Knowing the scientific benefits of meditation such as:
- sleeping better,
- feeling calmer,
- feeling more in control,
- sparking creativity
Still lack the motivation to take up this practice? Yep I know the feeling.
Let’s face it: You’re just way too busy and you do not have time to sit and do nothing.
Besides, meditation is great for all people, it’s not just for a driven, career-oriented person, but for everyone. It will help still the chatter in your mind. I felt the same way before I started meditating.
But do you struggle with finding time to do what you want? Are you so exhausted by the end of the day you hardly have time to enjoy family or do something for yourself? Do you feel like something is missing in your life despite having a successful career?
As a blogger, full time office worker and many other interests that keep me busy you may think I do not know much about the demands of working in the corporate world, but it was exactly that during my working career and that is what motivated me to do meditation.
I am a very hands-on type person, so the idea of meditating seemed like an absolute waste of time to me for many years.
I thought meditation worked for some people, but it certainly was not going to help a busy person like myself.
How would sitting still and doing nothing actually help me reach my life and career goals?
I just did not see how meditation would give me what I really wanted. I know what most busy professionals want: more time, more energy, and more joy in life.
The stresses, demands, and deadlines both at work and day to day life were draining me on all levels. I would have tried anything to calm my busy brain back then. I was constantly on the go, trying to be who I thought I should be.
I resisted this practice as long as I could, but when the demands of working in the corporate world, the demands of raising a family, and the overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction in life got the best of me, I knew I had to try something new.
So, I started meditating.
Fast-forward to today, and I have all the time and energy I could ever want. In fact, meditation changed my life in ways I could not have imagined.
What I realize now that I resisted years ago is that the busier you are and the more driven you are, the more you need time to listen to your body and mind. A simple meditation practice can boost your life in ways that go well beyond the scientifically proven benefits.
If you are a busy professional and you really want to know how a meditation practice can support you at work and at home, read on.
Meditation provides an energy boost
If you feel utterly exhausted, frustrated, and worn out, it might be time to take note of where your energy is being spent. Before I started meditating, I had a vision of how things, people, and situations should be
MY WAY!
I resisted, fought against, and detached completely from people, situations, and things that did not appear as I thought they should.
I even started preparing for people NOT to do it my way so I could cut them off before they disappointed me.
I missed some incredible opportunities by doing this and should have rather been more accepting to how things were. This had taken its toll on me and I did not even realize this until I started meditating.
So, how exactly do you waste energy wishing things were different? You know that co-worker who really irritates the heck out of you? Or how about the unrealistic boss who creates more havoc than productivity?
Ever have a fallout with a friend or co-worker and you play the conversation in your mind over and over again? When you finally encountered this person, did you notice that you had missed some pieces of the conversation that completely changed your reaction to him or her?
People exert a lot of energy wishing people and situations were different. Just imagine how much more energy you would have if instead of focusing on that irritating co-worker, the overly demanding boss or replaying conversations in your mind that will never take place, and accepted people and things as they are.
After just a few weeks of meditating, I noticed that the things that normally bothered me simply did not anymore. I could work the same amount of hours, but I got a lot more accomplished without feeling drained or depleted at the end of the day.
I even had energy to enjoy time with my kids after working a full day at the office.
Meditation helps you get what you really want.
Before I started meditating, I often went from one goal to another hoping that the next big accomplishment would make me happy. Every time I checked a goal off my list, I set out to achieve yet another one.
It was all about doing, doing, doing. The problem was the doing was not really working anymore. I was exhausted, frustrated, and felt like something was missing from my life.
The fascinating thing about sitting in silence and just being is that you begin to hear another voice inside. This voice could care less about material possessions, titles, roles, or accomplishments. This voice is the real you—the you that is calm, joyful, and unlimited.
As I tuned in to this voice through meditation, I began to realize that what I was seeking “out there” was already within me.
I did not really need to hang more awards on the wall or to be recognized in the role I played at work or at home.
What I really wanted was to love my life right now. I longed to have more time with my kids, who were spending way too many hours in day care. I wanted to focus on my health and well-being, and I wanted to do work that was really satisfying on a deeper level.
Meditation helped me gain clarity about what it was I really wanted.
Challenge yourself.
Meditation was not easy at first. I thought the point of meditation was to “not think,” which only made more thoughts pop into my head.
The first few weeks of meditation were filled with frustration as I tirelessly examined my to-do list, got distracted by sensations in my body, and old memories appeared in my mind.
It was not until I sought the help of a meditation teacher that I began to understand why meditation is called a practice.
I learned to use a mantra to quiet my mind, to be patient with myself, and to release any expectation I had before going into meditation.
Although I struggled in the beginning, the rewards I have experienced and still experience today are so worth the initial frustration! Because of this practice, I am more productive, less reactive, happier, and a lot more successful today.
In fact, because of my commitment to meditation, I have more energy, more time, and feel more joy than I ever thought possible. I am still very driven, but now my drive is aligned with what I really want instead of what I should want.
I challenge you to try meditation for just 21 days, even if you do not believe it will work for you or you’ve resisted meditation because you think meditation is for “other” people.
You do not need a Buddha statue, an orange robe, or to shave your head.
All you need is a serious commitment to sit in silence for even 5 minutes a day twice a day. Know that your mind will run amok, and that is totally OK and a sign that you really do need this practice.
Stick with it, and you will not recognize your life after committing to this practice for just 21 days.