Pivot with Jenny Blake

346: Finding Clarity While Navigating Change with Marc Lesser

Oct 29, 2023

Marc Lesser, long-time mindfulness teacher and business leader, discusses the power of mindfulness in navigating change. He explores the concept of embracing duality and paradox to find clarity. The podcast touches on the challenges of building a coaching program, working in fast-paced environments, and the importance of identity during transitions. It also delves into contradictions and paradoxes found in aphorisms and popular sayings, connecting them to mindfulness and finding clarity.

36:44

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Episode guests

Marc Lesser

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Embracing and feeling a sense of satisfaction in our lives allows us to approach our work and relationships from a place of fulfillment.

Recognizing when it's time to let go and embrace new opportunities is vital for navigating transitions and personal growth.

Deep dives

Embracing Enoughness: Finding Satisfaction in Productivity

The podcast episode discusses the erroneous belief in our culture that being satisfied hinders productivity. The speaker challenges this notion and emphasizes the power of getting things done from a place of enoughness. Rather than beating ourselves up or feeling that something is missing, the speaker encourages embracing and feeling a sense of satisfaction. The importance of aligning our work and relationships with a sense of enoughness is highlighted, allowing us to approach our lives from a place of fulfillment.

Introduction

2min

Navigating Change and Identity

13min

Building a Coaching Program, Exploring Fast-Paced Work Environments, and the Power of Mindfulness Practices

3min

Embracing Duality and Paradox in Finding Clarity

4min

Exploring Contradictions and Paradoxes

12min

A Little Experiment for Finding Clarity and Connection in Life

2min

“If it’s not a paradox, it’s not true.” So says today’s guest Marc Lesser, long-time mindfulness teacher and business leader. In his latest book, he considers what would happen if Homer Simpson, the Buddha, and Alice in Wonderland walked into a proverbial bar. How would each react to tricky situations? What would be the integrated way forward? We also talk about being asked to leave his previous company, Brush Dance, after fifteen years and how he navigated a new phase of his career as a result.

More About Marc: Marc Lesser is a speaker, facilitator, workshop leader, and executive coach. He is the author of five books, including the Zen of Business Administration, and his latest, Finding Clarity: How Compassionate Accountability Builds Vibrant Relationships, Thriving Workplaces, and Meaningful Lives. Marc’s podcast Zen Bones: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times features interviews, supportive tools for creating more meaningful work, and potent mindfulness practices to develop yourself, influence your organization, and change the world.

🌟 3 Key Takeaways

Humans have evolved to be anxious and dissatisfied (two distinct purposes of evolution to stay alive and to pass on our genes). During meditation practice, or throughout your day, ask yourself: What does it feel like, in my body, to be satisfied? To not need or want anything?
“There are even gaps in our efforts to close all these gaps between what we want and what is. Very little goes exactly as we might want it to, and if it ever does, that doesn’t last long.”
Wholeheartedness as the cure for exhaustion. As David Whyte says, “The antidote to exhaustion isn’t rest. The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.”

✅ Try This Next

The next time you feel anxious or stressed, try flipping your thoughts with these two prompts: “The story I’m telling myself is…” followed by “The story I want to live by…”