We all struggle with the constant overflow of demands, pulling us from one responsibility to the other: the needs of our mind and body, our worries and feelings, can sometimes be overshadowed by jobs or tight deadlines. Perhaps reading this now, you may even start to notice the gradual incline of passive thoughts, upcoming schedules, or even the stress of what’s to come. Fortunately, the practice of mindfulness is something we can all use to ground ourselves with, amidst a hectic schedule, bringing ourselves back into the present moment. This is something Chizubel Egwudo, founder of The Risk of You, has brought into practice in his daily life; learning how we can all aspire to bring focus and clarity into our busy lives.
Chizubel Egwudo is a leader of two businesses, hosts a podcast called School of Risk, and is a father to two daughters. Like most leaders, he has a lot of aspirations for his career, wanting to make accomplishments to spread some good in the world. He soon realised his commitments to work, however, hid what is crucial to anyone’s lifestyle: peace of mind.
“In the past, it was just get up, run, and go. That wasn’t good”, Chiz commented during his School of Risk podcast episode with Reena. “But now I pace myself, and before I start anything work related, I spend time with myself. I take my time to have breakfast, that’s important, and those things get me started.”
Thanks to his wellbeing practices, Chiz brought a lot of enrichment to his daily life. His morning routine focuses on physical and spiritual practices to start his day, doing them first before checking any emails. Drinking water in the morning is also included in his plan, one of the many ways we can bring peace of mind into our daily lives.
“That way, I’m ready for the day, and I have the energy I need to go through what I need to go through, and I found that very useful.”
When we give dedicated time to practice mindfulness, before jumping into our commitments, we feel more prepared, more refreshed in ourselves, and that gives us the motivation to lead and inspire others. Chiz also understands that it’s okay to practice this during work hours, a time when we all need to apply mental strategy. He believes mental health benefits strategic thinking, and that strategic thinking benefits mental health. Making quality time for ourselves, whether in or outside of work, is crucial for a healthy wellbeing, even when we’re in a busy world.
“It’s really important to take care of these things, do these things, to manage your wellbeing. For me, it’s a practice […] and I’ve learnt so much over the years.”
Chizabel previously worked with Reena to establish a meditation routine in their one-to-one sessions and hopes to continue these sessions in the future, to further his practice of mindfulness.