What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness, as the word itself suggests, revolves around the caretaking of our minds by being mindful of our surroundings and emotions at all times. Without mental awareness, our minds tend to be placed on auto-pilot.
This can be a severe downfall for entrepreneurs and business owners because the mind is the most powerful tool an entrepreneur uses during the daily hustle.
Many entrepreneurs may experience mental breakdowns during their daily tasks because a lack of mental control can affect both your mental state and your mood. So, why must the entrepreneur be extra attentive to mindfulness?
Mindfulness is Necessary for the Entrepreneur
As an entrepreneur, your mental state is in constant demand. More than likely, several people are pulling your attention in different directions at the same time.
How can you possibly keep up with such a demanding business? If you try to tackle all aspects of the business without being mindful, you will find yourself overwhelmed.
Unfortunately, an overwhelmed mind tends to either self-destruct or give up. To avoid either possible situations, mindfulness can help you stay on track by being aware of your emotions, delegating tasks, and most importantly, avoiding a mental breakdown.
Keep your Mind from Staying on Auto-Pilot
Because the mind is the most powerful tool an entrepreneur uses, it becomes clear that one must keep it in tip-top shape like a well-oiled machine.
What would happen if your auto-pilot took over for the day? Things start to pile up on your desk, emails start to overflow in your inbox, and your phone has not stopped ringing.
You start to wonder if you’ve gotten in over your head and thoughts of self-doubt and failure consume your mind.
Without mindfulness, this feeling of self-doubt is not going to go away. The thoughts you feed your mind are the thoughts you start to believe about yourself and your business.
Eventually, these thoughts turn into reality. If you’re thinking thoughts of failure – you will fail.
Your Mind is Protecting Itself.
Your mind is operating as it should and is always trying to keep you safe. When you blow up at an employee for missing a deadline, your mind was just trying to protect your business. You know how important those deadlines are to the success of your organization and your mind was only living up to that expectation.
However, you have now allowed your mind to make a quick judgment call without thinking about it first. What if you would have taken a five-minute breather and thought about the situation before letting your mind take control? The stress, uncomfortable situation, and future conflicts this will cause could have all been avoided. Being an entrepreneur means being a role model.
Mindfulness lets your employees see that you not only care about them but that you care about your organization. Over time, this recognition will turn into trust.
Mindfulness can be practiced at any time and in any place. You don’t need a fancy yoga mat or a “fresh-air setting” to make mindfulness a part of your day. Mindfulness can be achieved at your desk, while you’re driving, or during your morning cup of coffee.
The best way to start practicing mindfulness is to start becoming aware of your breathing, thoughts, and movements. Many practice mindfulness by closing their eyes, emptying their thoughts, and focusing on their breathing rhythm.
As an entrepreneur, you may find this helpful in stressful situations.
Next time you are feeling overwhelmed or become aware that your mind has been on auto-pilot try taking a few moments to yourself. Be mindful and take back your life.
