Is Meditation Necessary for Business People?
Many of us think that prayer and meditation are for religious people, not for those who operate in a market place, people who day and night deal with business practices. It is normal to feel we are busy with something important and special, so there is no time to meditate or pray. There is no time to step aside and reflect -- reflect not about ourselves and/or circumstances but about humanity, about the true nature of our lives.
On the one hand, we work hard, climb a pyramid of achievements, refuse to rest when we are tired, and drive ourselves harder and harder. The stress cycle continues endlessly, and we feel that nothing can break the cycle. On the other hand, we spend less and less time with our friends, our partners, and our children. And finally we become separated from others. Scientific studies prove again and again that stress diminishes activity in our brain, especially parts responsible for understanding and processing others' feelings. As a result, we tend to get distant from other people and consequently - from ourselves.
Furthermore, we lose focus, become less productive and constructive, more fixated on preconceived notions and challenges. What if we pause and ask ourselves openly: How are we spending our time? What are we doing with our lives?
We can define meditation as a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity. Meditation helps to train our attention and awareness, and by doing that helps us to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. In a nutshell, meditation is a way to train the mind. As Tara Brach said in the book ‘How to Meditate’ “Meditation allows us to step out of distracted thought, and helps us arrive in the present moment in a balanced and clear way.”
Indeed, meditation can become a panacea in our daily lives. Regular meditation can break the cycle of stress. There are a lot of meditation techniques to choose from: we can choose one and enjoy valuable daily practice. But we should not expect a miracle: meditation is a lifelong practice. It takes time to grow, to learn to be human, to learn to live a happy life. That is why it is hard to put meditation into our daily practice as there will be no immediate ‘sweets’ or tangible achievements. And this is difficult for the business person.
Proven benefits of a meditation practice:
✓stress relief
✓normalization of internal processes
✓natural response to life events
✓an accepting calm of all that is given to you
✓change from a narrow-minded focus on fault and what is wrong to wider perspectives on benefits and life blessings
✓the ability to embrace reality as it is
✓minimization of self-centered thinking and attitudes
✓increased ability to discover joy and happiness
Thus, meditation is the best medicine to return to ourselves, though it is sometimes accompanied by thunder. It uplifts us, helps us to accept real life, including the ability to accept others and ourselves. Meditation allows us to see life with broader perspectives, accepting it with all its imperfection but also with its beauty. Overall, business people should meditate even more than religious people in order to stay maximally productive and connected. Consequently, meditation will be the pass to discover joy and happiness in our lives.
