The most difficult part for an Entrepreneur about starting up is Starting Up. And Spirituality is no different. Almost 1.5 years into my business and 1 year into spirituality, here is why I recommend all Entrepreneurs to meditate and get spiritually inclined. (If you still don’t believe me pick up articles that talk about “success formulas”, “things to do”, “activities for becoming successful” etc for entrepreneurs, most of them would have a mention about meditation).
1) Entrepreneur – A lonely soul
Who knows loneliness better than an entrepreneur? The difference lies in how comfortably you handle this loneliness. While you meditate you are all alone, its a journey you explore by yourself to reach the core YOU. And its the law of life cycle – we come in this world alone and leave this world all alone. Meditation help you refine and define and get the best out of you, a personal trait that all entrepreneurs should possess.
2) Awareness – Helps you know “that you dont know”
If we think we know it all, trust me we dont. Most of the times its horrendous to settle with this fact in our lives. But deeper you try to mine into yourself the more you become aware and manifest the side of life you were unaware about. And the journey of exploration begins from there towards becoming an enlightened soul. Isn’t “WHY” the most favorite question of all entrepreneurs? By questioning it all the time, you are just trying to become more aware. Think about it!?
3) Focus – on only what is important
The fundamental of any form of meditation is focusing/concentrating on the third eye or breath to get a control over your mind (trust me it sounds almost insurmountable but highly possible). There are thousands of horses (professional and personal) running in the mind of an entrepreneur leading to aversion from concentrating on things are are of pivotal importance. Imagine all horses running towards a deep sea (of stillness) and vanishing at one go. Lo! To get focus, get stillness.
4) Control – on your thoughts, self and aspects of business
Dont all entrepreneurs strive to control most aspects of their business? No matter how many they are irrespective of theirs sizes, in order to have a strong hold on their business and be always updated with what’s happening, the direction business is taking and simultaneously formulating strategies to make things fall on the right path. Controlling follows awareness in spirituality. The more you get aware the better control you have over your thoughts, senses and self. Control is another form of discipline.
5) Patience – is the key
Most of the early failures occur in and entrepreneur’s life because they get impatient with the flow of their businesses and its outcome over time and efforts. Likewise, most of times people feel reluctant to take up meditation because its a slow, gradual and requires lot of patience (it teaches you how to be patient as well, one of the most important human virtue). We want things to happen at lightening speed just like the mechanism of technology. There is nothing technological in spirituality but the experiences are meta physical!
6) Gets you Grounded – its the barren tree that lifts its head high in an empty boast
Meditation facilitates in inculcating the virtues of humility, compassion in you and aids in dumping off your ego. Isn’t ego the biggest killer for any entrepreneur? In any start-up, the co-founder becomes the back up/replacement for any levels of work to be got done till s/he hires right people to take up those responsibilities. If, as an entrepreneur you have the courage to become the back-up of the dishwasher/sweeper (and do not posses the EGO of being the founder of your company) then you are on the path of success. Meditate, let go off your EGO; afterall its spelled as E-“Go”.
7) Become Clairvoyant. Become a Visionary
One of the tranquil experience of meditation is when you foresee things with your closed eyes, loose all your senses and get into different realms of life altogether looking at things beyond the obvious. The longevity and vision of a company is completely defined by the creator of it. That also, mostly shapes up the culture of the company and the way its being run. I wish all entrepreneurs to Dream Big, See beyond the obvious and become clairvoyant in their Vision. The purpose of your life (asking who am I) is no differently defined from the vision statement of your company, no?
8) From Observer to a Fighter
One of the most fruitful outcome of meditation is becoming an observer – of your thoughts, senses, actions, breath. This observation skills invariably leads you to observe your sufferings, melancholic incidences in your routine and lets you examine them closely and tackle them than merely finding a route of escape. Escapism is never a route for an entrepreneur. Its the war s/he has to fight every single day every single moment and that war can only be won if the root cause of the war is well understood. As an entrepreneur you need to graduate from being an observer to a fighter! You become fearless. Is when life screws you, you wake up and screw it back then getting screwed!
9) Journey is the Reward. Longer you travel, deeper you get
What most of the entrepreneurs share while giving away speeches? – Their journey of becoming an entrepreneur and what it took them to be where they are. Their experiences would over power the milestones they crossed and their learning throughout the journey would out perform their key achievements. So is meditation, the more time you give, the more rewarding it is. It matures you to be journey oriented and detach yourself from the dream of destination which is just an idea or illusion!
10) Your Guru guides your life as much as your Mentor guides your business
I am yet to experience the joy of having a Guru as well as a Mentor on personal and professional levels respectively but looking at the current shape of my life and business, I am in search of both. Meditation has got me aware about this void and showing directions to find them! It will happen when its meant to happen.
It is a general disciplined practice to maintain same posture and stillness throughout your meditation but I have been trying something unconventional off lately. Penning down my thoughts while meditating and they are helping me to seek answer to the most difficult questions, find solutions to one of the most insolvable problems and gets thoughts simplified. This is how I write with my eyes closed, yet open. 🙂
“We always quantify things, work, relationships on the basis of how much we get or gain and not on how much we give in the form of time, efforts and love. Change your thinking – before you Give Up, think how much you Gave and then decide. Give Up only when you feel you have Given ENOUGH.”
Breathe and let others Breathe!
OBO.