Running a business is fun! It gives you immense autonomy, freedom to experiment, and due returns to your efforts.
However, each business is unpredictable, takes time (sometimes a lot of work) and comes with its unique risks. Risks bring opportunities, but at a cost.
Risks bring opportunities, but at a cost. As a business owner, you are solely responsible for all ups and downs of the venture. You are the captain of your ship!
Business risks have their excitement. But, sometimes, you may find yourself in a tight spot, without much support, because it’s your business! That’s why, running a business can be very stressful sometimes.
I am writing according to my personal experience as a business owner. Sometimes things go well, sometimes they go burst! and that’s the way business works. And mindfulness can help you in every possible business situation.
Mindfulness is more than meditation. Meditation is a practice, but mindfulness is a way of life. And this way of life can bring peace, contentment, and fearlessness in face of market calamities. It helps to –
Avoid Mistakes
Accept Ups and Downs
Improve Efficiency
Most radical business mistakes occur because of overconfidence, no confidence and inflexibility. You may find yourself so obsessed with one idea, that you fail to notice its risks or drawbacks. Or you only see the risks. But what if you can see things exactly as they are?
Mindfulness helps clear the fog of those expectations. It facilitates the development of the right attitude towards business. Mindfulness helps us to accept reality cheerfully. And when you are open to reality, you make the best decisions, not mistakes!
Business is all about serendipity. Numerous factors may affect it in unpredictable ways. Let us take the example of the covid-19 pandemic. No one predicted it. But this pandemic shook the very foundations of the world economy. It has changed the way the world operates.
An Indian saying goes like this – only the trees that bend with the strong wind survive, others get uprooted. Therefore, a flexible attitude and perseverance are keys to all ups and downs in business.
Mindfulness can help you to develop the patience and persistence to wriggle through any unforeseen circumstances. It brings mental security and stability that can help you to flow forward in all kinds of situations. Besides, it brings the essential understanding that “everything passes, whether it is the good times or the bad times”.
Multitasking is a norm for business people. But it does not help you save time. Instead, multitasking is a kind of hyperactivity that emerges from a deep sense of insecurity.
Besides, most of the time we mindlessly do things that may not be required at all. Mindfulness brings us the clarity and discretion to choose the most valuable activities, focus on them and eliminate all mindless chores. That’s why mindful people are never busy but mindfully engaged. With mindfulness, we can develop essentialism and live a more purposeful life.
4 Simple Mindfulness Practices for Business Owners
Here are some simple mindfulness exercises that you can practice along with your spicy routine.
Mindful Breathing Exercises
Take a 3 min break from your work.
Relax your body and sit down if convenient.
Take a few deep breaths with full consciousness of your body and mind. Witness the thoughts come and leave, without reacting to them.
This simple practice will emphasize the idea that mental peace is independent of external situations.
Mindful Walking
Take a short walk, placing every foot with complete awareness. This short exercise will help you to be fully conscious of the present moment.
Mindful Eating
Most of us eat while watching TV or doing something else. But that’s again a part of mindless hyperactivity. A simple practice of mindful eating can bring you peace, gratitude, security, and enhance the taste of the food. Besides, it also helps to prevent under-eating, over-eating, weight gain/obesity, stress and multiple lifestyle disorders.
Steps for mindful eating
Say thanks for your food! Gratitude is an awareness and appreciation of all the efforts it takes to bring food to the table. Touch your food with your hands, feel its texture.
Smell the aroma with complete consciousness. Put a small bite in your mouth and experience the taste in your mouth. Chew the food properly, experiencing taste in every bite.
It may appear that mindful eating takes longer than a normal meal. But that’s a myth. With mindful eating, you never over-eat and therefore, it may take lesser time than a normal meal. Besides, mindful eating helps in better digestion and absorption of food.
Mindful Sleep
Sleep is a rejuvenating factor for the body. A mindful sleep at night can completely revive your energy and enthusiasm for the next day.
Steps for mindful sleep
Relax your body or practice body relaxation techniques.
Sit comfortably in your bed and close your eyes.
Imagine that all negativity, heaviness, and stress are gradually leaving you through the back. Feel the presence of divine light in your heart.
Try this exercise for 5-10 mins before sleep.
Conclusion
Business is not only a way to earn a livelihood. It is a wonderful opportunity to develop a playful acceptance of reality and be a witness to it. And if you are a business owner, you have the good fortune to experience mindfulness at its best! We may start with mindfulness as a tool for business success, but one fine day, we may realize that business is a tool for a higher purpose – to develop mindfulness.
Are you interested in experiencing a guided minfulness practice? Join our mindfulness training!