Do you remember when we were deep in quarantine? There was a time in quarantine where my husband, Chris and I, would go for daily walks through the forest at one of the local State Parks. At the peak of quarantine, there was a moment on one of our walks that we noticed all the benches were full. People, everywhere, were simply sitting on benches in the cold overlooking the trees, staring into nothingness.
I said to Chris, “It’s like we are in a massive Vipassana sit.”
Of those that have been reading my work for some time know that I partake in an annual 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat. The term translates to, “see things as they really are” and was the form of meditation the Buddha used to reach enlightenment.
In these retreats, there are no phones allowed, no reading, no writing, no speaking for ten days with up to ten hours of meditations a day amid a group of strangers. This respite is the hardest thing I have ever done and equally, the best gift I give myself. This year would have been my seventh year.
“This may very well be the best thing for society,” I followed.
The tragedies of this pandemic are not taken lightly in this comment. Humans are resilient beings and survivors. As a natural optimist, I am referring to the sheer awe of having nothing to do. This is one of the gifts one receives at a Vipassana retreat and this has been one of the best gifts our society has received.
Humans are beings not doers. Our society awards the doing and we can often lose ourselves in the relentless pursuit of doing — myself included. What a gift it is to have the weight of those tasks lifted from us.
Maya Angelou said, “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”
The struggles of COVID-19 has given society an opportunity to focus on what’s important. This is the transformation in business we’ve been foreseeing and people have been craving.
Companies are focusing on what’s important for their employees by communicating messages of hope, trust, and safety. Trends have hinted at this type of transformation and society has been waiting desperately for it. Those companies that have foreseen this hidden competitive advantage of being human have benefited from being first to market.
McKinsey released an article this week showing that companies that are prioritizing inclusion during this time will come out stronger during the economic recovery.
The Senior Associate Editor of the Harvard Business Review is including a topic in their next “10 Must Reads” series titled, Getting it Done designed for working parents. Working parents existed before (for a very long time in fact) and now this social, very human issue is being supported by one of the renowned publishing house.
Individuals are focusing on what’s important by caring for their families and spending more quality time together. We are spending more time in nature, alone in reflection and contemplation bringing us back to who we are and what truly matters.
The owner of the New England Patriots sold his Super Bowl ring for over $1M to donate the proceeds to charity. The ring matters less these days. CEOs are celebrating thirty consecutive days of dinner with their family. Work travel matters less these days.
Our world is experiencing an existential crisis and it would be aloof to not address this. Even here, this is a form of communication normally. But that is not what matters the most right now. We are experiencing something bigger.
Since my time in Japan, studying Buddhism, and then again, living in Singapore, Asian cultures and philosophies have always played a strong role in my life. I can remember very clearly asking my grandmother who once lived in Japan why we take our shoes off at the front door and her replying, “because it is respectful of others.”
May this serve as a message of hope that being respectful of others and learning to come back to what is most important in our lives may very well be the best silver lining to all of our current vicissitudes.
In love and respect,
Hilary
I said to Chris, “It’s like we are in a massive Vipassana sit.”
Of those that have been reading my work for some time know that I partake in an annual 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat. The term translates to, “see things as they really are” and was the form of meditation the Buddha used to reach enlightenment.
In these retreats, there are no phones allowed, no reading, no writing, no speaking for ten days with up to ten hours of meditations a day amid a group of strangers. This respite is the hardest thing I have ever done and equally, the best gift I give myself. This year would have been my seventh year.
“This may very well be the best thing for society,” I followed.
The tragedies of this pandemic are not taken lightly in this comment. Humans are resilient beings and survivors. As a natural optimist, I am referring to the sheer awe of having nothing to do. This is one of the gifts one receives at a Vipassana retreat and this has been one of the best gifts our society has received.
Humans are beings not doers. Our society awards the doing and we can often lose ourselves in the relentless pursuit of doing — myself included. What a gift it is to have the weight of those tasks lifted from us.
Maya Angelou said, “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”
The struggles of COVID-19 has given society an opportunity to focus on what’s important. This is the transformation in business we’ve been foreseeing and people have been craving.
Companies are focusing on what’s important for their employees by communicating messages of hope, trust, and safety. Trends have hinted at this type of transformation and society has been waiting desperately for it. Those companies that have foreseen this hidden competitive advantage of being human have benefited from being first to market.
McKinsey released an article this week showing that companies that are prioritizing inclusion during this time will come out stronger during the economic recovery.
The Senior Associate Editor of the Harvard Business Review is including a topic in their next “10 Must Reads” series titled, Getting it Done designed for working parents. Working parents existed before (for a very long time in fact) and now this social, very human issue is being supported by one of the renowned publishing house.
Individuals are focusing on what’s important by caring for their families and spending more quality time together. We are spending more time in nature, alone in reflection and contemplation bringing us back to who we are and what truly matters.
The owner of the New England Patriots sold his Super Bowl ring for over $1M to donate the proceeds to charity. The ring matters less these days. CEOs are celebrating thirty consecutive days of dinner with their family. Work travel matters less these days.
Our world is experiencing an existential crisis and it would be aloof to not address this. Even here, this is a form of communication normally. But that is not what matters the most right now. We are experiencing something bigger.
Since my time in Japan, studying Buddhism, and then again, living in Singapore, Asian cultures and philosophies have always played a strong role in my life. I can remember very clearly asking my grandmother who once lived in Japan why we take our shoes off at the front door and her replying, “because it is respectful of others.”
May this serve as a message of hope that being respectful of others and learning to come back to what is most important in our lives may very well be the best silver lining to all of our current vicissitudes.
In love and respect,
Hilary
Founder & CEO, Corna Partners
As we continue to envision a world, I am holding a 10-episode limited series with people that are reimagining the business world to be better.
The 6th episode of Reimagine the Restart goes live today at 2:00 PM EST with Daniel Marcos, CEO of the Growth Insitute to discuss the future of online learning as we continue to be remote.
Pivot and hop on this bandwagon, join us.
As we continue to envision a world, I am holding a 10-episode limited series with people that are reimagining the business world to be better.
The 6th episode of Reimagine the Restart goes live today at 2:00 PM EST with Daniel Marcos, CEO of the Growth Insitute to discuss the future of online learning as we continue to be remote.
Pivot and hop on this bandwagon, join us.
In love and respect,
Hilary Corna
