Editor’s notice: In Heroic Management, Chris Lowney explores 4 foundational pillars of management exemplified by the Jesuits: self-awareness, ingenuity, love, and heroism. We’ve invited dotMagis bloggers to mirror on every pillar. Discover these concepts additional with the workouts in The Heroic Management Workbook.
From the second we get up within the morning to the ultimate scroll via social media earlier than mattress, our minds can race with ideas and worries, making it straightforward to lose sight of ourselves. Nevertheless, cultivating a every day apply of self-awareness can convey readability, peace, and self-compassion, permitting us to reconnect with our inside selves and God. Each day self-awareness is a cornerstone of Ignatian spirituality and one of many pillars of Ignatian management, as defined by Chris Lowney in Heroic Management. One efficient technique of nurturing self-awareness is thru the Examen. This prayerful apply encourages a deeper understanding of our ideas, emotions, and actions all through the day. Whereas there are historically 5 steps to the Examen, there aren’t any particular phrases, set types, or “appropriate” methods to hope it; as a substitute, there are tips for reviewing our day with God.
The 5 considerate steps of the Examen contain turning into conscious of God’s presence, reviewing the day with gratitude, reflecting on our actions and feelings, asking for forgiveness, and in search of steerage for tomorrow. Every step serves as a constructing block. Step one, turning into conscious of God’s presence, aligns with the Ignatian precept of discovering God in all issues, whether or not that’s noticing magnificence in nature or our respiratory within the second, or remembering these we encountered all through the day. This consciousness invitations us to mirror on moments for which to be grateful, corresponding to a form interplay with a stranger, time spent with family members, or having fun with a phenomenal sundown. Being grateful for each joyful moments and difficult moments can improve our well-being and deepen our connection to God and each other, offering a basis of positivity to navigate life’s hurdles.
Diving deeper into the Examen, the following step entails figuring out our feelings and selections. By being conscious of our feelings—throughout monetary stress, frustration with a colleague, or a way of peace in prayer—we are able to strategy God with our triumphs and struggles. Recognizing our emotional waves equips us to reply with compassion. Evaluating our every day selections can also be essential in order that we are able to see after we select kindness over criticism or after we miss alternatives to reply with grace as a substitute of judgment.
The fourth step of the Examen encourages us to ask God for forgiveness for our shortcomings and think about these we have to forgive. Lastly, the final step entails in search of steerage for tomorrow, serving as a hopeful conclusion that reinforces the intention to hold ahead what we’ve discovered. By envisioning the following day, we remind ourselves that every new day is an opportunity to start once more.
Praying the Examen doesn’t require in depth time or an elaborate ritual. It’s accessible to anybody. Setting apart only a few minutes within the morning to set the tone for the day or within the night to mirror on the day’s occasions, we study that the Examen is adaptable and may unlock our potential to navigate life’s sticky moments with grace. Utilizing the Examen as a prayer device to develop self-awareness offers inside house to know not simply our particular person strengths and weaknesses but in addition to domesticate a way of inside peace and presence that may remodel our engagement with the world round us.
Merciful God, grant us the grace to pause, mirror, and pray.
