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Harvard Business School and Insead (a leading business school in Europe) have both reported from their research that the most successful business tools for the 21st century are meditation and intuition.
I LOVED hearing this bold statement coming from these well-respected and influential educational institutions. After more than a decade of practicing and teaching meditation, I couldn't agree more. Here's why.
To be successful in your business endeavors, you need a clear vision to focus on, self discipline, energy to charge forward toward this vision, a plan with clear action steps, the ability to be flexible and come up with creative solutions to any problems that crop up, balance and self care so you don't burn out.
Let's now look at each of these business necessities and how meditation can help.
A Clear Vision to Focus On:
When your mind is full of thoughts, it may be hard to get clear on your vision for your business or vision for how you'd like to excel in your career. The practice of meditation on a regular basis changes the structure and function of the brain, which can increase focus and concentration. When you can focus and concentrate without getting carried away by your thoughts, your visions will become more clear.
Self Discipline:
You have your vision, but do you have the self-discipline to carry out your vision? According to Entreprenuer.com, "if you can discipline yourself to do what you should do, whether you feel like it or not, your success is virtually guaranteed. Self-discipline requires self-mastery, self-control, self-responsibility, and self-direction," and a regular meditation practice helps you develop ALL of those qualities.
Energy to Charge Forward Toward This Vision:
While self discipline is an important tool when it comes to reaching your goals, you also need the energy to be able to get up every day and make things happen. While there are several ways that meditation can help increase our energy, this statement from the EOC Institute pretty much sums it up:
"You could say that meditation is like putting your iPhone on a kind of permanent airplane mode, while still running your apps/texts/calls as usual. In turn, your battery (level of energy) never gets below 88%, no matter how stressful your day. In the end, if you want loads of energy 24/7/365, meditation is the most natural, effective solution."
A Plan with Clear Action Steps:
It's a given that you must come up with a plan and action steps to carry out that plan in order to efficiently achieve goals. Meditation can help with this by clearing your mind so that you have more access to your intuition and flow. When you are in a "flow state," you have increased focused attention, you're more productive and are tapped more deeply into your creativity, as being in flow trains us how to be more open to discovery and innovation.
Flexibility + Adaptability:
The ability to be flexible so that you can gracefully pivot and come up with creative solutions to any problems that crop up is an important skill in business (and also life, of course). When we have a flexible mind we can also open to new ideas and creativity and adapt when needed. Adaptability helps us thrive in our ever-changing world. In meditation, we learn to be in the present moment and practice not attaching to outcomes. The more we live in the present, the more we can sit in the center of whatever is going on and make choices from that place.
Balance and Self-Care:
How many of us work long hours then spend the time we have left doing chores, running errands or tending to our family, pets or friends? While it may be obvious to say that we all need balance in life, we don't always give ourselves the gift of enough self care to balance out our busy days. We all have a limit to how much we can do before we burn out, though, so it's wise to make sure you are taking care of your precious self (and your energy)...because as the saying goes, you can't pour from an empty cup." A regular meditation practice can help you stay energized, mentally, emotionally and physically balanced and, and when we are balanced we are overall happier beings.
Other amazing benefits of a regular meditation practice include: reduced stress and anxiety, more clarity in your life, more presence in your day to day life, more calm and less reactive, a boost your immune system, reduced aches and pains and so much more!
Give Yourself the Gift of Meditation
Whether you're new to meditation or have practiced before, joining in a meditation group can be a powerful practice that also holds you accountable. Having a teacher guide you can also help you stick to the practice.
Almost every month I offer a Virtual 21-Day Meditation Challenge where we meditate together for 21 minutes a day ~ and the cost is just $21! I teach a combination of breathwork, mantra, and mudra that will help you tap into your best self so that you can reach your goals. All sessions are recorded so you can fit the time into your schedule.
I hope you join me in 2021 to clear your mind, balance your spirit and use meditation as your secret weapon to accomplish all that your heart desires!
Learn more about my Online Guided Meditation Challenges here.