3 Reasons to Start a Meditation Practice
Ever since I started this blog, people have been asking me a lot of questions.
“Are supermodels really that tall in person?” “Where can I find the best caviar in Monaco?”
Many of these questions are silly or have simple answers. “Most of them” and “Beluga, or Osetra?”
But a more important question I’ve been getting, following my seminal piece 8 Rules for Life, is for more information about meditation.
Well ask and ye shall receive.
What is meditation?
Most of the time when I hear meditation promoted, it’s sold as a tool for managing stress. This is true, but just the tip of the iceberg as far as what meditation offers.
In its most common form, meditating involves sitting with your eyes closed and focusing on your breath as it goes in and out. When you notice you have been distracted by thought, you return your focus to your breath. And you repeat this, over and over, for as long as you choose to sit. It sounds simple. But what this does over time is powerful.
You are retraining your mind to not get swept away by thought. The longer you do this practice, the more you will learn to break your connection with thought in day-to-day life.
But why does this matter, Tom?
Meditation will make you happier
Sadness results from thinking about the past. Anxiety results from thinking about the future. Bliss, peace, nirvana — these are all felt in a state of presence, or no mind, or without thought.
The more you meditate the more you train yourself to break thought patterns that bring you sadness or anxiety. You reduce the amount of time you spend in those states. And you increase the amount of time you spend in a state of peace.
Meditation will enhance the quality of your life.
Meditation will make you better at everything you do
Does your mind wander off when it needs to focus on the task at hand?
Meditation will help with that. By training me to not be distracted by thought, meditation has improved my ability to do focused work.
This makes me better at everything I do. My workouts have improved as I don’t drift off into thought before pushing for one last set. I absorb more when I read. It has improved my ability to do deep work, such as writing. I am a better driver as I am more aware of what other cars around me are doing. I have more patience for small tasks like cleaning or sewing a button on a shirt.
In fact, I look forward to these tasks as they give me space to practice not thinking. They can be another form of meditation.
Meditation Will Improve Your Relationships
One of the biggest obstacles to interpersonal connection is distraction.
Meditation will make you a more active listener. You will catch yourself and be able to stop thinking while others are talking to you. This means you will better understand what they are communicating and how they feel.
By not being distracted by thought, you may be alarmed as you see how they suffer. Or it will bring you joy when you recognize how happy someone is. You will be able to respond to the conversation appropriately because you understand what they are saying. You will not be distracted by your daily to-do list or thinking about what you want to say next.
By being able to break your own thought patterns, you will have greater control of your emotions. You will act in anger less frequently. Imagine how that can strengthen relationships.
If you don’t see the need to meditate for yourself, meditate for the people in your life that you love.
After six years of meditating, it’s the best habit I have formed. Those closest to me have noticed and complimented the differences between how I am today versus before. And the impacts only continue to grow more profound to this day.