Team of One

First Posted on LinkedIn February 15, 2026

One of the most interesting things meditation has taught me is that we are rarely as limited as we think we are.

Life has a habit of presenting us with moments that test us.

A difficult conversation.

An unexpected setback.

A period of uncertainty.

A misunderstanding.

A loss.

A day when everything seems to arrive at once.

In those moments it can feel as though there is only one version of us available. The frustrated version. The anxious version. The overwhelmed version.

The version that wants to react, retreat or wrestle the world into submission.

Yet meditation has taught me something different.

It has taught me that there is often more than one way of meeting any situation.

Many people think meditation is about relaxation.

Sometimes it is.

But for me, one of its greatest gifts is awareness.

Not awareness of something mysterious or mystical.

Simply awareness of what is happening around us and within us.

When we become more aware, a small space begins to appear between an experience and our response to it.

Something happens.

A comment is made.

A problem appears.

A disappointment arrives.

Instead of reacting immediately, there can be a pause.

A moment of choice.

That pause may last only a second or two, but it can completely change what happens next.

Over time, meditation can reveal something else.

It can sometimes feel as though different versions of ourselves are available when needed.

Calmness during pressure.

Patience during frustration.

Curiosity during disagreement.

Compassion when someone is struggling.

Clarity when life feels uncertain.

It is not that these qualities suddenly appear.

They were there all along.

Meditation simply helps us become aware of them and access them more readily.

This is why I sometimes think of it as the "Team of One".

We are not accompanied only by our thoughts.

We are also accompanied by our experience, our values, our judgement, our attention, our kindness and our resilience.

The question is not whether these qualities exist.

The question is whether we are aware enough to call upon them when they are needed.

The longer I meditate, the less I see it as a technique and the more I see it as a relationship.

A relationship with my own mind.

A relationship that helps me understand how I react, what drives me, what unsettles me, what supports me and where my attention tends to go.

A relationship that reminds me there is often more available within me than I realise.

Not because meditation adds something new.

But because it helps uncover what was already there.

We all carry a Team of One through life.

Meditation simply helps us get to know the team a little better.

Mind yourself,

Mike ...