Why is mindfulness becoming so hype among entrepreneurs?
With our ever-growing connectivity and the constant solicitations of our multiplicity of devices and social networks is also growing a visceral need for peace and quietness, even in the business world.
Once upon a time, meditation techniques were restricted to Buddhist monks and esoteric retreats in the Tibetan mountains. Now, though, mindfulness is becoming mainstream. How did this happen?
The mindfulness is actually the energy of being aware, awake to what is happening inside andaround us in the present moment.
Being compassionate to yourself and to others instead of constantly judging.
Which sounds very simple but which is not so common when we are constantly ruminating past mistakes or break-ups or “preoccupying” ourselves with potential future threats or worries.
BE WHERE YOUR BODY IS
How can we learn to actually enjoy the sun on our skin while we walk, the smell of our shampoo during our shower or the taste of a juicy peach at lunch? Or even to have sex differently…
Progressively, this new trend has left the personal development area with the impact of the neurosciences and different psychiatrists like Jon Kabat-Zinn who have given a new meaning to years of yoga practice.
“Research by the medical and scientific communities has provided evidence of the effectiveness of mindfulness in reducing stress, anxiety and depression, and in increasing emotional resilience, happiness, positive social behavior, and cognitive skills.”
In the international 8 weeks MBSR training program, it is said that 20 minutes of daily meditation actually allows you to progressively rewire your brain.
While you stop and breathe, you calm the agitation inside you to see clearer and to cultivate the quality of your attention, directing it where you want when you want.
You can better choose between the urgent and the truly important, fight the automatic impulse to keep on doing, and prevent being slaved to external solicitations.
TRAIN YOUR MIND
That is why this trend has become such a hype among the ever-connected entrepreneurs of the Silicon Valley.
Every year in San Francisco, the Wisdom 2.0 summit gathers leaders and companies from around the world to address the challenge of our time:
“to not only live connected to one another through technology, but to do so in ways that are beneficial to our own well-being, effective in our work, and useful to the world.”
Google actually even hired a head of mindfulness training who has enrolled 2,000 employees so far in its Search Inside Yourself mindfulness course.
As Chade-Meng Tan says himself:
“Meditation is going to be seen as fitness for the mind. And goodness is good for business. If people like you, they want to help you succeed.”
Companies are now looking for the advice of international zen masters as Thich Nhat Hanh or Matthieu Ricard to enlighten their management.
And each summer, many entrepreneurs of the Silicon Valley flock into the Burning Man Festival to experience the mind-altering vibe of the playa of the Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, even is some fear the loss of the original spirit of the pop-up desert city.
FOCUS YOUR ENERGY
Further away, in Bali, the deceler8 program is also another illustration of these digital detox retreats for fast-paced entrepreneurs who are looking for opportunities to refocus their energy.
As Andy Puddicombe says, all it takes is 10 mindful minutes.
So, to make your life easy, new applications as Buddhify, Headspace or Mindfulness even help you meditate in customizable sessions directly on your Iphone…
While working, you can now listen to Focus at Will, which is actually delivering various “attention amplifying music channels that soothes the easily distracted fight or flight mechanism increasing attention span and general focus.”
And the kids are the new target. In order to reduce bullying and behavioral issues in the playground, schools are progressively implementing mindfulness in their programs to develop empathy among students, like the Wake up schools for example or the .b program in schools in the UK.
Without being the miracle medicine, it still seems that the impact of mindfulness in our everyday lives is yet to be explored and discovered so if you wish to know more, here are a few books for you:
Namaste
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