If you’re an intense, high-achieving, self-starter you’ve probably heard about all the benefits of meditation that have been proven by science over the past 10 years — improved focus, decreased stress and more creativity. But you might see someone at total peace sitting on a meditation cushion and wonder “would this practice make me soft?”
This is a common myth about meditation — it will make it harder for you to chase your dreams, you’ll lose your ambition and you won’t pursue what you want. But, just because it makes you less reactive, more at peace and more compassionate doesn’t mean you lose your drive.
When Russell Simmons first started practicing yoga at Maha in Brentwood, he would walk out of class and say,” I gotta stop doing this shit. I’m going to lose all my money.” Obviously that has not turned out to be case as he has went on the build several successful companies, the latest being Tantris Center For Yoga Studies in Los Angeles.
Kobe Bryant, one of the fiercest competitors in NBA history, has been meditating for close to 20 years. It didn’t make him less competitive, unless you count winning 5 NBA titles not significant.
“I think it’s easy for people to confuse inner peace and you being comfortable with who you are with complacency. And it’s the exact opposite. Because when you’re focused on the moment, and each day as it comes, when the big moment comes and everybody’s looking at you, you’re really ready, because you really just looked at it as one day at a time.”— Kobe Bryant
Michael Jordan, the greatest player in NBA history — by most people’s accounts — practiced meditation. Far from a model citizen it helped him become more aware and compassionate of his teammates and therefore a much better leader.
Even Gary Vaynerchuk, the self-proclaimed hustler who works 12-18 hours per day and has built a 100 million dollar ad agency in the past 6 years has taken up this practice. Although not daily, he’s exploring it himself and based on his social media content there’s no sign of him turning “soft” or losing his ambition anytime soon. He’s even gone as far as to have VaynerCapital invest in Inscape, a meditation studio in Manhattan.
So what is mindfulness-based performance?
Mindfulness-based performance is activating the power of our mind to improve performance through meditation and practical mindfulness exercises. We use these practices to access the flow state, increase focus, develop patience and improve confidence through intentional action, focusing on controllables and our 5 inputs.
