How To Get The Best ideas

I get the privilege to speak in front of an amazing group of people this week.

While I was visiting home over Thanksgiving, I racked my brain trying to think of the “right” opening that would grab this audience’s attention. So…

I blocked out time “to think.”
I blocked out time “to write.”
I blocked out time “to eat.” (Because good ideas always come easier over a bowl full of chocolate peanut butter frozen yogurt).

But I still couldn’t nail it.

Until…

I got back home, got back in routine and…bam…15 minutes later, I had a spark for the perfect opening.

How? The magic of meditation.

If you told me that a year ago, before I started meditating consistently, I would have rolled my eyes and said, I’ve tried it before and it hasn’t worked.

That’s because I didn’t give meditation a real chance and didn’t really understand how to do it effectively. Here’s the best way I can explain it.

Ever notice how you get good ideas in the shower? Or you remember stuff that’s been logged back into the back of your brain for days?

Valuable thoughts, ideas, creativity, memories, experiences, all come to you during those moments when you’re not focused on anything. When you’re not in front of your screen, bombarded with emails, responding to texts, searching for apps, or multi-tasking projects. Yup, just like when you’re in the shower.

THAT is what meditating is like.

Truth Bomb: You don’t need to become a Buddhist monk, float on a cloud, and figure out your life.

You simply need to take a few moments to disconnect and give yourself the gift of not having to focus on all the other stressors of your life.

That’s when you experience “aha” moments, you remember tasks that have fallen through the cracks, and your brain sparks creative ideas.

However, the magic doesn’t end there.

Meditating also slows down your heart rate, increases your focus and interrupts a stressful situation with a peaceful and relaxed state of mind.

I used to be under the impression you had to dedicate long periods of time (like at least 20 or 30 minutes) to make it effective. And that was enough reason to give up before I even started.

Only now that it’s become a sacred practice have I come to crave and look forward to a one-minute breathing meditation between meetings, a five-minute gratitude meditation before I go to sleep or an eight-minute positive affirmation meditation after my coffee in the morning.

There are different types of meditation, like transcendental meditation, (that’s what my hubby does), or kundalini, or heart rhythm. My personal favorite are guided meditations.

I use an app called Insight Timer where you can choose from thousands of guided meditations, anywhere from one minute to two hours, so you can ALWAYS find a way to squeeze it in in your life. Always.

So what exactly does this have to do with reaching your goals or managing your time better?

In the day to day hecticness, stress and anxiety of our lives, the short “timeout” helps you refocus, feel at peace and simply, be in a better mood.

You can think more clearly, make better decisions and make a massive impact on your patience level.

Sometimes, just a few seconds of focused, relaxed breathing can stop stress in its tracks and turn your whole day around. These small  “breaks” can happen anywhere you start to feel tense—at your desk, on your phone, or sitting in traffic.

I recently worked with a high-level executive who I challenged to meditate daily for two weeks.

She said that when she took even one minute to center herself and slow down, she got back to her task at hand with more focus and intention. She made better decisions about everything from small considerations like where to put her focus next, to big judgements about realigning departments.

On a personal note I know I’m a lot more pleasant to be around even after a five-minute meditation in the morning. (You can ask my kids about this one).

Make meditation a practice by starting small. Give yourself permission to turn off the noise, just for a short bit, daily.

Here’s your challenge for the week. If you’re not meditating daily, when will you add this short practice into your life? When you wake up? In traffic? Between meetings? Let me know in the comments below.

If you’re already meditating, please help inspire others by sharing your experiences below.

It’s amazing how just a few deep breaths or a small moments of visualization can change the entire course of your day.

I can’t wait to hear from you. Here’s to getting more of the right things done!