I don’t have time… I can’t just sit still for that long… How do I do this and not get interrupted?
These are some of the excuses that I have used, and chances are you may have used when it comes to the topic of meditation. Meditation is the act of pivoting away from distracting thoughts and focusing present goals you want to focus on. At this point you are probably rolling your eyes at your screen thinking great, another boring topic, but I think there is value in this in order to make you more efficient.
Meditation has only been apart of my life for the past few months. It was something that I did not want to partake in because I was very busy and did not think I had time for it. I could not focus my mind on one thing. I kept thinking about all of the things that I needed to get done for the day so I would hear the voice in my head rattling off the laundry list of items that I needed to push through today.
I recently spent 13 weeks in a sales training class growing my knowledge on sales performance further. That’s right I am continually learning so that I can be better and bring better content to those of you that I reach with my blogs, speaking programs, or trainings. During this class it was pounded into our heads these three things:
1. When the mind is focused on a task the body will work until that task is completed.
2. When a subconscious thought and a conscious thought are in competition the subconscious thought will dominate.
3. A stronger emotion will subdue a weaker emotion.
The basis for this training was to help sales professionals increase their level of self-esteem and sell better. One way that this was done was through meditation. Meditation is done to focus the mind so that the professional can focus on the things that really matter instead of all of the noise. The things that will bring the most impact for your success. Brendon Burchard has a program as well that is similar to making people more efficient. It’s pretty good and either way you will end up focusing on where you want to go more than just treading water.
The instructor’s day from this course looks like this. Morning, wake up clear mind for 15 minutes, read self-proclaiming scrolls for 15 minutes, review goals for 15 minutes, and then write out action statements for 15 minutes. That is right one hour in the morning. Then at night the same routine. He stated by doing this, it increased productivity as well as esteem allowing the sales person to be more efficient and successful. Two hours a day are spend in focusing in on self to become better.
I have been using meditation to clear my mind since taking this training and have been more focused on tasks that lead me to the goals I set forth this year. I am able to sit and clear my mind of the noise, social media, and emails. My routine takes around 15 minutes of slow breathing and clearing all the garbage out of my brain and then reviewing a sheet from the book “fear is my homeboy” where I then review three action items that I need to do and then write I am statements. Then I write out a stretch goal for myself for the day. Whether it is making 30 calls to prospects, or talking to someone I have never met to just learn about them. Something that will stretch me a little more each day making my comfort zone bubble bigger and bigger. This helps me focus on my day and has allowed me to do more with less and I have had extra time to do other things that I would normally not have time for.
The more I have studied successful entrepreneurs I see that they take time to meditate and focus on what will drive their goals to completion. Some call it meditation, some call it white space, some call it quiet time. It’s all the same thing. It is clearing out everything and quietly relaxing the body to prepare you for your focusing on your goals.
I am usually laying on my couch when I do my meditation and not sitting cross legged. The main reason being that I am not sure I would be able to get back up with my legs crossed over one another. I may need to do more stretching if I want to sit in a specific pose. For now, laying on the couch in quite at 5:00 a.m., or in the office chair works for me. The byproduct has been lower stress levels and increased performance on growing my business as well as myself. Think of it as stretching before you run a race so your muscles are warmed up before they have to perform.
Take time to put into practice of closing your eyes, drowning out the noise, focus your mind, and plan your day before heading out. This will allow you to be more focused on your most important task instead of being knocked around by the day. Try just five minutes each morning and increase as you see fit. Best to try it on a Saturday when you have time to relax as well. Either way, do yourself a favor and focus on you, before the world tries to toss you around like a wave in the wind.
I hope this helps you become more efficient and knock out your goals!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom