By Michael J. Norton, author, The Sh@#t I’ve Heard at Yoga
As a brand storyteller, over my career, while working on re-invention strategies for clients, I’ve thought a lot about how often in life we need to change, evolve, rethink, rebrand, or reimagine life as we live it.
I’ve experienced that change personally, in how I manage stress and my ability to stay calm.
In fact, I’m a recovering type-A, now happily rewired as a type-Y(oga).
Every day of my marketing career, I started out my morning nervously anticipating any number of glitches that ad people elevate to disaster-level. If you worked with me, you may remember me as a rabid nail-biter.
That was before yoga transformed my life. The philosophical tidbits shared by my fellow yogis at the beginning of class shifted the way I experienced life emotionally. I found a greater sense of calm. There was a newfound ease as I explored a client’s strategic hurdles and creative challenges. I had a more immediate sense of clarity doing business in a marketplace that swings with the constant stream of consumer, cultural, political and technological shifts.
I wish I knew then what I know now. Here is some of my best advice for marketers – and for anyone navigating an anxious world – whether the stresses are social, professional or driven by the evening news.
- “Organize your face.” Since I was always worrying about something, I always had a constipated face. People would often ask me, “What’s wrong?” Now, if I’m having a stressed-out day, I force my face into a relaxed look. An at-ease attitude. Even a happy face. That simple shift changes the mood. Rather than looking like how I feel, I can force myself to feel what my face is saying. And when doing yoga, when reaching for a difficult pose, a strained face will undermine your stability. Forcing a calm face will help you maintain greater control in a challenging position or a challenging meeting. As Dry Idea said, “Never let them see you sweat.”
- “Be a beginner.” Forget everything you know. Work. Relationships. Family. Friendships. Forget the stories that are in your head. Assume you know nothing. Get reacquainted with your life through who you are now. You won’t need to make resolutions because this fresh perspective will make room for change. Your experience is an asset but it’s rear-view knowledge. Right-now insights drive you to see what’s new and what’s next. I teach branding and marketing at Parsons. Students are there to learn from my experience. But I taught myself to also listen to “the kids.” Their world is wildly different than mine. They know so much that I need to know as well. I’ve learned that you don’t always have to be the smartest person in the room.
- “Even flowers know to turn to the light.” We get trapped in trying to solve problems. In that, there’s a tug-of-war between right and wrong. The easiest way to get over, get around or get past a problem is to turn away from it and give more time to the people, places and activities that make us feel good about ourselves. I used to give more time and headspace to the people who offered no real nutritional value rather than the people who fed my soul. In this business, we don’t always have the luxury of choosing who we work with and for, but pay attention to the people with whom you are most yourself. Cherish them. Hold on to them. They will always bring out the best in you and the best in your work.
The bottom line
The physical benefits of yoga are powerful. Yoga stretched my body; changed my posture; and built strength, stamina, and balance. However, equally important are the emotional muscles: patience, calm, acceptance, and confidence.
Whether or not you practice yoga, what I learned in downward dog can help you stress less, be more present and find your inner calm, no matter what challenges you face in work or life.
Michael J. Norton
Since 2015, Michael has been “Professor Norton,” teaching marketing, branding, and public relations at Parsons School of Design. He shares his decades of wisdom developing creative and business strategies for clients such as Maybelline, Toyota, LVMH, Jose Cuervo, Martha Stewart, the Guggenheim Museum, a smattering of fashion brands, and the launch of GOOP. Michael’s reluctant evolution from a Type A cynic to a Type Y (yoga) optimist is detailed in this collection of comic essays, The Sh@#t I’ve Heard at Yoga.
