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Your Thoughts On Meditation?

MJ DeMarco

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I suggest reading The Power of Now by Eckardt Tolle ... it is a great prelude to being present, in the moment, which is the foundation to meditation. While some will dismiss the book as "woo woo" it applies to anyone who calls themselves a human being... regardless of religious affiliation.

The book has been instrumental in increasing my happiness. I believe @Valier even mentioned it as one of his "life changing" books.

Another book that I found helpful in mental discipline is The Untethered Soul, by Singer.
 
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RealDreams

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I began meditating 2 weeks ago. The reason was because I realized my mind has been drifting with thoughts for a very, long time. I guess most of you know our thoughts are the starting point for how we feel throughout the day and consequently, for how we act.

I noticed huge improvements. I can't describe this improvement exactly, but I feel more "mindful", especially in social interactions. You become aware of your thoughts and stop them before they develop into a chain of other, negative or useless thoughts.

I believe in today's age where we are bombarded with information, meditation is a must. Otherwise we are going to be taken away from this relentless river of information.

Anyways, in terms of "business", I didn't notice much improvement, however, I started being aware of the thoughts that made me wanna quit something, such as feelings of despair and thoughts related to shiny object syndrome ("there must be something better I can do").

What's your experience?
 
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Madame Peccato

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Pretty much the same as you. I am more conscious about my thoughts, and why they happen. I can recognize negative thought patterns much quicker and therefore start working on reframing them earlier than before.
 

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Buddha was asked, “What have you gained from meditation?” He replied, “Nothing!” Then he continued, “However, let me tell you what I have lost: anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, and fear of old age and death.”
 
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Wil22

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I began meditating 2 weeks ago. The reason was because I realized my mind has been drifting with thoughts for a very, long time. I guess most of you know our thoughts are the starting point for how we feel throughout the day and consequently, for how we act.

I noticed huge improvements. I can't describe this improvement exactly, but I feel more "mindful", especially in social interactions. You become aware of your thoughts and stop them before they develop into a chain of other, negative or useless thoughts.

I believe in today's age where we are bombarded with information, meditation is a must. Otherwise we are going to be taken away from this relentless river of information.

Anyways, in terms of "business", I didn't notice much improvement, however, I started being aware of the thoughts that made me wanna quit something, such as feelings of despair and thoughts related to shiny object syndrome ("there must be something better I can do").

What's your experience?
For those of us who value self-improvement, daily meditation is essential. I was introduced to TM in the 70’s and have used it (intermittently) ever since. My teachers described meditators’ mindset as finding peace beneath the ocean waves. Others recommend regular practice to decrease “Monkey Mind”: bouncing from one idea, shiny object, to another. Which I do in my online biz. It has high value, low cost and provides permanent benefits.
 

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Many forms of meditation. As MJ said it, I also like to think of it as being present.

Becoming more observant is a way to practice presence. Appreciating details. Focusing on your senses. Breathing and being observant of your body. In social situations, noticing language, body, emotion.

I ultimately find peace and happiness in it all - you have to ultimately let go. The conscious mind is constantly churning. To stop it, and let the subconscious dance, you do that being present.
 

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Buddha was asked, “What have you gained from meditation?” He replied, “Nothing!” Then he continued, “However, let me tell you what I have lost: anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, and fear of old age and death.”

What did buddha say to the hotdog stand dude?

-Make me one with everything.

:hilarious:
 

Shoshin

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The Untethered Soul is an amazing book, and The Untethered Soul at Work an amazing lecture (available on Audible). I like Michael Singer's approach to the topic.

Meditation, as mentioned many times here already, can take many forms. Explore and you will find one that fits you well (or heck, invent one). Just remember that the goal isn't to get better at meditating by practicing more or joining a group (nothing wrong with those!); the goal is to increase awareness and, from that increased awareness, take the appropriate action.

For me, meditation exposed my neuroticism and a very bully mindset towards myself. It wasn't an overnight realization, but it happened fast. The action I took after the realization was to consciously change my behaviour, or thought patterns, to reduce these default reactions.

Therefore, as much as there's a lot of value (for me!) to sit down for 5, 10 or 30 minutes and "do nothing" besides listening to the "silence" and tuning inwards, the real deal is the behavior change that comes from the mental taming.

A book that helped me see meditation from a pragmatic and yet deep view was The Book of Not Knowing. It's a delicious read, but slow. So much to unpack in each page that I don't recommend reading it fast or using the audio version. Buy the paperback, grab a highlighter and a notepad, and get to know yourself. It's going to be a deep journey!

Anyway, meditation and contemplation doesn't have to be mystical or mysterious. You can approach it from a very scientific point of view too. I do prefer the metaphysical shit, but there's a path for every taste.
 

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Meditation isn't just one thing. A lot of what it is, however, can be described as "owning your mind." There are many types of meditation, and they have various purposes.

There's a sub-thread here, "meditation won't make you rich." I'm not sure about that. Will being in control of your emotions make you rich? Will strengthening your intuitions make you rich? Will rare and extraordinary insights make you rich? Will deep problem solving make you rich? Will poise and composure make you rich? "Not always" might be an answer, but I think these things certainly contribute to "success," if success is what you are looking for (and let's assume here that the ability to become rich is part of that success).

Meditation can connect you to deep parts of the mind, and the way you think in those depths is nothing like the frantic, scattered everyday thought most people experience. All of existence can seem to be one thing, in one moment, and the insights of that perspective are different enough from the everyday that, at the very least, they can break you away from useless patterns, bad habits, and destructive beliefs.

So I wouldn't discount the practice at all. Learn more about it, and better yet, experience it and learn to apply it to your own needs.
 

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I rapidly and repeatedly switch information contexts in my workflow. This is easy while walking on a treadmill desk but hard when sitting down. While sitting, I tend to procrastinate with reading or writing while trying to clear my mind.

I found an effective method of breaking this costly habit. I already had a simple short conceptual sequence I used for meditation. Adding a physical ritual - tapping - allows me to rapidly switch info contexts even while tired and stressed.

The "tapping" or EFT movement is weird. I don't believe in Chinese meridians. However, distracting the brain with tapping does work. It purportedly relaxes the amygdala and definitely occupies nerve bandwidth, which can be useful for mitigating acute pain. During acute pain, I use wrist tapping and video game music videos.

I once saw a WW1-era video of a shellshocked soldier who could hardly walk due to chronic nervous tension. By learning to rub his thumb and fingerpads together hard, he was able to control his tension and walk normally with a smile.

World War 1 Shell Shock Victim Recovery (1910s) | War Archives
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Jll9_EiyA


Tapping is similar. So it's a no-joke method, despite the weirdness of tapping gurus about Chinese acupuncture and New Age affirmations.

My tapping method focuses on rhythmically tapping a body point with one finger, to vibrate bone and stimulate nerves. Vibrating bone feels weird.

In practice I mainly use three points. Between the eyebrows resets the intellect. Wrist radius and collarbone relax the body. Usually I only need to tap one point fewer than 10 times. That's enough to unstick a basic info context transition.

For dealing with nervous tension when tapping isn't feasible, perhaps the WW1 therapy of rubbing digit pads would work. It requires only one hand and is inconspicuous.
 
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jasonbuilds

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Meditation transformed my life.

If I could give my TLDR-ish summary of meditation for people who are new or haven't done it before it would be this:

At any given time, you can be aware of and notice certain things about yourself if you slowed down and paid attention. You can get yourself to notice and feel the beating of your heart. You can notice and feel where your tongue is sitting in your mouth right now. You can feel how your butt feels sitting in your chair.

You can also notice what your thoughts are doing and saying right now as they happen.

Your thoughts are real, physical phenomenons that your mind constantly produces that you have no control over. You cannot get your mind to stop thinking thoughts just as you cannot get your heart to stop beating.

By sitting still, closing your eyes, and trying to keep your focus on one thing -- most commonly in meditation, your breath... you will notice just how often your thoughts gets you carried away from your focus.

This is the practice of meditation. The goal is to be aware of your thoughts as they happen. It is not to stop having thoughts -- that is impossible.

The goal is to get better at noticing your thoughts when they happen.

The better you get at this practice of noticing your thoughts, the more life changing benefits you will see. Some of the benefits I've seen are:

1. I can quickly determine which of my thoughts are garbage and which are useful to me and cultivate the ones that are useful.
This led to stronger self confidence. This doesn't mean I stopped having bad thoughts, I do. But I am aware when they happen and I don't let myself get sucked in and keep beating myself up. I simply start thinking better thoughts.

2. I can focus more easily on my tasks. It is usually my failure to notice a thought or desire to be doing something else that causes me to lose focus or procrastinate. By meditating I am better at noticing these things.

3. Noticing my thoughts also help me get better at noticing my emotions. I can notice when I am getting frustrated or getting into an unproductive state. Sometimes, I notice when my thoughts are leading me to a bad or risky emotional state too.

4. My relationship with myself and people are better. I am less judgmental and I don't get sucked into drama about who did what and why it was bad. I have less and less arguments in my head about politics, business, about what he/she should be doing for me, etc, etc.

Oops, sorry thought this would be a TLDR...

Anyway keep up the practice of meditation if y'all are doing it! And for anyone who haven't started or haven't practiced in a while I highly encourage you guys to try it!
Start small, 5-10 minutes every day and work up to twice a day. Then go for 15 and 20 minute sessions.

I promise you will see benefits in your life!!
 

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What's your experience?
I used to meditate. My experience is that it does provide some quiet and helps you achieve some detachment from your thoughts. It's great for relaxation, which is sometimes needed.

However, meditation will not make you rich. Maybe it will make you happier. But it won't help you make more money if that's what you're after. In fact, getting into meditation PROPERLY will probably decrease your desire for money and worldly things. You'll be less and less interested in the "games" people play because you'll easily see through them. There is also a risk that you'll enter into what is known as the Dark Night of The Soul, in which you'll lose your interest and motivation in everything around you. You'll effectively become psychotic, and go through some very nasty states, and it's possible that you'll never recover.

You can, however, use meditation surgically to alter deeply held beliefs. Meditation can effectively become self-hypnosis. As you relax, your conscious mind lets its guard down, and you become more capable to access the unconscious and implant beliefs there. In deep meditation your conscious mind is no longer active, so whatever feeling and belief you create, goes straight into your unconscious as a real experience. Just like in hypnosis.

P.S. I had a thread about this before: An Unpopular Opinion - Questioning The Value of Mindfulness For Entrepreneurs

If you want to do better in business I'd say WRITE, THINK, PRAY and focus on connecting more deeply with others. All business is built upon human relationships. If you can focus on connecting more deeply with others, and you understand people's psychology and how to communicate effectively, then you are much more capable to identify needs and fulfil them. Focus on creating the BELIEFS necessary to do this through repetition and by forming habits. That will do far more to help you in whatever business you're working on.

The Power of Now by Eckardt Tolle
It is a great book - I often recommend it as well. I think the biggest takeaway is learning to not be identified with your thoughts. Having the capacity to detach from your thinking, and achieve a meta-cognitive awareness of what is going on inside your mind.

I think this is even MORE important than being present. Being present is just a WAY to achieve this detachment from your thoughts (and by the way, not the only one), so that you are not a prisoner of your own mind.
 
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mssharlenes

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I suggest reading The Power of Now by Eckardt Tolle ... it is a great prelude to being present, in the moment, which is the foundation to meditation. While some will dismiss the book as "woo woo" it applies to anyone who calls themselves a human being... regardless of religious affiliation.

The book has been instrumental in increasing my happiness. I believe @Valier even mentioned it as one of his "life changing" books.

Another book that I found helpful in mental discipline is The Untethered Soul, by Singer.
I second The Untethered Soul.
 

RayAndré

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Meditation has changed my life for the better and continues to do so on a daily basis.
And you bet this rolls over into business.

To put it VERY broadly...mediation "sharpens the axe"...and YOU are the axe. And when you're improved, everything you do will be improved: your life, friendships, relationships, business, general mindset, etc etc

I've been meditating for the past few years or so, and got really into it the the past one year or so. I've accomplished amazing, mind blowing, life changing things through meditation. Mostly around starting to change aspects of my personality I felt were holding me back as well as healing parts of my personality/mind/body that were also getting in the way.

Its way more than can be described in a post.

At the end of the day, I think it depends on what your weaknesses are. Both the ones you know you have and the ones you don't know you have. Imagine being you without those weaknesses. You might not even know what its like...

Feel free to shoot me a DM if anyone wants to chat more.
 
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Meditation is ultimately a form of metacognition. Rising above your mind and understanding and being aware.

As long as our body exists in this temporal realm we are in bondage to the memories that are inscribed in our bodies as that body passes through the drama of life.

Living in the now is ultimately "mirroring" an intelligence that is shared between me and reality.

Me personaly, im an idealist. Our current physical world is the lowest representation of a psychological world which is the highest. Same thing plato said with the "forms".

You almost HAVE to be an idealist to beleive in meditation. Otherwise you are a materialist and just stuck with a body and a bunch of miserable memories. Materialist beleive the physical world is the most powerful and only existence.
 
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Furthermore, you could also be a Monist, as Spinoza was for example, so I don't see a clear boundary between materialism and idealism

Interestingly enough, Spinoza is probably the closest thing in philosophy to the “power of now”. The average person in society just isn’t drawn to philosophy as it requires a totally different personality and mindset.

“God has the idea of this or that body sub species aternitatis”-forgot which proposition

he is basically saying here that there exists an “intelligence” in our mind that perceives things outside the aspect of time. Under the aspect of eternity in Latin.

“the mind can only exercise memory or imagination while the body endures”-don’t know the proposition off the top of my head.

he’s saying here that the physical is distinct from the mental but the same thing. And that the mental can exist outside of time. And that our body is the one that creates the ego because time created the body.


But anyways these ideas will ultimately always be up for debate as they are the “difficult questions” of life. Like what is reality. Does god exist. What is a human being. I’ve reached a conclusion on this myself and found out that it’s best to not try to change other people’s mind but to engage in Socratic Dialogue. But sadly the average person just doesn’t give a sh*t about any of these tough questions so it’s really a waste of time.:rofl:

:p
 
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Ok I'll add more about my experience since its so interesting :)


Right but as we both know "doing stuff" is a secondary effect of your thinking (some people call this mindset). If you have the right mindset, you go out and you take action. Simple as that. So yes, you do need to get your thinking in the right place. But my entire argument is that meditation does NOT do that. It will not get your thinking in the right place. I am open to be shown otherwise, but I've seen many people go down this path with not so great results, which is why I'm so passionate about this topic :)

As I argue in this post above, most of what successful people in business do is hypnosis, and not meditation. What do you do when you think about your values? What do you do when you ask yourself what's your why? What do you do when you do future pacing (seeing yourself as succeeding, etc. etc)? What do you do when you work on your beliefs? What do you do when you associate immense PAIN with not taking action, and immense PLEASURE with taking action? That is ALL hypnosis.

Well if you're trying to get down the technical definition of what meditation is and isn't, then maybe you'll think what I do isn't meditation either.
But I'll tell you this its not hypnosis.

And if its neither, but "meditation" is how I get there, then that's what I call it and highly, highly, highly recommend it to people.
But most people wont.
And even if they do, I doubt they'll achieve what I've achieved...though I really hope they do.


So how do I meditate?
I've combined a few different techniques I've learned over the years into my own style that has done amazing things for me. If I had to give it a name, I'd call it "emotional release meditation".
Essentially, I focus my attention on what my body is feeling. I search/feel for an uncomfortable emotion, I then work to let that emotion fully grow and express itself in my body / in my nervous system, and when it does, it releases, like a firework pulsing through my body.
It sounds crazy, I know. But I've done it over and over and over again.

And so what happens? Well, a belief, thought, or idea is usually tied to each of these uncomfortable/negative emotions. And releasing that trapped energy releases the hold that that idea has on you. And by doing this over and over and over again (not just once), then you automatically and naturally start to change because the thing that was holding you back now has less energy, literally.

I could go on, but thats the base of it and I'm sure you get the idea. Its not a "let me just breathe and relax" sort of thing. Nor is it a "i'm going to re-brainwash myself" hypnosis sort of thing.
Its more of a healing process. And by healing/releasing the shit, your natural higher/better/best/etc self will come through.

But it takes a lot of time. A lot of persistence, determination, belief that it will even get you results, and doing it for like an hour a day. Which most people don't and won't do.


Someone once related the word "meditation" to the word "sports". If I told you, "I got successful via sports" it wouldn't tell you much of exactly what I did. And also there are pleeeenty of people who see successful athletes and then think to themselves that "sports" (whatever they choose) are going to make them successful. But we know they never will. It all comes down to mindset really.

You can use meditation/sports to become successful if you have the mindset to persist until the point of success.
And what does "success" mean in meditation anyway? Well I guess that depends on each individual. For me, it means annihilating negative thought patterns that have run my mind for most of my life. It means healing my nervous system in a way that even doctors don't understand. it means stripping my negative beliefs (I'm not good enough, people won't listen to me, I don't deserve it, etc) of their energy, so that now when I'm in a situation where I'm doing something, there is no longer anything there to hold me back.

And does that help in business? You bet your a$$ it does.
 

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It's been 3 months since I started meditating 40 mins a day (20 mins in the morning and 20 mins at night).

I thought I'd give an update.

Pros:
- It helped me becoming more in touch with my inner self. I understand myself and my weakness more than I did prior to meditation.
- In social encounters, my frame of reality is way stronger than before. I don't care what anyone else thinks of me. I'm not anxious at all around people and pretty much am immersed in my own reality.
- Found out some bad habits and mental patterns I had for a long time.

Cons:
- It made me passive. As F*ck. It drained out the burning desire I had to change my life. From what I experienced, meditation weakens your "why's" to change your life. That's quite a shitty side-effect of meditation and honestly, it's making me wonder whether I should stop meditating cause I don't like this at all.

And that's the only con. But it's a big one.

Shortly, there's an huge tradeoff. In terms of mental health meditation helps, but if you want to smash it in life you should strive to have a burning fire inside you rather than dullness.

The problem is that to win in life you must have a desire. A strong desire. And for me meditation has progressively weakened that desire. That image I had in my mind of my desired self.

I'd be curious to hear if others experienced this as well.

Edit: can confirm what @Black_Dragon43 has been saying throughout the thread about meditation not really helping you to make money and win in life.

I'll post another update in a month.
 
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I began meditating 2 weeks ago. The reason was because I realized my mind has been drifting with thoughts for a very, long time. I guess most of you know our thoughts are the starting point for how we feel throughout the day and consequently, for how we act.

I noticed huge improvements. I can't describe this improvement exactly, but I feel more "mindful", especially in social interactions. You become aware of your thoughts and stop them before they develop into a chain of other, negative or useless thoughts.

I believe in today's age where we are bombarded with information, meditation is a must. Otherwise we are going to be taken away from this relentless river of information.

Anyways, in terms of "business", I didn't notice much improvement, however, I started being aware of the thoughts that made me wanna quit something, such as feelings of despair and thoughts related to shiny object syndrome ("there must be something better I can do").

What's your experience?

If you never take a shower, you will get quite dirty. You will get so dirty, you wont know that you are dirty. You will get use to being dirty. You probably would not be fun to be around. Your very presence would make a dramatic statement.

I consider meditation to be the same as taking a shower. If you never meditated, you may not be pleasant to be around, and you may not know why. A good rule of thumb, is to meditate each day, for at least the same amount of time as you shower, and for the same reasons.
 
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Black_Dragon43

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This is really true. I used to have a burning obsession to achieve my goals and the ideal life, but what meditation actually does is calming this fire, which might be good in terms of hormonal balance (decrease cortisol and stress) but not so much in terms of goals-achievement. A burning desire to achieve something is really the only way to ever get it.
Yes, I would say so. You will always find examples of the contrary though - for example Michael Singer (whose book MJ recommended above), is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He was worth upward of $275 million in 1999, so that number is probably easily doubled by now, Dotcom boom and all. I would imagine that being quite a private and unassuming individual, most of that money is currently managed via some sort of trust, so you won't be able to find much about it.

Personally I don't see meditation as a key to success in business though. Some successful people meditate, others don't. It's more something that has to do with your personality. What is essential though is learning to identify needs and fulfil them - connecting with people, and helping them. Stuff that you can learn from books like How to Win Friends & Influence People. They are psychological principles that teach you about human nature, and then it's your job to make it a habit to apply them to the point that you become the sort of person that easily connects with others and is driven to help others solve their problems.

In the end that's what it is all about - you get money from other people, so the most important thing you can work on is understanding how people work.
 
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Meditation is a vital part of my morning routine.

It just puts me in the right frame of mind to take the day on.

It's not always easy though, sometimes I don't want to meditate, and on those days I meditate for longer because those are the days I really need it.

I mostly do mindful and mantra meditation, but have experienced TM meditation and Zen meditation (in a Japanese temple with monks).

By the way, TM meditation is just mantra meditation, but it has formed into this creepy cult. It's the Scientology of meditation.

Meditation has really helped me with my mind chatter, and my self-reflection.

Also, there are many scientific papers backing meditation. I like to read neuroscience and psychology papers to help me understand how to be more productive and I come across meditation a lot in them.

Here is the most recent one I read: Brief Mindfulness Meditation Improves Attention in Novices: Evidence From ERPs and Moderation by Neuroticism
 
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I began meditating 2 weeks ago. The reason was because I realized my mind has been drifting with thoughts for a very, long time. I guess most of you know our thoughts are the starting point for how we feel throughout the day and consequently, for how we act.

I noticed huge improvements. I can't describe this improvement exactly, but I feel more "mindful", especially in social interactions. You become aware of your thoughts and stop them before they develop into a chain of other, negative or useless thoughts.

I believe in today's age where we are bombarded with information, meditation is a must. Otherwise we are going to be taken away from this relentless river of information.

Anyways, in terms of "business", I didn't notice much improvement, however, I started being aware of the thoughts that made me wanna quit something, such as feelings of despair and thoughts related to shiny object syndrome ("there must be something better I can do").

What's your experience?

I started meditating about 4 years ago (I am 26 now) and I have meditated almost every day since (sometimes for 5 minutes, sometimes for 30). "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle is a fantastic book that covers Mindfulness.

I found that meditating has helped me slow down my mind in the demanding and stressful job I currently have (In a way that allows me to think more complete and not stress). Over time I have noticed that I find myself to be more calm in situations where I would usually be "short" or "snappy" (this may be because of Emotional Intelligence books I have read too).

Keep it up! I have found meditation to have a huge impact!

Matt
 

MaxKhalus

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I began meditating 2 weeks ago. The reason was because I realized my mind has been drifting with thoughts for a very, long time. I guess most of you know our thoughts are the starting point for how we feel throughout the day and consequently, for how we act.

I noticed huge improvements. I can't describe this improvement exactly, but I feel more "mindful", especially in social interactions. You become aware of your thoughts and stop them before they develop into a chain of other, negative or useless thoughts.

I believe in today's age where we are bombarded with information, meditation is a must. Otherwise we are going to be taken away from this relentless river of information.

Anyways, in terms of "business", I didn't notice much improvement, however, I started being aware of the thoughts that made me wanna quit something, such as feelings of despair and thoughts related to shiny object syndrome ("there must be something better I can do").

What's your experience?
Although most consider meditation essential, it's pretty boring. Especially when there's countless better things you could do.

If you want to meditate, find your own style. It doesn't need to be starring on a wall for half an hour. For me, for example, it's almost like a breathing exercise.
- While I rest between series (after lifting weights), I meditate.
- After I dive into the pool for over a minute, I breathe and meditate.
- When I walk around to relax, I think about nothing.

It doesn't follow the official term, but for me it's much better than reserving time to do nothing. I want to move!
 
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jasonbuilds

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Thanks for sharing. My question would be how has meditation affected your business/entrepreneurship?

I have yet to see someone for whom it really had a positive effect on business. Sure, many people have been helped by it personally, and in terms of happiness. But on business I've seen it either have a negative or a neutral effect.

I'm not a big fan of the guy I'll mention next at all (lol), but I do agree with him on one thing: meditation - "You can go sit on top of a mountain top and meditate all day, but you're not going to change the world on a mountain top." Grant Cardone

I have discovered that business success is about being driven, taking action, staying motivated, and knowing how to connect with people, listen to them, and give them what they want.

I agree 100% that business and entrepreneurship is its own separate skill that must be exercised through practice and action.

I got into meditation when I was well into living the scripted life and depressed as hell. Graduated with no job and no prospects, ton of loans, and feeling like I wasted the last four years of my life. Meditation lifted me out of that hole. If I tried to go into business in that state, I would've failed miserably. I would've ended up even more gun shy about entrepreneurship and even deeper into the script.

I think of it this way: the path to business success (any success really) is a jungle full of rough and wild terrain. Meditation isn't going to clear the jungle for you. You still need to put in the work to clear the path in real life. But meditation helps with dealing with the obstacles in your mind. Things like procrastination, bad mood, low motivation, fear, lack of desire or desiring the wrong things, being unfocused, etc.

For me, meditation trains and clears my mind. I use that clarity to focus on taking action to build products and my skills. Having more awareness of my thoughts means I can "feed the right wolf" better. (Google "feed the right wolf story" if you haven't heard of it.) I believe I pay better attention to what people and the market are asking for. And all of that makes it easier to market (clear the jungle) and get myself and my product out there because I am not held back by a jungle in the mind.
 
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Deleted74925

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Everyone on this thread who liked Untethered Soul may also benefit from Singer's book The Surrender Experiment. It tells how he quit his Phd program and went on to become a dot-come billionaire as the founding CEO of a software company. I found that it provides useful strategies for handling stress.

He was definitely "unscripted ". He dropped out of a phd program, used all of his savings to buy a piece of land, founded a housing construction company, then a religious organization, and bought one of the first computers and tought himself to code, selling software to medical providers. He grew the company to about 3 billion dollars, and then lost control in a lawsuit. Then he turned around this negative story by writing The Surrender Experiment, which is now an international best-seller.
 
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I have recently started doing guided meditation 10 minutes a day with my Peloton app. I like it because it brings my attention/mind to intense thoughts of thankfulness, mindfulness, gratefulness, appreciation and gratitude for where I have been and where I am at now. Maybe thats not the point and maybe I'm doing it wrong, but when those 10 minutes are up I am instantly empowered, rejuvenated, motivated and inspired to get things done with the rest of my day.

It's only been 2 weeks and somehow I have cried during every session. I am just so thankful for how fortunate and free I am and have been these last years.

SN:
I still credit my lot in life to applying the teachings and philosophies that I learned from the Fastlane book and Unscripted . I purchased 3 copies last week for friends and my 64 year old mother, whom I have wanted to read this book since 2012 has finally purchased a copy and began reading it- and that made me soooooo happy and thankful.

I think that meditation is extremely important. I plan to stick with it.
 

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Personally Mediation to me is essential to clearing the noise in our current era of over stimulation- It's 100% a part of my daily rituals/protocol. I gain so much clarity, presence, and focus. I always see it as a reducing the static & noise in the mind, which has radical benefits on your body, one important one removing tension. I also get a multitude of transmissions and insights .

From my experience the most profound mediation is the simplicity- SILENCE- NO MOVEMENT . Your brain frequency drops down and you come in contact with your true self (which I describe as covered in static, mediation helps remove that static so you gain access to that pure part of you that is submerged in "noise" you think is you, your thoughts) .

Business/Deep thinking/Creativity : I also use it as a tool and system to allow creative ideas to pour in or to "release" over thinking . I've been observing this for years through my own experiences and have found a way to optimize it.

Example:
When I am thinking about a problem or studying something hard core and no answer comes to me, or I hit a road block - I will take a break and "meditate" . I completely let go of thinking about it , meditate and then "release" my logical mind . The creative part of my mind then outputs an insight or solution to the problem which would never have come overthinking, worrying, or logically trying to assimilate it! This has alot to do with logical vs creative side of the brain but It works every time even if not in the moment of mediation it will always come in recreation, relaxation or when your not thinking (why you usually get ideas in the shower etc..)

Fusing Mediation w things - My newest favorite exploration with mediation has been mixing it with other tasks, particularly with fitness.

Example : I'll do a workout and immediately after (while sweating) go straight into a 30 min mediation. Its a whole different experience, Its the most interesting elevating fusion of peace, power, and happiness. Highly recommend you try it out
 

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It's been 3 months since I started meditating 40 mins a day (20 mins in the morning and 20 mins at night).

I thought I'd give an update.

Pros:
- It helped me becoming more in touch with my inner self. I understand myself and my weakness more than I did prior to meditation.
- In social encounters, my frame of reality is way stronger than before. I don't care what anyone else thinks of me. I'm not anxious at all around people and pretty much am immersed in my own reality.
- Found out some bad habits and mental patterns I had for a long time.

Cons:
- It made me passive. As f*ck. It drained out the burning desire I had to change my life. From what I experienced, meditation weakens your "why's" to change your life. That's quite a shitty side-effect of meditation and honestly, it's making me wonder whether I should stop meditating cause I don't like this at all.

And that's the only con. But it's a big one.

Shortly, there's an huge tradeoff. In terms of mental health meditation helps, but if you want to smash it in life you should strive to have a burning fire inside you rather than dullness.

The problem is that to win in life you must have a desire. A strong desire. And for me meditation has progressively weakened that desire. That image I had in my mind of my desired self.

I'd be curious to hear if others experienced this as well.

Edit: can confirm what @Black_Dragon43 has been saying throughout the thread about meditation not really helping you to make money and win in life.

I'll post another update in a month.

I thought Hal Elrod in the Miracle Morning book was ranting and raving about meditation.

I've been doing about 10 mins in the morning for 1 month. Hard to concentrate but I'll perservere.
 

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If meditation removes your desires undesirably, meditate in a different way.

You don't have to meditate on nothing. You can meditate however you want. Pick the way that most enhances your performance.

Your goal is money, not enlightenment, presumably.

This is a good point. There are meditation techniques that take you through every emotion, that aid in problem solving, etc. You don't have to quiet your mind only... that's simply one technique, or an entry point. Use meditation to wind yourself up if that's what you need.
 
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phoenix2020

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When I was young I rolled my eyes and made fun of people doing it. Whatever, hippies.

Then I gave it an honest effort after reading and getting curious about the power of the mind. Now this may sound like hyperbole, but I don't care: I've had life altering experiences after doing it regularly for months.

Meditation is no joke.
I have been doing meditation for a long time,it clears your head,you feel numbness sensation on the back of your head if you become relax,and sometimes you feel your body is moving from left to right or right to left,sometimes forth and back.It's seriously no joke,who are we to doubt meditation who don't even know 1% of the stuff of how the world works! right?
You will start getting answers from the Universe,they are light thoughts which u may doubt but don't write it down in a seperate dairy and follow it.
i do it!And i feel positive most of the time.All we need is within us .
 
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