Welcome to today's meditation.
This one is designed to help prime you for a job interview
or a pitch.
I hope you'll enjoy it.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable seated position.
I am
not talking about a traditional cross-legged posture.
A chair is perfectly fine or you could
sit on the floor,
Leaning against the wall,
Whatever feels comfortable.
Your goal is perhaps
not to lay down because you want to stay alert,
But whatever works for you in this moment is
perfect.
Place both of your feet flat onto the ground,
Hands resting gently in your lap,
And straighten your spine.
Think of a relaxed but ready posture,
Like you're about to begin
an important conversation.
Now take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Just allow your eyes either
to close or to rest gently on a single spot in the floor in front of you.
This alone signals your body
that it's time to shift gears.
Don't worry about clearing your mind of thoughts.
Today we are
focused on getting you to your optimal state,
Priming your physiology for peak performance.
And that means when there is a distraction of your mind or of your body,
Recognizing it and
coming back to that laser-like focus that we are practicing.
We're hoping to enhance that laser-like
focus and deep clarity when you speak in an interview.
Think of priming your body to hear
what needs to be heard and say what needs to be said.
Now bring your attention to those feet grounded on the floor,
Feeling a sense of stability,
A solid foundation,
Just like the skills and experience you bring to this interview or pitch.
Breathe in confidence,
And breathe out any tension.
Just notice for a moment if you feel tension any place in your body.
Again,
We're not trying to do anything with it,
We're just becoming aware.
Now shift your focus to your breath.
Notice where you feel your breath.
Maybe it's the cool air
entering your nostrils.
Maybe it's the rise and fall of your chest or your belly.
Just notice those inhales and the exhales.
Are they equal length or is one longer than the other?
Whenever your mind wanders away from breathing,
That's okay.
Gently bring it back to the focus of your breath and just try this for two or three rounds.
This practice of returning to the breath is like coming back to your why,
Your reason for seeking a new opportunity.
So let's start for a moment with something
called the physiological sigh.
This is a breathing technique that helps calm any
calm,
Any unwanted levels of anxiety and really prime you to do your best.
It's a different type of breath.
You're going to inhale and then at the top of the inhalation,
Take one more sip of breath and then slowly exhale until your lungs feel entirely deflated.
Try it together with me.
But again,
If your breathing pace is different than mine,
Follow yours,
Not mine.
So we breathe in and one more sip in and then out.
And again like that in
an extra sip at the top and out.
Just notice if your body feels any different and know that you can always use that breath
right before you step into your interview.
Now let's take a moment and set an intention
for the interview.
It could be remain calm,
Be articulate,
Be memorable,
Or simply to show up
as your authentic self.
Whatever it is,
Hold it for a moment in your mind,
Almost like a guiding light.
Now imagine yourself walking into the interview,
Carrying this calm light and focus with you.
You're prepared,
You're grounded,
You're ready to engage in a meaningful conversation.
You're not just here to answer questions,
You're here to bring value,
To connect ideas,
And actually you're here to see if this opportunity is aligned with your career pathway.
You are also interviewing them.
In this type of interview situation,
Do you usually feel
nerves,
Anxiety,
Stress?
It can be helpful to remind yourself that stress in interview settings
is good for you.
It primes you to focus,
It helps you to be on,
And it energizes your body.
So think for a moment about where in your body you feel stress in this type of a situation.
Is it your jaw?
Maybe your shoulders?
Perhaps in your gut?
The butterflies
we often describe feeling in our stomachs are there to help you visualize those butterflies
taking formation like ducks flying south or perhaps military planes in a triangle.
They are aiming you and readying you for this interview.
Now I'm going to encourage you to take three more rounds of deep breath.
On the first one,
You're inhaling energy and exhaling fear,
Inhaling confidence,
Exhaling worry,
Inhaling positive energy,
And exhaling any remaining doubts or fears.
When you're ready,
I invite you to slowly open your eyes,
Take a moment to notice how you feel.
Remember this feeling is accessible to you whenever you need it simply by taking a deep breath.
A few mindful breaths and remembering your intention.
Thank you for joining me on today's
meditation.
Please remember going for and getting what you want requires energy and effort and this
mindful moment is a perfect beginning to moving toward whatever is next on your career path.
