Why consider the power of meditation? As a business owner, you juggle a million things every day. There are clients to please, projects to manage, employees to oversee, and goals to accomplish.
With so much on your plate, it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of work and feel stressed, overwhelmed, and burned out.
But there is a simple practice that could help you find calm and clarity amidst the chaos. Meditation is an activity that takes just minutes a day but delivers immense benefits for your business and well-being.
Meditation is like a powerful productivity hack. It can sharpen your focus, stimulate creativity, reduce stress, and help you make smarter decisions. Essentially, it can give you and your small business a competitive edge.
My meditation journey
As a mother, wife, and business owner, many people count on me. And I always put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed and be there for those who need me.
Add to that the stress of living and growing a business amid a global pandemic, and a few years ago, I started feeling anxious and stressed out. I knew I had to do something to restore my balance.
So I turned to meditation — I’ve been meditating at least twice a day for several years now. Incorporating this simple ritual into my day changed my life and business for the better. I went from feeling stressed and reactive to feeling grounded, focused, and strategic.
There are so many misperceptions about meditation, so let me try to clear them up.
There is no perfect time to meditate; pick the time that works best for you. I meditate as soon as I wake up and right before bedtime, each time for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Typically, I meditate by sitting comfortably in a place that’s peaceful and serene. I close my eyes and just focus on my breathing, taking long breaths in, holding it in for a count of four, and then letting it out for a count of four.
I don’t have a specific goal in mind when I start my sessions. I just let my mind take me wherever it wants to — that’s the power of mediation. You can just let go.
I prefer guided meditation. My favorites are on InsightTimer, where I religiously meditate through the guided meditations from guru davidji of davidjimeditationacademy and often start my day with his guided Stardust Morning meditation.
You can find various other meditations there, led by different people, or try one of the numerous other meditation apps. Just keep exploring until you find the meditations that are best for you.
For my mantra, I set an intention when I start meditating based on how I feel that day and what I want to see unfold. It could be as simple as wanting to be happy or as specific as asking for strength, courage, or healing to get me through the day.
Just think of meditation as sitting in stillness, letting your mind, body, and soul rest, and focusing on your breathing. You can do this in as little as three minutes, though I recommend you devote about 20 minutes.
Meditation opened up new levels of creativity, intuition, and inspiration I didn't know I had access to. But it’s not a quick fix — you have to work at it daily.
Looking back, I can’t believe I ever ran my business without meditation. It’s an indispensable tool for achieving clarity, focus, and productivity in my life.
The benefits of meditation for business owners
There are so many ways meditation can help entrepreneurs thrive.
Reduce stress
Running a business is inherently stressful. There are always fires to put out, tough decisions to make, and problems to solve. While a bit of stress can be motivating, chronic stress takes a toll. It clouds your thinking, wrecks your sleep, and even harms your health.
Meditation counteracts stress by activating the body’s “relaxation response.”
Just a few minutes of meditation prompts physiological changes like lowering your blood pressure and heart rate and reducing your levels of cortisol and other stress hormones, putting you in a more calm, centered state so you’re not constantly in “fight or flight” mode.
Think of meditation as pressing your mental “reset” button, wiping stress from your mind and body, and giving you the fresh perspective and energy needed to tackle business challenges skillfully.
Enhance focus and attention
Our constantly connected, distraction-filled world takes a toll on focus and attention. Splitting your attention between emails, calls, reports, social media, and everything else makes it hard to single-task effectively, hurting productivity.
The power of meditation enhances your ability to focus entirely on one task at a time with greater insight. After meditating, you’re better able to tune out distractions and immerse yourself in deep work.
Boost creativity and problem-solving
Quieting your mind allows fresh ideas and insights to emerge that usually get drowned out by constant brain chatter. After meditating, your mind is more expansive, making new neural connections.
This stimulates creativity and the ability to think innovatively.
Having blocks of uninterrupted time to let your mind wander is when those “Aha!” moments tend to strike. When you hit a business roadblock, spending 10 minutes in meditation can lead to creative solutions.
Enhance emotional intelligence (EQ)
Emotional intelligence (EQ) refers to your ability to understand and manage emotions — both your own and others. High EQ leaders are self-aware and empathetic. They communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and create collaborative company cultures.
Meditation builds EQ by strengthening areas of the brain responsible for emotional regulation.
As you become more aware of your own emotional patterns through meditation, you gain better control over knee-jerk reactions. Instead of acting on raw emotion, you learn to respond thoughtfully.
Boost mental clarity and intuition
Have you ever felt too mentally foggy to make an important decision for your business? Maybe you struggled with analysis paralysis when evaluating a new opportunity.
Meditation cuts through that fog like a light through darkness.
Regular meditation improves blood flow and oxygen to the brain, allowing you to think more clearly. Your judgment becomes sharper. New insights arise from your subconscious.
Increase productivity and energy
You might think fitting meditation into an already packed schedule seems counterproductive. But many entrepreneurs swear that meditation boosts their energy and saves time in the long run.
Just 20 minutes in meditation recharges you more than an hour of sleep. It leaves you feeling refreshed, focused, and ready to knock out your to-do list. Tasks seem effortless because you can concentrate without getting drained.
Meditation saves time because you waste less mental energy on distractions, cluttered thinking, and burnout. You get more done in a shorter time and make fewer mistakes.
Promote innovation
For business owners, meditation nurtures traits associated with innovation and growth: cognitive flexibility, curiosity, and intuition. You gain the agility and flexibility to meet changing market demands.
Gain a competitive advantage
With all these benefits combined, it’s clear how meditation can give your business an edge over the competition. Think about it:
Reduced stress + sharper focus + clearer thinking + heightened creativity + boosted productivity + expanded innovation = winning entrepreneurial formula.
The power of meditation is like a performance enhancer for your brain. Studies show meditators outperform non-meditators on measures like cognitive flexibility and emotional regulation.
Why not leverage meditation to be the best leader you can be? Distinguish yourself from other companies by leading with mindfulness.
Team building with meditation
Meditation in the workplace is not just for business owners. We've incorporated guided five to 10-minute meditation sessions into our team-building activities. Not only does this help enhance collective focus and morale, but it also fosters a culture of wellness.
Meditation can offer several benefits in the workplace setting, including:
Stress reduction: Workplace stress is a common issue that can negatively impact productivity and employee well-being. Meditation helps reduce stress levels by activating the relaxation response, allowing employees to better manage work-related pressures and challenges.
Increased focus and concentration: Regular meditation practice improves focus and concentration, enabling employees to stay engaged and on-task. This often leads to improved productivity, efficiency, and quality of work.
Enhanced creativity and problem-solving: Meditation helps quiet the mind and promotes a state of relaxed awareness. This can stimulate creativity and help employees think more innovatively, leading to fresh ideas, improved problem-solving skills, and increased workplace innovation.
Improved decision-making: Meditation enhances self-awareness and clarity of thought. It allows employees to make decisions with greater objectivity and discernment, leading to more effective and informed choices.
Better emotional regulation: Emotions can significantly impact workplace dynamics—in both negative and positive ways. Meditation cultivates emotional intelligence and helps employees regulate their emotions, leading to improved relationships, effective communication, and reduced conflicts in the workplace.
Increased resilience and adaptability: The practice of meditation builds resilience by training individuals to stay calm and centered in challenging situations. This can help employees navigate workplace changes, setbacks, and high-pressure environments with greater ease and flexibility.
Improved work-life balance: Meditation promotes a sense of work-life balance by helping employees detach from work-related stressors and find inner calm and relaxation. It allows individuals to recharge and rejuvenate, leading to increased overall well-being.
Enhanced teamwork and collaboration: Meditation fosters empathy, compassion, and a sense of connection with others. This can improve teamwork, collaboration, and overall workplace harmony by creating a more positive and supportive work environment.
By incorporating meditation into the workplace, employers can create a healthier and more productive work environment, leading to happier and more engaged employees.
Meditating at work
If you have the space, consider dedicating a room to meditation.
It doesn’t have to be elaborate—a quiet room with comfortable cushions or chairs decorated in calming colors, perhaps with some elements of nature like plants or soft, tranquil music. This will help to create a more focused and intentional environment.
If you don’t have the space, can you create a meditation corner in an unused office or meeting room? Or encourage employees to meditate in their own workspaces if they have a quiet and private area.
Provide employees with resources about meditation, such as books, articles, and websites.
Offer meditation classes or workshops to employees. This can help them learn more about meditation and how to practice it effectively.
Finding peace of mind
Incorporating meditation into your daily routine is truly life-changing. Personally, it helped me find peace of mind and bring my best self to my business. I know it can do the same for you, too.
And remember, you don’t need to meditate for hours like a monk. Just small doses of 10 to 20 minutes can work wonders. Stanford University School of Medicine conducted a study showing meditation can lead to a 30% decrease in stress-related symptoms.
Give it a try and see the incredible transformation unfold. Here’s to your health, productivity, and success.
