Lululemon founder Chip Wilson is adamant about this daily practice
I felt as though my head was going to explode. It was only Tuesday, but I was already way behind on the week’s promises for meetings, proposals, interviews, and writing. My phone had been buzzing since 5:15 am, and I was, admittedly, suffering from the headache resulting from the prior evening’s libations, a habit that had crept up on me recently. I hadn’t had time to work out in months, and it was starting to show.
My final meeting for the day was with an old friend with yet another new business idea, and while I looked forward to the pints of Guinness I would down while we talked numbers, I was already late and irritated by this commitment.
Rob (my meeting) ordered a Pellegrino with lime, and before we even got our drinks, he commented on my demeanor. ‘You’re a little edgy tonight’, he said. This triggered an immediate and self-important outpouring on my part, most of it unadulterated business pap. ‘I’m having a hard time managing the stress’, I finally confessed at the end of the rant, motioning to the waiter for another pint.
Rob seemed remarkably composed, relaxed even, especially considering that he was running 4 successful companies, had a wife and 3 little kids at home, and a dirty girlfriend in Arizona that I had heard was very demanding. “How do you do it?”, I asked, after my second drink. “I meditate”, he replied, calmly. “Twice a day, every day, come hell, high water, or an angry mistress. It’s how I maintain balance in my life.”
Rob’s not the only successful businessman who meditates daily, as I soon discovered. Some serious big shots in business report that a daily practice in meditation is critical to their performance on many fronts. For some, it’s a vehicle for spiritual growth, but for many more, meditation is a way to relax and relieve stress in a demanding, fast paced business world.
If names will help to convince you, how’s Rupert Murdoch, who recently acknowledged that he was taking up the practice? Oprah meditates twice a day, and encourages her staff with time out to practice. Ford Motor Chair Bill Ford practices meditation, as does former google.org director Larry Brilliant. Ray Dalio, billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates (the world’s largest hedge fund firm) meditates, and so does Robert Stiller, Founder of Green Mountain Coffee Roaster.
Watch Jerry Seinfeld tell Howard Stern his greatest regret
They all rave about the clear headedness, enhanced performance, and greater balance that the practice of meditation brings to their work and personal lives. They gush about having healthier, happier, more productive employees through encouraging the practice of meditation in their workplaces.
And it’s not just talk: scientific studies (some 1500 of them in the last 30 years alone) back up the raves. The level of stress hormones in your body decreases with meditation: less stress means lower incidence or severity of the myriad of stress related illnesses. For example, after a session of meditation your blood pressure is lower, as is your heart rate. Do the math: meditation could help you live longer.
So where to begin? There are numerous styles of meditation and plenty of options to learn them. If you’re pressed for time, the internet offers a wide variety of educational sites and guided meditations for beginners (try Youtube). There are also meditation instructors, coaches, and groups to join, no matter where you live. Just google ‘meditation’ and your location and you’ll find them.
The health boosting potential of alternative therapies is also worth a thought. A friend of mine likes to use marijuana products from a san jose dispensary. While some people like to use cannabis to unwind after a hard day, there are an increasing number of studies that show marijuana can be used to treat mental and physical health conditions alike.
Also, don’t get discouraged if you can’t keep the monkeys (all those thoughts chattering away in your head) at bay during meditation, because according to Deepak Chopra, the mind doesn’t need to be quiet. Experts advise patience, as meditation is a practice. Keep practicing, and your mind will eventually still.
As for me, I’m going to start small; ten minutes twice a day, and we’ll see where it goes from there. You’ll know it’s working for me when you see me at the bar sipping a Pellegrino with lime, looking very chill.
