Practicing mindfulness can be a great outlet for improving your well being and your business. It offers an opportunity to slow down, get to know yourself, and examine your thoughts.
Ever have a thought that nags you? A business challenge that you can't seem to solve? Maybe you're a little too hard on yourself or take client rejections too harshly? Dwell on the past? Say things to yourself that you would never say to someone else? Allow negative thoughts to derail your success?
I think that it's safe to say that we've all been there.
Negative beliefs can come so easily and often that we don't even realize it. So, we move through life just accepting the negative food for thought that we feed ourselves rather than change our diet.
Where we have 50,000+ thoughts per day (80% of which are said to be be negative!), mindfulness is simply a safe haven to pause and see which of those thoughts actually fit us. Which of those thoughts we truly believe, and ultimately which thoughts we need to change.
Because, what we bring into the mind / body transforms us and impacts what we ultimately give out. Here's proof...
Try this quick practice:
Stop, sit down in a quiet place (I know you're busy!) for anywhere from 1-10 minutes. (The longer the better, but find at least 1 minute - you totally can do it!)
Close your eyes.
Sit up straight.
Focus on the breath - breathing in and out through the nose.
Notice the cool air coming in on each inhale, and
Notice the warm air going out on each exhale.
As you saw from the practice, your breath was transformed. Cool air in, warm air out. Your thoughts are no different. Your thoughts transform you.
In order to connect your mindfulness practice to changing your thoughts, you will need to focus on a practice that I call "mental abundance," which is an ongoing, inward journey of self-discovery. Here, you can begin to create awareness of what thoughts you're bringing in, how you talk to yourself, and ultimately how these thoughts are transforming you (maybe without you even realizing it).
Mindfulness can help you be happier, less stressed, and it can make you into a stronger entrepreneur. It doesn't have to be so hard.
I'll follow up on Monday with another practice on how you can use mindfulness to transform your thoughts to create greater success, be more creative, and achieve the outcomes that you desire. In the meantime, practice this meditation a few more times - just focusing on the breath. (Pretty sure you can spare a minute!)