Passion for projects! The motto of my company, myself and maybe many other project managers describes an attitude of fully engaging with the project. All senses are focusing on what is going on, what kind of challenges need to be tackled and how to reach the desired results effectively and efficiently. However, it´s a thin line between exaggeration and stoicism. Exaggeration may end up in not seeing the wood for the trees. We focus too much on the issues of the project and may lose sight of external (and maybe also internal) developments with influence on our project. We may get stressed, which certainly has an impact on the project and is driving us into a viscous circle. The other side is being too much relaxed, not interested in the development of the project or just following the logic of stoicism, “accepting the moment as it presents itself, by not allowing ourselves to be controlled by our desire for pleasure or our fear of pain, by using our minds to understand the world around us and to do our part in nature’s plan, and by working together and treating others in a fair and just manner.”

Mindfulness instead “is the psychological process of bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment, which can be developed through the practice of meditation and other training.” It´s a significant element of Buddhist traditions and is used  developing self-knowledge and wisdom that gradually lead to what is described as enlightenment or the complete freedom from suffering. Project manager and project are getting unified like the archer with bow and arrow.

Paulo Coelho perfectly describes this in “The Way of the Bow”: “A bow has no conscience: it is a prolongation of the hand and desire of the archer. It can serve to kill or to meditate. Therefore, always be clear about your intentions. A bow is flexible, but it has its limits. Stretching it beyond its capacity will break it or exhaust the hand holding it. Therefore, try to be in harmony with your instrument and never ask more than it can give. A bow rests or lies in the hand of the archer, but the hand is merely the place where all the muscles of the body, all the intentions of the archer and all the effort of shooting is concentrated. Therefore, in order to maintain elegance of posture while keeping the bow drawn, make sure that every part does only what is necessary and do not dissipate your energies. That way, you will be able to shoot many arrows without tiring. In order to understand your bow, it must become part of your arm and an extension of your thoughts.

The arrow is the intention. It is what unites the strength of the bow with the center of the target. The intention must be crystal-clear, straight and balanced. Once the arrow has gone, it will not come back, so it is better to interrupt a shot, because the movements that led up to it were not sufficiently precise and correct, than to act carelessly, simply because the bow was fully drawn and the target was waiting. But never hold back from firing the arrow if all that paralyses you is fear of making a mistake. If you have made the right movements, open your hand and release the string. Even if the arrow fails to hit the target, you will learn how to improve your aim next time. If you never take a risk, you will never know what changes you need to make. Each arrow leaves a memory in your heart, and it is the sum of those memories that will make you shoot better and better.”

Thus, mindfulness can be seen as a means for developing mastery and wisdom. It resonates with a deep desire of people and makes them more self-aware of what they really, really want and how to act out. Unfortunately, mindfulness is getting a fashionable trend in management literature, addressing psychological concepts such as resilience, relaxation and others. For me it´s rather striving for perfection and harmony. Some argue, it´s wishful thinking or fiction to follow this route, they may never had the experience of a real “flow” situation best described by Professor Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. It can be practices in sports, expeditions, meditation as well as in professions such as project management. Try to experience this in 2018!