Mindfulness is a practice where we consciously pay attention to our thoughts and actions. It is a way of focusing on our daily behaviour which in turn will keep us focused and cognizant of what we’re doing.
In a world where most people function like automatons following a pre-set routine in a robotic manner, mindfulness is a fantastic way to make us live in the present. It keeps us grounded and aware of what we are doing.
This practice has been used to aid in weight loss, reduce stress, improve concentration, prevent anxiety, discourage rumination, and much more. As an entrepreneur, being mindful can help you achieve success faster in your business.
Here is how it helps…
- Watch your thoughts!
When you are mindful, you pay attention to the way you think. If a negative thought creeps in, you will ask yourself why you are thinking this way. Are there any valid grounds for concern or is it just some perfunctory thoughts cooked up in your own mind?
By stepping outside yourself to ask these questions and monitoring your thinking, you will not get sucked into negativity. Whenever you are feeling impatient, dejected, or unhappy, mindfulness will make you question why you feel this way.
From here you can reframe your thoughts and be more positive. This will help you stay on track with your goals and you will not quit at the first sign of struggle.
2. Watch your actions!
Mindfulness will make you ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing.
For example, if you run an online business selling gym equipment, you might be spending hours creating graphics that just do not look good because you have no graphic design background. Yet, you are still doing it because it is what you used to do when you started.
Mindfulness will make you ask yourself why you are wasting time doing work when it is not a part of your skill set. You would save a ton of time, hassle, and frustration by just hiring someone from a freelancer site like Fiverr. For just a few dollars, they will do a much better job than you in a fraction of the time.
This is how mindfulness will help your business. It will make you think about what you are doing. This aids in reducing waste, improving processes, and setting the tone for innovation.
One can even say that mindfulness is the antecedent to the most profitable business. You can bet someone was thinking mindfully during the process of building the business and made the necessary changes where required.
3. Focus on breathing!
Mindfulness will make you focus on your breathing while working. This will help keep you calm and has many health benefits. When you are healthier and calmer, you will be less likely to make erroneous decisions based on tumultuous emotions.
A stable mind and calm body will help any entrepreneur function optimally. Mindfulness will help you achieve this.
4. Be where you are!
These days, the ability to concentrate is becoming rarer than pandas in China. People now believe that multi-tasking is a sign of productivity. It is not.
Then we have those who cannot do any focused work for more than 10 minutes without reaching for their mobile phone to check on their text messages, social media notifications, and so on.
Distraction has become the order of the day, and such behaviour has become entrenched in society. The remedy to this problem is mindfulness.
When you are mindful, you will focus on your work at hand. You will pay attention to detail and if you are about to mindlessly reach for your phone, mindfulness will stop you and make you ask yourself, “Why am I checking my phone when I should be working? Refocus, please.”
You will then get back on track without distracting yourself. Mindfulness is an excellent practice to employ if you wish to do deep focused work that will benefit your business. It will help you eliminate distractions and improve your concentration.
The benefits of mindfulness cannot be overstated. Initially, it may feel strange to keep monitoring what you are doing. But after a few weeks, you will sink into a peaceful rhythm and be very aware and present.
This is an excellent way to think and be… and most entrepreneurs will benefit from applying mindfulness to their life and business.