As we progress through the day, the weight of work, life, family and goals tends to bear down on us like an ACME anvil. It starts to feel like we’ve got a 900 pound gorilla strapped to our backs as we trudge through the day, without the fun of actually having a 900 pound gorilla in the office. Can you imagine the hijinks?!
ANYway, it wears you down and it starts to preoccupy your mind. Your neck begins to feel like it’s made of steel I beams, your shoulders feel like solid granite, and your face is starting to twist into a very tense Stephen King-inspired grimace.
So unless that’s the look you’re going for, (let's hope not! -Ryan) lets take a look at an easy, super quiet way to get you back to yourself, without the need for a Snickers bar. Or in addition to a Snickers bar... I mean, c'mon... it's a Snickers bar.
Viva la Meditation!
Meditation has been used for centuries by every culture in some form or another and its uses are also just as varied. It can help everything from stress and anxiety to chronic physical illness.
Business owners have recently found great benefits to its ability to help their employees focus and a wave of some schools are even utilizing it in lieu of punishment. I could have used more meditation and less detention in school. Am-I-right?
But how do I meditate? How can I implement this with my team? Are they gonna give me sideways looks? Do I need to start investing in incense and magic teas? Nope... unless you want to. Remember, we're here to help your business, and sometimes doing things a bit outside the box offers new perspectives.
5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ...1 ... ZEN
How to do basic meditation to help your small business:
Sit or lie down on the floor. It helps ground you and take you truly away from the work.
Close your eyes. Again, escape from the office completely.
Breathe in and out slowly and deliberately. You can do any count you want but 5 in 5 out seems to be the best bet for clearing the mind.
While you’re breathing deeply, turn your focus on each breath.
As you become more experienced, you’ll find that your mind will be less distracted and more able to focus on each breath.
Try and aim for 5 minutes a day for a few days and then build up to 20. 20 is the magic number for optimum effect & mental clarity.
"Don't go bananas over stress." - 900 Pound Gorilla
There you go. Easy enough to do and the benefits are tremendous. Regain some of that mental prowess and clarity needed to keep you and your team sharp and ready to tackle whatever gets thrown your way.
If you're struggling with something more serious like rejections, we have some helpful tips for that as well!
Give it a shot in your own office and you'll feel the benefits yourself! If that doesn't convince you that work based meditation leads to revenues, check out this scientific study over Here.
Here at Out of the Box Advisors, we implement a plethora of actions, programs, policies, etc. that lead directly to more money, less stress, and more confidence as a business owner. Meditation is a good example of an Unboxed Thinking way to do that!