I recently took part in a leadership panel with three fellow CIOs and the last question we received was, “What is something you wish you would have known when you were younger?” My answer was different than the others and probably unexpected. I said that I wish I had practiced meditation earlier in my life because it has made me a better leader and person.
I started meditation about ten years ago when a friend sent me a link to a 21-day meditation by Oprah and Deepak and asked me to do it with her. I didn’t imagine how important committing to a 21-day program would be fulfilling my dreams personally and professionally.
Both of us really enjoyed the messages and the practice and noticed an immediate difference in how much better our days went when we did meditation. I have meditated almost every day for more than a decade.
The 20 minutes I dedicate each day to guided meditation helps me practice being fully present in the moment and helps stop my racing mind. Each day is different, and some days are better than others. But the consistency and focus on improving have remained over the years. Meditation has helped me to better examine my narrative, generate insights, and recenter myself for the purpose of developing positive leaders and organizations. It has changed my brain, my life, and the energy that I bring to the world.
Because meditation has been so helpful for me, I serve on the board of Inner Strength Education, a non-profit organization in Philadelphia that has taught mindfulness to more than 16,000 high school students. I would challenge you to try it. Inner Strength developed a mobile app, VIBE, that might be helpful to you to learn about mindfulness and try different types of meditations.
What has been your experience with mediation?
I started practicing a form of meditation back in 1988 not long after starting to work at OSU. Mine was simply some Bible reading and then some time in prayer contemplating what I read. I’ve been more or less successful doing this over the years, but it has helped me be more disciplined in my efforts and thoughts.
Dan, you are a pro at this then! Very impressive to keep up the practice for so many years.
I discovered meditation about 6 years ago and it is probably the most impactful, important and positive change I have ever made!
For most of my life I lived in a constant state of low-level anxiety….worried, stomach queasy, a bit nervous. I downloaded the Daily Calm app and decided to give it a try for 10 minutes a day. The change snuck up on me, but somewhere between 6 and 9 months into this process I realized the low-level anxiety was gone!!
Great news for my mental state and my cardiovascular system, not so great news for my waistline. When I’m anxious I don’t feel hungry and when I’m relaxed I actually have an appetite, so this new normal created a new challenge. LOL.
Nevertheless, what an amaxing and positive change for my life!!
Love the story and the fact that you did it for months before noticing the change! Isn’t it nice to not be nervous all of the time. The upside of having an appetite is that there is SOOO much good food to try!