Moshe’s Blog

Lose Your Mind and Be a Better Leader with These Six Steps

Why Losing Your Mind Makes Sense

Like many of you reading this newsletter, my dear friend Jim is a deep thinker. He was excitedly describing his new epiphany about how our personalities and souls work together. He stopped mid-sentence to ask, “Am I losing my mind?” I instantly responded, “YES! Finally!”

To be clear, I’m not equating “losing your mind” with going crazy. Quite the opposite. It’s about gaining knowledge through other means, by putting your rational and judgemental mind at rest. It’s another way to be a more love-centered (amare) leader.

Most leaders are taught and continually conditioned to rely almost exclusively on logic and reason. And like any strength, when you overuse your mind, it becomes a weakness.

Can you see how losing your mind (per Jim above) makes sense?

Will you entertain the idea of losing your mind now and then?

Will you accept learnings, regardless of how they come to you?

6 Amare Steps to Losing Your Mind

1. Review your “I lost my mind” experiences. List five times you literally felt out of your mind, from something positive. Maybe it was falling in love, being astounded by a new idea, attending a concert, communing with nature, or having a sudden problem-solving epiphany. Reflect on how you responded then and what feelings in you are evoked now.

2. Choose your “mind” language. Identify what your “mind” is to you by how you describe it. Is it mainly a friend, enemy, advisor, leader, dictator, or servant? Consider the language you use to describe amazing experiences, like “that blew my mind!” Perhaps you want more of them.

3. Make space by noticing. Notice the thoughts running through your mind. Notice they are not you. Notice the space between when you notice a thought and when you respond. Do this for one minute several times a day.

4. Quiet your mind. Try an app like Headspace or Calm or Plum Village for great guided meditations. Sit outside with someone and say nothing for five minutes. Put your phone on airplane mode for an hour each day.

5. Wonder instead of judging. Don’t immediately dismiss things that run counter to your logic or conventional wisdom. Instead, simply wonder about the different possibilities.

6. Do what feels good (even if it seems silly!). Sing loudly in your car, dance in the shower, change your hair, wear things that don’t match (very easy for some of us!). In short, do one thing every day that is harmless, may not be logical, and feeds your soul.

Losing your mind occasionally and letting in other forms of knowing will make you a more wholistic and loving leader and learner. And it just may help reconnect you with your soul.

What Topics Would You Like in Future Amare Wave Wednesdays?

My intent with these newsletters is to inspire leaders like you to be different, think different, and to do different – every week putting the power of love to work. Let me know here what topic(s) you’d like me to cover.