December 2004/January 2005

Volume 45, Number 3

Mindfulness

by Ron Arner, Managing Editor

I will never trust another pop-up window again.

The reason? One caused me to make a mistake recently. Actually, it was more of a technical blunder, and it was one that many of you can probably relate to. I was setting up the LCD projector in our training lab at work, and thought I'd improve the display by changing the screen resolution on the laptop it was connected to. After all, the little pop-up window that appeared when I connected the LCD suggested that I do this, and I'd done it before with positive results.

Unfortunately, this time something went wrong. In fact, the display disappeared altogether, and try as I might, I couldn't get it back. People were already coming into the lab, and I began to panic. I tried rebooting with the cables disconnected, pressed the Function-F8 key combination over and over, and made sure the LCD was in computer mode, but the only thing I ever got to project was the startup screen, and then the display would just disappear.

I could no longer concentrate or think rationally, and decided to ask our network admin if he had any suggestions. (He's been in our department a lot longer than I.) It turns out that because we have an older LCD, it actually doesn't help to change the screen resolution as Windows XP suggested, because the LCD can't handle that high a resolution. I didn't know all of this at the time, but that's beside the point; if I hadn't been so overwhelmed by the situation, I would have considered the possibility that returning the screen resolution to its original setting would fix the problem. Instead, I was stuck in some kind of "I've broken it forever" mode.

In yoga, the practice of being more present in the moment is called mindfulness. As the word implies, mindfulness means being able to think calmly and rationally, even in difficult situations. While this ideal is not always possible, when faced with a stressful situation at work, a difficult interview, or a tight deadline, trying to maintain a positive, optimistic outlook on the situation can help you get through it easier, faster, and more efficiently. There are many ways to practice mindfulness, from meditation to just plain living right, and since the purpose of this column is not to deeply explore them, I will refer you to the Yoga Journal Website if you want to explore the subject further. You can find a searchable database of excellent articles on any mind-body topic there.

Even though I practice yoga regularly and am taking a class to be certified to teach it, I can't practice mindfulness all the time. The LCD scenario is an excellent example. But, practice does make perfect, so no matter what situation the stress revolves around, (another difficult one for me is speaking in public to a group of total strangers), mindfulness helps make the situation flow more freely, thus reducing the stress I feel the next time I find myself in the same spot.

Another important thing to keep in mind is to try to learn from your mistakes. It was really embarrassing and painful when it became obvious that I couldn't get the LCD to work. But in the long run, everything worked out, so rather than dwell on the negative aspects of the situation, and in so doing lose any possibility of gaining from it, I tried to laugh it off, think about what I did wrong, and forget the self-defeating messages that such a situation can create. This requires a great deal of honesty with one's self. I mean after all, the pop-up window didn't cause the LCD problem, my treating the pop-up window like it was the word of God did.

So, after all, what did I learn from the whole LCD episode? The most intelligent, computer-savvy, technical lesson there is; one I want to share with you to help you the next time you deal with a highly advanced technical issue: If it isn't broke, don't fix it!