, it is hard not to have some stressful insecurities and occasional feelings of nonconfidence. After all, there are so many variables with which to deal. So many unknowns that cannot be contemplated. So many people questioning your decisions. And so many personalities to deal with, including your own.
Of course, we all have insecurities at times, thinking that we are not good enough or that we are likely to fail on a particular assignment or task. For leaders, insecurities can be quite overwhelming, especially given the fear that a failure might have a negative impact on their internal organizational social status or their future promotability. 
Here is what often drives such stressful fears of failure and insecurities for leaders:
- Need for constant validation and approval.
- Ruminating and dwelling on past criticisms.
- Lack of trust in others, particularly peers and superiors.
- Inability to accept self-imperfections and one’s own mistakes, and a history of blaming mistakes and errors on outside, uncontrollable factors.
- Falsely comparing one’s self with those perceived to be more successful, either within the organization or in the industry.
Inculcating mindfulness into your thinking patterns is a reliable way to control feelings of insecurity. By focusing on the present moment on a regular and frequent basis, you will start to:
- Accept everything about yourself, nonjudgmentally.
- Move past the past.
- Avoid comparing yourself with others.
- Become more trusting of others.
- Find that the validation from yourself is the only validation that matters.
These benefits of mindfulness were best summed up by ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu: “Because one believes in oneself one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts one’s self, the whole world accepts him or her.”
This article is partially excerpted from my award-winning book Better Decisions Better Thinking Better Outcomes: How to go from Mind Full to Mindful Leadership, available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats. The book is the recipient of a Silver Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association for bringing “a comprehensive plan of action for improving life through recognizing decision-making patterns that don’t serve us well, don’t enrich our lives, and don’t bring us to our goals and dreams.”
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