About a month ago, Parade magazine ran an article about the growing popularity of meditation. It’s interesting to note that many very successful entrepreneurs today meditate on a daily basis.
In 2013, I set out to integrate a mediation practice into my life. I studied various forms of meditation by reading books, attending webinars, watching videos, listening to audios, and attending workshops. Not only have I found meditation to be radically powerful in my own life, many of my private clients have also benefited by way of the ripple effect.
While there are many different strategies you can employ to meditate, all practices have one common objective: to better control one’s mind. Whether you are an Executive, an Entrepreneur, or hold a leadership position in a company, you are a knowledge worker. Your ability to engage and use your mind at high levels is in direct correlation to your ability to have break-throughs, be creative, problem solve, and simply get stuff done. That said, the number one challenge I’ve found with those who are resistant to adopt the practice is that they don’t understand the value. For folks with extremely full schedules, it appears counter-intuitive to stop everything and seemingly “do nothing.”
Allow me to present a re-frame to you. Imagine investing 20-30 minutes a day to maximize the other 7-8 hours. Sounds like a fair trade off, doesn’t it?
So, the next question you may have is “Where do I start?” Find a quiet place to sit and pick something to focus on–a mantra, a candle flame, or clearing your mind all together. They key thing to remember is that you really can’t do it wrong. You must also realize that most people can’t hold their mind on a single point without some kind of mental interruption. Do not let this be a reason not to practice. Start slowly, initially for a minute or two, gradually lengthening the amount of time that you sit in meditation.
Try if for 30 days and see what happens. You should notice more focus, less stress, more productivity, higher amounts of inspiration, and deeper peace.