A guided meditation to support being your most authentic self in an interview (March 2023)
I rely on my brain a lot.
It is the super computer that powers many of the things that I value about myself as an employee. It is adaptable, it loves problem solving, it really loves a great innovation/brainstorm session and it is powered by learning new things.
I have also found that when I let my brain run the show, it not only empowers my strengths, but it works overtime to try to protect me from failure. For me this working overtime shows up as constant multitasking, a pressure to check all things off my neverending to do list and an anxiety that what I am doing is never enough. I appreciate my brain wanting to protect me, but I also know that running the show burns my brain out.
I discovered a salve for my brain when I started a mindfulness practice years ago. To be honest, it was a rough start. It was a struggle to lean into anything that felt slow. I felt that yoga wasn’t “hard” enough and meditation terrified me. But I found a relief in these practices and so I kept doing them until they slowly became the much needed habits that balanced me.
One of my favorite practices is guided meditation. For me, guided meditation allows my body to sit and be still, while my brain is allowed to relax, follow directions and listen to my heart. This practice has empowered me to be more present and self-aware, which translated to the workplace equals being a more authentic leader and colleague. I love this practice so much that I have eagerly led guided meditations in the corporate world and have seen it ground the energy of a meeting, training or conference; empowering authenticity.
After being laid off a few months ago, I was experiencing a lot of new emotions and my brain started working overtime again. It wanted to help me prepare for every interview, and to be fair, it is great at company research and helping me highlight all the things I have done to match a job description. However, my brain starts to spin with thoughts like “what if they don’t like me?” or “what if it takes me forever to find a new job?”.
So, I have been using guided meditation to calm the fears and anxiety that arise before an interview - supporting my confidence, strength and truth. What I know, after years of practice, is that mindfulness is the best way to empower my most authentic self to show up. And my most authentic self MUST show up to an interview - because I only want to work somewhere that not only wants, but will celebrate my most authentic self.
I am excited to share this tool with all job seekers, so I have recorded this guided meditation - hoping you all will benefit as I have from this practice.
How I use this:
I prepare for the interview as usual
Within an hour of my interview time, I give myself 5-15 minutes for grounding and meditation
I trust this process - I WILL show up as my most authentic self!
I am grateful for every conversation
May you all be your most authentic, wonderful selves today!