It can be challenging to attend a multi-day event full of visual stimulation, people trying to sell you things, loud chatter, and many conversations. How often are you leaving feeling inspired and re-energized versus exhausted and cranky? We believe there are three important steps to balancing the hustle and bustle of an event like NeoCon while also enjoying your time and keeping your immune system intact.
Of course, it's important to keep yourself resourced with clean eating, regular sleep, deep breathing and hydration. Bonus points for taking time to exercise! If you really want to up your game, consider implementing the following three practices for a meaningful and memorable NeoCon experience:
Presence
Presence is a popular word and under-utilized skill. Are you able to be present with each conversation without thinking about multiple other things or looking beyond the person's shoulder for the next person to talk with? If you have a time limitation, consider starting your conversation by setting expectations around your availability and asking of theirs. Once locked in, remember to breathe deeply into your belly bringing energy back to yourself with each in breath. Make solid eye contact to maintain focus. ollow step #2 and be authentic by sharing whats happening in your inner experience.
Authenticity
Have you ever felt uncomfortable in your own skin? Pretending to be something or someone that we aren’t can be uncomfortable and exhausting. Most of the time we aren’t aware of the many ways we create this incongruency within ourselves. Authenticity starts with asking yourself, "Is what I say and what I think matching what I chose to do?" In other words, do your actions match your desired way of being? If you want to be in integrity with yourself and others try answering honestly when someone you know and like asks how you are doing. If this feels scary you can start by clarifying with them, “Do you really want to know?” If they confirm yes, tell them what is actually happening for you. For example, "Wow, it’s great to see you and I notice I have a lot of racing thoughts about the multitude of conversations I’ve just had, and I’m finding myself challenged to be fully present." This will bring a higher level of integrity to your own system as well as to the relationship. Concealing even the smallest type of information can dysregulate your system and prevent authentic connection.
Appreciation
If you want more joy in your life, it is important to overcome unhealthy criticism by developing a practice of authentic appreciation. Often our predisposition to criticism is the number one habit robbing us of the ability to express appreciation of ourselves and others. Try this appreciation practice as a way to begin shifting away from self-criticism. Each evening write down 5 things you appreciate about yourself. As a bonus, challenge yourself to share those things you appreciate about yourself with another. Tell them you are working on creating a habit of self appreciation and invite them to do the same. Even if they are small, find a way to move beyond the critical voice. If this is too much of a stretch, at least find something authentic to appreciate about people you interact with. It can take years of practice to cognitively restructure your internal self-talk, to generate self-appreciation and allow others to appreciate you without brushing it off. By practicing self appreciation daily, you open the doors to giving and receiving more appreciations from others with ease. In time you will likely notice your relationships are stronger and more loving. A life based in appreciation feels so much better than one guided by criticism. If you fall out of practice, simply recommit to appreciating.
Practicing presence, authenticity, and appreciation during a big event can help conserve your energy and allow you to get the most out of the experience. If you're attending NeoCon, or another large event in the future, set an intention each morning when you wake up to focus on one of these three key themes. Notice what kind of opportunities show up for you to practice these skills. And watch the magic happen!
P.S. We will be at NeoCon Booth 7-3012, please stop by and grab a Kombucha.