Our True Home Is Our Mind

The dictionary defines a “Home” as “the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.” We’re probably more familiar with our physical homes now than we’ve ever been — hibernating inside of them in past weeks as our marathon continues.

But the traditional definition of a home is somewhat limiting. It neglects to mention the most sacred space we have, the one we need to make sure we’re caring for now more than ever — our minds.

We design and re-configure our physical homes to get them just the way we want, meticulously selecting what pieces we think fit and where they should be placed. But we neglect to do the same for our mental. We must strive each day to become the interior designers of our own minds because, ultimately, our mental space is the essence of our being. Remember, what we choose not to put inside might be even more important than what we do. Let’s try moving some pieces around to make our most valuable space one of comfort, cultivation, and inspiration.

Furniture: We need to make sure we have the right furniture inside our home. Do we want a firm sofa or a recliner, a glass table or a wooden one? What are we filling our minds with each day? Is it knowledge, trustful relationships and relevant skills? Or is it clutter, distrust and poor-fitting pieces that don’t serve a purpose? We must always strive to combine the pleasurable with the practical as we stretch the wings of our growth mindset.

Desk: We must make sure we have a place of pure productivity in our minds and spend some time each day in thought. It’s easy to get caught up in the uncertainty and unrest of the world around us, but we need to also find the mental space where we cultivate the seeds of knowledge, wisdom and practicality to become better and more informed human beings.

Refrigerator: Where do we store our food? Where do we keep our nutrients and energy? It can be speaking with a cherished family member or friend, watching a powerful video or reading an insightful book, but we need to spend time in a mental space of positivity and hope to keep us vibrant and spirited.

Bed: Where do we rest and re-charge? Where do we mentally find peace and stillness? Despite the din of disorder around us, we should strive to spend some time in peace, meditation and appreciation as we reflect on the many good things we have.

Garbage Can: We all must throw some things away. Internal doubts, negative conversations with ourselves, baggage of the past that occupies tons of space but does nothing to move us forward. We need to put these thoughts in the trash and get them out of our homes.

On our self-discovery journey, we recognize there is no perfect home, no 24-hour day where our minds operate with maximum efficiency. But we might benefit from re-arranging our mental homes to make us even better servant leaders and positive difference-makers. Regardless of our job, our status or our individual wealth, we all have a mental mansion. Sometimes it just needs to be re-arranged.

P.S. If you are in search of a book recommendation, our team at The Daily Coach highly recommends Fully Human: 3 Steps to Grow Your Emotional Fitness in Work, Leadership, and Life by Susan Packard. Emotions can sink us, or they can power us like fuel to succeed. Many of us show up for work, and life, feeling lonely even in a room full of people, or bringing unproductive emotions into work, like anger or fear. You don’t have to feel this way. This book offers an accessible new guidebook to grow your emotional fitness, and it’s arrived just in time, as technology is quickly becoming our main interface for communication. Packard lays out how to develop interdependent work relationships, and for leaders, how to build healthy company cultures.

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