Blue skies in the Emerald City (by M.C. Lester)
I'm a good juggler. I'm organized and I make lists and keep a calendar and so generally I can keep everything straight. But a schedule packed tight with projects and business development can make innovation, creativity and general problem-solving a little more difficult than usual. I think it's because there's not enough room in my head for things to bang around sufficiently, or for my mind to wander freely to find what I'm looking for.
That's why I'm excited about something I've noticed in my daily meditation. As I focus on my breathing and thoughts stop sticking to me like velcro, an idea, solution or option that I need floats by like a cloud. Just slow enough so I can grab it for later.
A definite upside
Last week, I was wondering how to graphically represent something for a webinar I'm doing next month. It just wasn't coming together for me at all. During Friday's meditation, however, the solution wafted by. After my session, I roughed it out and it's going to be great! (updated 25 May 11: here, btw, is the deck)
A few days before, I remembered something incredibly important that had managed not to get on my to-do list. The recollection occurred with plenty of time to complete the task without getting stressed about it.
I'm realizing that as I calm my mind (notice I didn't say clear), the important things that I'm chewing on -- or forgetting to chew on -- get the attention they deserve. Without actually giving them attention, as it were. I've started calling this my "meditation problem" -- something that gets resolved with mindfulness.
Small time, big results
Three months ago, I didn't think I would be able to find time to carve out 25 minutes a day for meditation and visualization. Now I'm so glad I did. It's a small amount of time given the results I'm getting (read about the other advantages I'm noticing here).
What are you doing to slow down and calm your mind?
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I read the Relaxation Revolution to get my new perspective on meditation and visualization. I highly recommend it!