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How habitual is it for you to take out your cell phone when waiting in lines or when in the company of strangers? How often do you strive to stay present and mindful in difficult situations? Is chaos more easily embraced when we practice mindfulness? How does practicing mindfulness help you to produce the best work possible? How does being present and truly listening help to improve the quality of relationships in your life? These are some of the questions that we explore in this installment of 4 X Mindfulness. Neila Steele shares a recent difficult situation that she found herself in, but how employing mindfulness allowed her to diffuse the situation and make a genuine connection with a complete stranger. As well, Neila shares a great mindfulness strategy that can easily be applied in very little time in our own life. This strategy helps us to stay present and focused and to better observe our surroundings. Andy shares a story that he recently learned about the amazing jazz musician Keith Jarret. The story takes place in 1975, but the lessons learned from the story transcend time and place and can easily be applied in the work that we do both personally and professionally. As well, Andy shares how simply rephrasing a common question that we ask can help to spark more meaningful and authentic conversations with other people in our lives. It you are a listener of the 4 X Mindfulness episodes, let us know your thoughts about what might have resonated with you in this episode and your own experiences applying mindfulness in your personal and professional life. Thanks!BiosNeila Steele and Andy Vasily are international educators who have worked at fully authorized IB schools in 5 different countries over the past 18 years (Japan, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China and Saudi Arabia). Andy is a pedagogical coordinator, consultant, workshop leader, presenter, and speaker.Neila presents and leads multiple workshops in the area of mindfulness. They have devoted themselves to sharing the powerful effects that mindfulness has on promoting greater mental, social, emotional, and physical well-being.Neila SteeleTwitter: @neilasteeleWebsite: www.mindfulandpresent.comAndy VasilyTwitter: @andyvasilyWebsite: www.pyppewithandy.comThemes Discussed:Habits, Connection, Empathy, Embracing Chaos, Observation, The Power of Questions