Could Mindfulness Be The Key To Success?

As an entrepreneur our days can be filled with endless to-do’s, meetings and the constant pinging of emails, texts and social network updates from our electrical devices, it’s therefore no surprise that a need for pressing the pause button in the form of ‘mindfulness’ has become the latest craze. What has been around for millennia and was once a practise limited to Buddhist monks in Tibetan mountains has now made its way to the business realm with Google recently sending over 1000 employees through a company-sponsored meditation program and Facebook adding a meditation room to their headquarters. 

Mindfulness has been recognised as mental exercise for our most precious asset, the source of our happiness, creativity and problem-solving abilities, our minds. Embracing mindfulness has been said to ensure our brain functions at its optimal, with scientific studies showing that regular meditation is a proven way to maintain a healthy mental state which can boost focus, creativity and productivity levels.

As someone who is driven to create and make things happen, can spending 20 minutes sitting in a lotus pose really make us more productive? Could mindfulness be the launch pad that helps us to skyrocket our success?

With a body of evidence raving about its benefits here are 4 for an entrepreneur:

1) Tap into creativity
Meditation has been termed a ‘secret success weapon’ with many large corporations swearing by the fact that a regular dose of meditation can unleash the power of our brains. Scientifically, by slowing our brain waves down to a theta state we’re more likely to shift our thinking to the right creative side of the brain which has been said to result in innovative ideas and solutions. As Einstein famously stated "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them"

2) Laser Focus
With what can seem to be an invisible umbilical cord connecting many of us to our smart phones, staying focused can be challenging, our attention buzzes in-between online and offline activity in order to meet the demands of our business. A regular practise of mindfulness has been said to help increase levels of awareness and allow us to be more conscious of our thoughts to stop them from wandering off, which can make us better equipped at observing our behaviours and staying more focused on the task at hand instead of our minds rushing off to plan for the next task on our to-do list.

3) Become a better leader
According to a Harvard business review, mindfulness is no longer a luxury for business leaders but rather a ‘must have’. Mindfulness has been said to assist us with perception, emotion regulation and complex thinking, all of which are qualities which could help us to remain sharp in the board room or present with our loved ones. Cultivating mindfulness into our routine can help us stay tuned in to what’s going on, find effective solutions, communicate more effectively and encourage clearer decisions, all of which are skills that can assist us in becoming a better leader.

4) Ditch Stress
The most common term associated with mindfulness is stress reduction. Stress can wreak havoc with emotional, psychological and physical health and according to studies work can be a primary source for stress. Getting a handle on how to manage challenges can make all the difference when it comes to the impact situations and experiences have on us. Certain mindfulness techniques have been said to help with emotional management helping us to become more resilient to the negative effects stress can have on our mind and body which can significantly reduce our stress levels, helping us to be more zen.

The mindfulness movement has made its way to offices, schools and hospitals all over the world and with all its benefits could adding a daily dose of mindfulness to our lifestyle really help us to be more successful?

Find out whether mindfulness works for you, I’ll be taking part in a 30 day mindfulness challenge to find out whether it’s a practice I’ll continue to DO or DITCH and I’d love for you to join me!