Mention meditation
and many people would associate it with monks chanting in temples or
ascetics who have given up all luxuries for a lifetime of deep
contemplation in the mountains.
That may be true in the past, but today, meditation is practiced by people from all walks of life. Men and women, spiritual or otherwise, are learning meditation to improve their responses to life’s challenges. And believe it or not, meditation can even help you to improve your business!
Meditation as a business tool? Let me explain.
The ever changing landscape of business often leaves many of us
shocked, confused or disillusioned. Responding out of these
non-productive states of mind usually result in mindless reactions that
not only fail to meet long-term business goals, but may even jeopardize
the life span of a company.
Meditation –
by helping you to stay more focus and present — can help you to see
through the clutters in the market and enable you to make better
business decisions. Working by improving your inner landscape, meditation
helps you to respond to external events with more awareness and
clarity, and hence, change the business results that you deliver over
time. As Albert Einstein had once said:
“You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”
When we slide into panic mode trying to stop falling sales or to
regain market share, what we can only see is the problems that we’re
confronting, and not the potentials that have been lying outside the
boundaries of our mind all along. It’s no wonder then that the results
that we produced out of such self-limiting states are uncreative,
mediocre and unsatisfactory. And the saddest part is, many people are
not aware of their limiting mental states and go on to reproduce the
same mediocre results again and again. Needless to say, a lot of
unnecessary frustrations and unhappiness are generated.
But, you do not have to stay in a closed and victimized state. Here is one meditation technique you can practice to shift yourself to a more open and empowering state. This meditation will take about twenty minutes.
1. Choose a quiet place. Settle down comfortably in a
quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for the duration of this
meditation. You may choose to sit down on a chair or lie down on a flat
surface.
2. Breathe naturally. Close your eyes and breathe
naturally and slowly. Inhale with your nose and breathe out through your
mouth. Don’t worry if the initial couple of breaths are short and
quick. Your breaths will naturally deepen and slow down as you become
more relaxed.
3. Relax completely with self-talk. As you breathe in,
say silently to yourself “I am…”, and as you breathe out, followed by
“relaxed”. Draw out the word “relaxed” during your entire exhaled breath
so that it becomes “relaxxxxxxxxed”. Repeat the phrase “I am… relaxed”
for every breathe that you take in and expel.
4. Managing distraction. You’ll inevitably find your
mind drifting to other thoughts as you meditate, instead of focusing on
your breathing and repeating the given phrase. Don’t worry, it’s
common, especially for those who are new to meditation. Just bring your attention back to where it should be every time you catch yourself losing focus.
5. Practice for ten minutes. Continue focusing on
your breathing and silently repeating the phrase for the next ten
minutes. A timer with a non-jarring alarm can be used to help you keep
track of time.
6. Now bring a business issue to mind. At the end of
ten minutes, bring your attention to one business issue you’re trying
to gain deeper insights on. Formulate it as a question, for instance,
“How can I improve the sales of XYZ product?” Gentle rest your attention
on the selected question. Don’t grasp it too tightly in your mind. You
know you are trying too hard when your muscles tense up and your
breathing quickens.
7. Explore deeply and clearly. Examine the question
from a beginner’s mind, as if this is the first time someone has asked
you about it. How do you feel? How would you react? How would your
responses change if you’re seeing the problem not as who you are, but
from the perspectives of your stakeholders? Think clearly and deeply for
another ten minutes, or more if you want.
8. Ending the session. Slowly open your eyes and
rest in the present state for a minute of two before getting up. Write
down any insights and thoughts you may have on a notebook.
I hope you find this meditation useful in helping you to tackle your
business challenges with a clearer and sharper mind. Give it a try and
let me know your experience in the comments. I’ll be glad to answer any
questions you may have. Thanks!
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