For the past two years I’ve been pursuing a meditation practice in earnest. My desire to learn more and strengthen my personal practice led me to take two, 200-hr meditation teacher trainings. (I’m now over halfway through the second one.)
Yesterday, I was invited to speak on a Zoom chat with founders and business owners about my Own Your Why® philosophy. It was a deeply enriching conversation, and one of the questions from the participants really struck me. She asked, “What is it about this combination of blending mindfulness and marketing that intrigues you so?”
I hope I shared a coherent response in the moment, but that question has stayed with me. It’s one of those that lights you up so much from the inside that you get all sweaty and you know there has to be a kernel of truth in there somewhere… if only you can articulate it. So here’s my second attempt to answer that question that feels so near to my heart.
My meditation practice has taught me so much, and it continues to reveal sharp truths on the daily. Where I find a most interesting intersection is that meditation has undoubtedly made me a better entrepreneur, and here’s how.
1. I’m less reactive.
Meditation teaches us that the goal is not to be without thoughts. The mind will produce thoughts because that’s an aspect of its job. We don’t criticize the heart for circulating blood. What we’re working with is how we respond to the thoughts the mind presents to us.
Pema Chodron talks about thoughts like bubbles. And when we have a thought, we want to lightly dissolve it like a feather grazing the bubble. We acknowledge it, gently touch in on it, and allow it to dissolve. I return to that image often in any given day and instead of smashing those bubbles with a baseball bat with a brash reaction, I create more space for an appropriate response.
2. I know how to tap into a greater sense of clarity to assist in decision making.
Being less reactive aids tremendously in decision making. It’s now a prerequisite before any big decision to give myself space to sit with the scenario. When I’m reactive, I tend to make decisions from a myopic personal perspective. When I gift myself more space, I see how far I can expand around the given circumstance to view it in its entirety. That broader perspective gives me so much information to know how I want to proceed.
3. #communityovercompetition is not just a hashtag that I give half-hearted lip service to; I believe it.
We’ve seen these hashtags go around, and for the longest time I dipped a toe into that arena only to partially believe it. My being was still heavily steeped in envy. In Buddhism, there are four qualities that we each possess and can actively cultivate. They are known as The Four Immeasurables or the Four Limitless Qualities. One of them is known in Sanskrit as mudita, which loosely translates to empathetic joy or appreciative joy.
I’ve worked with this one a lot over the past couple of years, and it has helped me tremendously to release the negativity I held onto for other people’s successes. In being able to tap into the truth that there is enough for all of us, I have begun the process of liberating myself from the shackles of the lack mentality.
4. I am more creative.
Like many of us, I believed that just pushing through was the way to get things done. But with a regular meditation practice, I’ve witnessed how ideas will come to me in those pristine quiet moments. Now, I’m finding more ways to invite in rest and stillness, and paradoxically, in giving myself more space, I’m more creative. And I’m getting more sleep, too, so it’s a win-win!
5. I’m learning to release expectations.
I still have a long way to go on this one, but I can see a subtle shift happening. In a traditional meditation practice called Shamatha, the instruction is to focus on one thing, and often that one thing is to focus on the out breath. More specifically, it’s to focus on the sensation of the out breath under the nostrils and above the upper lip. And you release any efforting on the inhale. You allow it to simply happen.
The single-pointed focus reminds me of something my dear friend, wise soul, and emotional wellness coach Barbara Erochina shared with me years ago that stays with me today. A loose translation of which is:
It’s our responsibility to stay committed to our WHY, and we can release the HOW.
I think that’s so profound in business — stay deeply rooted to your purpose, and remain open to possibilities of how it will unfold.
6. I trust myself.
For years I looked outside of myself for answers and validation. Even though this is another massive work in progress, I am seeing a subtle shift to trusting myself more. I do believe a large part of that is because, through meditation, I’ve seen the healing capacity I already have within me simply by controlling my breath.
More trust in myself translates to more confidence. That confidence translates into clarity of how I share what I do and why I do it. That clarity yields even more trust between my clients and me. It’s a beautiful cycle that all starts with looking within.
7. I don’t get as carried away by the highs and the lows.
Just as there is in life, being a business owner presents many opportunities for high highs and low lows. The peaks and valleys can really catch us if we aren’t careful. Another of the Four Immeasurables is (in Pali) Uppekha, which translates to equanimity. My teacher describes this as “a deep OKness with what is.” So it is apathy or negligent avoidance. It’s feeling the fullness of whatever the circumstance may be, but it is letting go of the notion that our happiness is determined by those circumstances.
When we can first accept what is real, what is here, then we can begin to assess what to do (or not do). It’s about being brutally honest, seeing reality for what it truly is, and committing to not perpetuating living in an illusion, however difficult that may be.
8. I am more present with my clients.
Your meditation practice will ask you to come with a curious mind and an open heart. You might have even heard about meditation asking you to sit in the “seat of the observer,” to observe your thoughts and notice patterns. That has been enormously helpful in being present with my clients. When I am fully present, when I am actively listening, when I show up with no agenda and with a heart intent on observing what is happening in each moment, I can offer them my best support.
Mindfulness and business go together beautifully. In fact, I would argue that we can no longer operate a low-conscious business and expect to continue to thrive.
I believe meditation teaches us how to live and work in a more mindful and peaceful manner, and in better alignment with our true purpose. It’s like the fast track to unveiling those ego-based sticking points that hold us back from our peace and our highest work in the world. And when we are well-resourced individuals, who give back to the world our greatest gifts, everyone prospers.
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Photo credit: Creating Light Studio