It can be difficult to balance conflicts in the workplace. Even when we work as a team, sometimes we embrace a culture of competition instead of collaboration. Join Mitra as she walks us through how to let go of the "me against you" mindset and find authentically positive attributes of your coworkers and teammates.

Sometimes, it can be hard to feel gratitude, especially during turbulent times. It is important to find the balance between a negative mindset and a grateful one. Join Mitra as she discusses finding the balance between surviving and thriving. Listen today to discover how to balance asking what is wrong in this moment and what is right in the moment.

Welcome to a simple 3-step practice to take command of your mind. This is especially helpful if done upon rising in the morning. If our decision-making is guided by the frightened and segmented aspect of our minds rather than the aware and awake aspect, we may end up suffering. I have a 3 step practice that might help:

Step 1: Intention. Drive your attention very specifically to find things to be thankful for. Aim to do this every morning, before the rational mind gets activated upon rising. When you wake up, look for small things to be thankful for.

Step 2: Expression. In any activity that doesn’t require much attention—walking, driving, etc.—take a moment to express thankfulness. Also, learn to say thank you and express it to people when you feel it. Expression is most useful if you sincerely mean it.

Step 3: Sensation. How does expressing thankfulness, even to yourself, make you feel in your body? If you make your "thank you" conditional and based on receiving something in return, then your intention has changed, and you now are giving the potential for your own happiness to other people and their responses.

Thank you for your attention. Practice these steps tomorrow morning, and practice them throughout your day and let me know how/if they worked.

It is natural for us to process situations and information differently as people. We sometimes want to share our knowing with loved ones, especially when they’re going through a difficult time. That can be helpful, but only if they are ready to receive it and only if our agenda to help is not stronger than our love for them. Here are some considerations that might be helpful when wanting to help your loved ones:

1. Don’t rush them, and hear them patiently.

2. Invite them to hear your suggestions if/when they are ready.

3. Show them how your higher frequency is helping you.

4. Trust their capability.

An experience many of us deny having —although we have all certainly felt it from time to time—is jealousy, or envy! There is nothing wrong with feeling it, but it becomes healthy or unhealthy based on what we do with it.

We need to accept that jealousy is a common human emotion. With an untrained mind, we feel bad about ourselves when someone has something we desire. When feelings of jealousy are activated within us, we go after the person, maybe even grow to dislike them. Sometimes, despite disagreeing with their lifestyle or character, we still experience feelings of jealousy! Please note, however, that jealousy is not approval or admiration but rather one tiny part of another person’s life that we desire. Once you identify that part, that person becomes irrelevant, well in a kind way. Extend gratitude to them for making you aware of what you want to work on, and then you no longer need to focus on your jealous feelings. Why you felt jealous at first is unimportant; envy simply helped you move closer to knowing yourself better and gave you information about who you want to become.

Now, you can take that understanding and use it for your own growth. You may need to accept what you cannot change, or change what you can. When you see something you desire in another person’s life, offer them the following affirmation: “May what you have continue to grow and grow, and may I have it too.”

We often feel frustrated trying to forgive ourselves and others in difficult times. We question why forgiveness is necessary if an offender does not deserve it; another question is when to forgive. It is necessary to move knowingly through the process of forgiveness. If we forgive prematurely, we lose the chance to “digest” our experience, and we cannot learn or share or grow. Difficult experiences often awaken us to become more conscious and self-aware, and this is a great gift of forgiving. Holding onto resentment for too long, however, may invite trouble into our lives and even change who we are or want to be. Our unwillingness to forgive—that is, emotional hostility or anger—can lead energy to fall within us. The longer we continue in this state, the more difficult it is to grow through the experience. But it is possible to make an emotional U-turn. If you are activated in anger or resentment today, look for the gift in the difficulty. It will likely be a slow journey toward forgiving the person that offended you, however a small leak in the barrier to your emotions may result in a flood of realization, opening the way to forgiveness and growth!

That’s just the way I am!” This statement has been on the lips of nearly everyone at some point in their lives. However, as scientifically proven, when we repeat something enough, our brains convince us that it is true. But the belief that “that’s just the way I am” is inaccurate and disempowering: It indicates that we don’t have a choice in how we exist. We must not accept this as truth because it is never too late to choose improvement and growth whenever our desire matches our consciousness. Humans are the only beings capable of changing how they exist within the world. As you listen to this episode, keep the following question in mind: How did I enter this life, and how will I exit it?

Often, we want to offer wisdom to loved ones, but it can be frustrating when it is ill-received or goes unacknowledged. Our job is not to push our agenda onto others because that denies them free will, which, of course, can become problematic for your relationship. Although we offer information from a place of love, we cannot influence other people’s journeys without their permission; doing so may be harmful and delay their progress. It is okay to initiate and offer options, but understand that your loved one may not be ready to move forward with the information. Do your best to inform, support, and gently move the person forward, but if your knowledge doesn’t serve them and results in nothing, then it’s a good place to stop and continue offering love. It’s possible they will find their own way forward.

One of the most misunderstood but important words in the world of wisdom is acceptance. Acceptance means consenting or not consenting to something that is offered. It must not be confused with agreement, or passiveness; it is simply acknowledging what is. In a mental sense, acceptance means looking at things realistically. On a deeper level, it means going further to let go of resistance and embrace that reality in order to see the truth. In the context of mindfulness, acceptance is seeing the truth for what it is, and making informed decisions based on that truth. It's like learning to accept ourselves for who we are, so that we can begin to become the person we wish to be.

A positive attitude is integral to being a leader at work. Having a positive attitude means that your focus is balanced between seeing the problem and seeing the solution. If you are interested in becoming a more positive leader at work, listen to today’s podcast to learn about the magic ratio between seeing problems and seeing solutions.