Conscious Practices Toward Personal and Collective Growth

The world has changed at an accelerated pace over the past years. The way we work today has lastingly been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in ongoing efforts to establish a new workable balance between remote and in-person performance. With all the changes happening around us, we are still human, and the need to feel that we belong remains a major desire. This chapter first lists several ways in which matters have changed, including remote work, and the emotional disconnect due to the change in interactive formats (hybrid settings) to work together; the speed of change, which is increasingly harder to monitor as we progress through life; the lack of stability due to the many lay-offs and resignations caused by people in search for greater fulfillment; the mega exposure to information due to the Internet, which has brought an abundance of information on a global scale to our fingertips, and the increased diversity, which is generally a great asset, but may still represent its challenges if not managed well. Fortunately, there is a wide range of conscious practices available toward personal and collective growth, and this chapter presents three useful individual practices, including Vipassana (insight) meditation, attraction of a mentor to serve as a source of reflection, and the internal application of a mind shift to expand perspectives on experiences, and consider multiple viewpoints toward cultivating a more positive outlook. The chapter subsequently discusses three team approaches presented, including informal gatherings, sharing peaks and valleys, and notes of appreciation.