Practicing the Skill of Mindfulness

Hello, I’m Andy Temte and welcome to the Saturday Morning Muse! Start to your weekend with me by exploring topics that span leadership, business management, education, and other musings designed to support your journey of personal and professional continuous improvement.

This episode marks the launch of the Saturday Morning Muse as a podcast! Here’s a hearty welcome to our new listeners!! As a reminder, if video works best for you, there are 70+ Muses available on YouTube and all the content I produce can be found on my website at www.andrewtemte.com. Let the Musing begin!

As my wife Linda and I were getting ready for bed the other night, I was practicing my evening mindfulness routine where I look at my reflection in the mirror and “check in” with myself. As the electric toothbrush buzzes and does its job, I ask myself about the things I could have done differently and how I can learn from any unforced errors I made during the last 24 hours. Was I kind? Did I say what needed to be said? Am I carrying around any unnecessary baggage? If so, why am I holding on to it? For some reason, during this particular mindfulness session, I was feeling especially introspective and thought deeply about what I want to be “known for” after I’m gone. Now, before you press the button to skip to something lighter, stay with me—I promise that today’s message is positive, uplifting, and very much connected to your journey as a leader.

I don’t dwell on death, but my eyes and ears are becoming more attuned to the fragility of life and the importance of making an impact—of making each moment count—of living a life of value. At 60, I am not old, but my bone spurs, loose joints, presbyopia, and all manner of aches, pains, and weird noises are constant reminders that the end is nearer than the beginning.

The cool thing is that pondering our ultimate demise doesn’t have to be a bummer. Back in March of 2023, I interviewed Jodi Wellman in episode 81 of my other show, The Balancing Act Podcast. Jodi is the founder of the coaching and consulting firm, Four Thousand Mondays. She reminds us that life is short and that we should live regret-free lives. Her framework—that the average human has roughly 4,000 Mondays to spend on planet Earth—has been particularly impactful for me. Actuarially, I have ~1,100 Mondays remaining and I use this number as a tool—a reminder—that each day is indeed a precious gift. I use my number of remaining Mondays to fuel the feeling of joy that wells up inside me (pun intended) when I’m checking in—the joy that I have even one day, let alone over 7,000, to spend with those I love and to live my purpose to teach, coach, mentor, and (hopefully) inspire.

As I stood in front of the mirror, I thought about my 4,000 Mondays and how I’ve spent the 3,146 I’ve lived to date. As an aside, you might be doing the math, and actuarially, since I’ve already made it past 60, I’m expected to live a bit longer than the average bear, so I’ll likely—hopefully—get in more than 4,000 Mondays. Anyway, as I stood in front of the mirror, the following words came to me—in an odd, third-party voice—as I contemplated a life of love, learning, growth, highs, lows, loss, setbacks, and challenges:

Up to this moment, he did the best that he could.

I know this sentence sounds like it should be etched on a tombstone, but I think it’s the perfect question to ask during any mindfulness practice. Posed as a question, the phrase translates to: up to this moment, have I done the best that I could? Sure, we all make mistakes and some of our mistakes and failures are real doozies, but I’m a firm believer that if we are committed to learning and growing from our missteps, then we have indeed done our best.

Jodi Wellman wants us to live regret-free lives, but in that moment of mindfulness—half naked with a toothbrush hanging out of my mouth—I felt a twinge of regret that I hadn’t thought of the phrase—up to this moment, he did the best that he could—sooner in life. On the Balancing Act Podcast, I ask all of my guests what they would say if they had access to a time machine and could send a message to an earlier version of themselves. If the tables were turned and I was asked this question, my answer would be that I would go back to 16 year old Andy—just prior to when the wheels were coming off the bus—and say: “Hey bud, you’re on the verge of making some suboptimal decisions that are going to negatively affect you and those you care for. Every night before you go to bed, ask yourself if up to this moment, you did the best that you could. If you haven’t done your best, learn, adjust, and move forward with positivity and grace. Live the rest of your life this way.”

You see, far too many of us look at the prospect of our fleeting, mortal lives with dread. We fill our lives with busy and hurry—seldom, if ever, stopping to check in with ourselves and ensure we’re living out the promise of our purpose. One of my goals with the Saturday Morning Muse is to help drive a shift in perspective—from the negative to the positive—from “I have to,” to “I get to.” If you want to be an effective, compassionate leader in life and in business, start engaging in your own mindfulness practice. What do you want to be known for? Up to this moment, have you done the best that you could?

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend as you recharge for the week ahead.