The Biggest Secret of Successful People and How You Can Get Started Today!

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Meditation is a cornerstone to many successful business people worldwide. Several of the most successful CEOs nationally meditate. This select group includes people like Arianna Huffington, Padmasree Warrior, Oprah Winfrey, Rupert Murdoch, Bill Ford, Bob Shapiro and the late Steve Jobs. It is well known now that Steve Jobs, the late CEO of Apple, had an avid meditation practice. It was said that he attributed his gifts and success to meditation and passed it down to his workforce. Not only were there meditation classes offered at Apple, Steve Jobs would also allow his employees to take 30 minutes each day to meditate.

 

What most people know about meditation is that meditation reduces stress. It helps revitalize & gain focus and in turn increases productivity. What people may not know is that increases self-esteem and confidence in oneself. Self-esteem and confidence is the foundation of empowerment.

When you meditate properly, you sit in an upright position. Your back is straight and you are encouraged to broaden your shoulders while relaxing them. This allows the air to flow naturally and easily as you inhale and exhale. Breathing releases tension and stiffness in the body allowing energy to flow fluently. It increases your vitality and softens your movement. It allows for your voice to become rich and smoothly reach your audience without constraints or limitations giving you complete control over the octave you choose to convey your message. It also implements good posture giving the appearance of confidence.

Source: http://addcrusher.com/fire-adhd-brain-two-minutes-power-poses-natural-add-remedy/

 

The mind and body like congruency. When you are feeling happy or depressed, the body reflects that emotion. However, you can trick your mind into thinking it is happy or confident just by appearing that way. Amy Cuddy has done research using what she calls Power Poses to show how the body affects the mind. She has her subjects stand in Wonder Woman poses for 5 minutes and tests the chemical changes that happen throughout the body. Her research points out that our cortisol lowers and our testosterone increase in each of her body/mind tests. Testosterone is what gives us drive and increases confidence.

Amy Cuddy proposes that you stand up straight with either your arms stretched out or on your hips. Your legs should stand the width of your shoulders giving the appearance of being big. When you make yourself big; you feel big and then you act big. You get the same impact by meditating properly whether you are sitting in Lotus Position or mindfully walking. You are essentially opening up your body and making it expansive so that the energy will flow. Your back is straight and your shoulders are broad and relaxed. In effect, if you practice meditation regularly, you will inadvertently train your body to sit and stand with good posture which will create a mental attitude of confidence.

Meditation also demonstrates how to let go of your thoughts and unnecessary chatter. You learn how to focus your energy and let go of the redundant talk that loops in your brain. Some of these conversations we have with ourselves can be detrimental to our growth and overall development. That is that negative voice we hear sometimes when we want to accomplish something great. How would you like to lose that or at the very least, control it?

Graphic Credit: Maria Bird

There are four foundational pillars to our existence. These are the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of our being. Each of these pillars act like legs to a table. If one or two of the legs are wobbly, there isn’t much you can lay on top of your table; now is there? Or to put it into other terms, you can’t build a house on a faulty foundation.

 

When you have physical, emotional, mental and/or spiritual issues, there isn’t much you can handle. And when you have difficulties handling things, you lose confidence in yourself and the confidence that others have of you too. Regular meditation strengthens all four foundational pillars. You reduce stress which affects you physically and emotionally, gain clarity which helps the mental processes and you might find yourself connecting with an energy greater than your own. You step into a power (your power) and find that you are stronger, wiser and more intelligent than you think, which in turn gives you confidence to be and do things that you may not have thought you could have done before.

Photo Credit: Maria Bird

Here are a few tips to get you started.

# 1 Make Time
Devote 5 - 10 minutes every day for meditation. It can be in the morning or evening. You choose. Increase the time as you get better.

# 2 Practice
In order to get better at anything, you need to practice. Even the best singers and/or sports players in the world practice their craft every day.

# 3 Stimulate Your Senses
Bring into your meditation things that will make you enjoy your meditation such as candles, music, essential oils. By stimulating your senses, you will look forward to this special time that you are creating for yourself and you will be more inclined to practice.

# 4 Be Comfortable
Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing. Use comfortable pillows to sit on. Keep your meditation area free from clutter so that you are not preoccupied by thoughts of cleaning.

# 5 Posture
Make sure that you are sitting straight so that the air flows naturally and easily. Posture is very important when we are breathing.

# 6 Breathe Deeply
Inhale slowly through your nose all the way into your belly. Hold it for 2 seconds then exhale slowly. Wait a couple of seconds before you inhale again.

# 7 Let Go
Let go of any thoughts or worries. Just imagine them leaving your body like bubbles of a carbonated soda. Don’t worry if you find yourself wandering back to your thoughts. It will happen especially in the beginning. When you notice yourself thinking, just place that thought in an imaginary bubble and let it go.

# 8 Create A Routine/Ritual
A ritual and/or routine is a moving meditation. It also prepares your mind for meditation. An example of that would be a bedtime ritual that you would create for your children. You give them a bath. You dry them off. You put or you have them put pajamas on. You read them a story. You may say prayers. You tuck them in. You kiss them goodnight and hopefully when you do this enough. They sleep. The same is true for meditation. Create a ritual that works for you using the time of day, your senses & the quiet area you have dedicated for meditation.

# 9 Make Meditation Yours
Guided meditations are great to get started but listening to the same guided meditation can become boring. There are different types of meditation that you can learn and bring into your practice such as yogic breathing, chakra, mindfulness, loving-kindness, prayer and so on. Pick one or combine a few that work for you.

 

Photo Credit: Maria Bird

The effects of meditation are gradual. When you begin, you will feel relaxed. After a few weeks though, you will start to feel energized and powerful within. Eventually the energy will spill out into every aspect of your life. It will change the way you see yourself and the way others see you. You will feel composed, dignified, cool and better equipped to handle whatever challenges that are handed to you and also, the ones you take on. You will take on more and step out of your comfort zone because you will have the tools to handle it and knowing that is empowering.
If you are looking to improve your life, try meditating at least five minutes a day and increase the time as you go along. I guarantee your life will change for the better exponentially.