Technalink has always stressed that learning how to meditate is one of the best ways to manage your work-life balance in a way that benefits both aspects of your life. Learning how to meditate can happen both at work and at home, not demanding the same kinds of commitment as more active forms of self-improvement like going to the gym to work out on exercise machines.
However, the goal of meditation, achieving a state of mindfulness, can be tricky for people who are just learning how to meditate. One thing that can help is to give yourself a goal during meditation, such as setting an intention.
Meditate With Purpose
Learning how to meditate means cultivating a state of mindfulness, which is to focus on the present. This generally means learning to let go of intrusive thoughts that enter your mind and encourage it to wander, such as worrying about deadlines, planning future goals, or even thinking about friends and family. Instead, mindfulness is about putting the awareness on being in the current moment, not entertaining the thoughts in your mind, but instead focusing those thoughts on what is happening now, training the thoughts to be observant and receptive of the present moment and circumstances rather than wandering elsewhere.
Going into meditation by setting an intention is not like letting your mind wander. In some ways, it is similar to using breath or meditation tools like prayer beads. All meditating with an intention does is provide a focus, giving the present some kind of direction or “target” to concentrate on.
Control Your Goals
One of the nice things about learning how to meditate with an intention is that it can give you more clarity and direction about your goals for the day. For example, if you set aside some time to meditate at the start of the day, an intention can be a helpful “compass” in guiding you closer toward the results you want for that day, whether it is more productivity at work or spending quality time with family members.
Setting an intention can even be a way to achieve your immediate goals. Another example is taking a few minutes out of your workday to meditate just before sitting down for a specific task. You meditate with an intention toward productivity, striving to maintain the same sense of focus when you sit down to work as you are achieving during your meditation session.
Learning how to meditate and incorporating intentions into those sessions can provide a focus that some people prefer. Think of it as a mental exercise to prepare you and put you in a more conscious frame of mind to accomplish the tasks that you have set for yourself that day. It’s surprising just how much of a difference to a day’s activities small choices, like an awareness of intentions, can make toward accomplishing set goals.
There are many other ways to learn and develop this critical work-life balance. If you’re interested in learning how to meditate and cultivate a sense of mindfulness, The Om Factor: A Women’s Spiritual Guide To Leadership is available in print, digital, and audiobook formats.
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