‘There is enough on my plate already. Why would I add mindfulness meditation or training? I am doing fine without it.’ Are you really ‘fine’? And is just ‘fine’ enough or do you feel as if something is missing? If you need some motivation to explore mindfulness meditation, read on to learn three reasons why meditation is worth the investment.
Reason #1 : Resilience
Burning a candle at both ends is not sustainable, and you know it. Your body and mind tell you in clear messages when you need to recharge. Here are some common signs that something has to give: trouble sleeping, headaches, muscle pain, impatience, silly mistakes, zoning out in meetings, struggling to pay attention. Daily meditation is a simple way to cultivate resilience and encourage your body and mind to deeply relax. From this state of relaxation, you can clearly see those parts of your life that need to change, or to be met differently. In the complexity of our lives today, this ability is not a ‘nice to have’, it is an essential part of living well.
Reason #2: Clarity
In this world of continuous distractions, we rarely pay full attention to anything. It is easy to become conditioned to a certain way of living and thinking, especially when we are only partially present for our lives. But to grow and to be creative, we need to see clearly the areas where we, or our organizations, are stuck. We need to see where courageous leadership is needed to break the status quo. And to do so, we need to see with greater clarity and wisdom. Meditation practice teaches us to cultivate the spaciousness we need to tap into those innate abilities of the mind. Little by little, we begin to become adept at noticing our own biases and barriers, and at learning to quiet the busy mind so that our wisdom can be heard.
Reason #3: Compassion
Today, more than ever, the ability of meditation to teach us about compassion is sorely needed. Cultivating compassion for ourselves and others reminds us of our shared humanity and our inter-connectivity. During the height of the pandemic, we saw amazing examples of compassion. And, you may have noticed how such acts had the ability to touch your heart. Not just figuratively, but you may have noticed that hearing/seeing such stories created a warmth in the center of your chest. Compassion is powerful. Compassion in meditation is the invitation to deeply understand what is here, and to open yourself up to the pull toward an act of kindness. That act of kindness may begin as an act of self-compassion, and then as an act of compassion toward others. And you should never underestimate the ripple effect of an act of kindness.
Meditation is training for your mind/heart/body. It requires the same commitment as training your body, and it has transformative benefits for you and for those around you.