This is a guest post by Mindvalley Academy
Success is important to us – that is obvious. Why else would we work as hard as we do if the reward wasn’t worth it? Whether you manage a massive corporate company, or own a small start-up business, chances are you are putting your heart and soul into your work because you want to thrive.
But have you ever thought that it could be this exact reason why we struggle with stress, exhaustion, anxiety and other setbacks?
Meditation for success is rising in popularity for a very simple reason: it’s easy to take care of our bodies, but more often than not, we forget to nurture our spirits. At the end of the day, the foundations of success lie in our spirits; without it, we would have no motivation or inspiration, and therefore, no work ethic.
So how does one go about feeding the soul? You may think it all depends on following the advice of the many self-help books available on how to incorporate good habits into your life, how to lead and how to be a good boss. These techniques will work- if your spirit is already satisfied.
The key is to go back to the basics, and strengthen your soul with a practise that has been around since ancient times: Meditation.
What Meditation Can Do For You
Many reports, over many decades have discovered that meditation has significant health benefits that we can observe. Its effects on our nervous systems, brains, hearts, lungs and moods are profound. But did you know that meditation is good for your mind (and your soul) too? Meditation sets in motion a cycle of calm and good will. Simply put: The more you meditate, the nicer (and happier) you will become. That’s good news for management, because statistics show that most people who quit their jobs do so because they dislike their superiors. If you are kind, your company’s productivity will vastly increase.
But on top of this basic foundation of success, there are many more benefits to meditating for business.
It Increases Emotional Intelligence. Research in both neurology and psychology has proven that meditation makes us more empathetic, patient and understanding. Using meditation in your business will make you a better listener. You will become more compassionate too and for this reason your employees will be more trusting of you. If you are a pleasant person, those who work for and with you will go the extra mile in doing a good job. It also means that small, insignificant inconveniences won’t anger you and cause unnecessary stress.
It Improves Communication. When running a business, or playing as part of a team, communication is everything, but unfortunately it’s one area in which most of us could stand to improve. Clear communication decreases the likelihood of discrepancies and mistakes, which leads to increased productivity and better moods all round. Better communication is a given once you are more empathetic. The two go hand in hand.
It Teaches You Control. At some point in your career, you are going to be tested by one of your employees or business partners. Perhaps they will make a massive blunder, or maybe they are misbehaving at work and need to be reprimanded. Our normal response to this would be one of anger or impatience, which can easily transform into cruelty. Since meditation makes us more compassionate and betters our communication, it teaches us to remain calm and to think before we speak. This way, anger will not get the best of you and in the long run this means less stress and negativity for everyone concerned.
It Makes You More Resilient. Because your emotions will be under your control, when you are faced with problems and unforeseen challenges in the workplace, you will be able to overcome them without succumbing to stress and negativity which in turn will allow you to solve your problems faster and to greater effect.
It Strengthens Your Relationships. With empathy, communication, resilience and compassion comes stronger, happier relationships. To re-iterate, this is crucial when you are a team player. If your company functions as one harmonious unit, your productivity will increase, as will the loyalty of both the people who work with/ for you and your clients.
It Helps You Focus. Meditation doesn’t only improve the emotional and spiritual side of your business. It assists with intellectual functions as well. The first example of this is concentration. We are surrounded by so many distractions, research has proposed that our minds wander off at least 50% of the time we should spend focusing. Because many schools of meditation teach concentration, you can develop the skills necessary to block the rest of the world out and focus on your tasks at hand. This (like most other entries here) will boost your productivity, lessen your workload and decrease stress and anxiety.
It Promotes Creativity. When we are stressed, anxious, depressed or upset; our reasoning, logic, and good ideas go out the window. But because meditation relaxes us (in the short term as well as in the long term), our potential for great ideas increases. This is vital when running a company because you are faced with many opportunities to stagnate. Meditation will make you more open minded, and it will keep your creative juices flowing.
It Teaches Discipline. This works in two different ways. The first comes into play because, to reap the full benefits of meditation you’re encouraged to dedicate a consistent and regular routine to it. This requires discipline, of course, and will surely make you accustomed to sticking to deadlines and keeping your promises. The second is in the sense that meditation (as mentioned above) offers us control of our emotions and reactions. When we learn that what we do and say can negatively impact those around us, we learn to hone them into more positive behaviours. This also has roots in discipline. Once this habit is learned, it will transcend into other areas of your life, like your business.
It Encourages Positivity. Energy is a fascinating thing because it attracts itself. If you have a negative outlook on life, the chances of negative things befalling you are increased. If you are an optimist, you’re more likely to be blessed with happiness. One way in which we can observe this, is with the fact that those who are more grateful and practise gratitude openly and honestly, tend to have more things to feel grateful for! Because meditation relaxes us by decreasing our levels of cortisol, it makes more room in our bodies for happier hormones like dopamine. If we are happy, we are optimistic and if we are optimistic, and always see the glass as half full, we will achieve more. Once we achieve more, we become even happier and the cycle repeats itself. Just imagine how this could influence your business, clients and staff!
It Gives You Clarity. How did you get to where you are today? You had a vision and you worked at making it reality. Meditation centres us. If we know where we are, we can better prepare for where we are going and where we would like to be. This skill- planning- is crucial in any business.
Your Employees’ Lives Will Improve Too! Don’t believe it? It’s been mentioned time and time again. Meditation lowers our stress levels. No one enjoys working in a high pressure environment. If you remain calm, your employees’ work ethic will dramatically improve. Therefore, productivity will increase. If your employees aren’t afraid of you, they’ll be more honest with you- which will give you a greater sense of clarity too! If your employees can trust you, they will be loyal to you. Less stress in the office also means less illness. Better health improves happiness. If everyone’s happy, success has already been achieved.
Still not Convinced?
Meditation might not be the most conventional practise in the corporate world, but there are many successful CEOs who practise it, including:
Rick Goings (Tupperware), Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post), Russell Simmons (Def Jam/ Rush Communications), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), Roger Berkowitz (Legal Sea Foods), Bob Shapiro (Monsanto), Robert Stiller (Green Mountain Coffee), and Steve Rubin (United Fuels International).
The best part of meditation is that it not only improves your business, but your health, happiness and personal life too!
Image credit: Unsplash.
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