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Chapter 1: Meditation and Success

Mediation for the Modern Life

Somewhere in Silicon Valley, a group of computer programmers sit silently in a room together, legs crossed and eyes half-closed, listening to the sound of their own breath. Elsewhere, the owner of a small real estate company starts her day by breathing deeply and engaging in yoga poses. Still, elsewhere, a data entry specialist finishes his turkey sandwich and returns to his cubicle, puts on his headphones, and breathes deeply while listening to the sounds of bells and waterfalls.

Meditation looks different for different people, but one thing is for sure: it is quickly gaining popularity in Western culture. It has many professional and personal benefits including increased productivity, reduction of stress and depression, and reduction of troubling physical symptoms such as headaches and muscle tension, to name a few.

The word “meditation” often elicits images of devout men sitting silently in mystical temples far away. It can seem foreign and certainly something too far removed from daily life to have a practical application for business or even for personal gain. You may have preconceived notions about what meditation entails or cultural or spiritual beliefs which you feel may hinder you from participating in meditation. While meditation does have its roots in several spiritual practices, it is increasingly being recommended by Western medical professionals as research is bringing to light the multiple health benefits of regularly engaging in this form of focused relaxation.

The Power of Meditation

Regardless if you choose to meditate for spiritual reasons or for physical and mental health, meditation generally consists of the following elements:

- A relaxing environment: whether it is in the woods, by the lake, in a studio, or in your living room, mediation usually occurs in an environment that is physically comfortable and free from noisy distractions. Some people choose to sit on a cushion and focus on their breathing in complete silence while others may choose to lay on their beds and listen to relaxing music.

- Posture or movement: during mediation, the participant will generally sit in a specific posture, such as with the legs crossed, spine straight, and hands resting on the knees. Sometimes participants will lay down or engage in specific movements, such as with yoga or t’ai chi.

- Focus: while meditating, the participant will focus on a number of things from their simple breath, the feeling of energy moving through the body, an object, a value or ideal, or a word or phrase called a mantra.

- An open mind: during meditation, the participant allows their mind to let thoughts flow through their mind without judging them. Often times, the meditator will observe the thoughts instead of suppress them and then gently bring their focus back to the intended subject.

The Power of Meditation

How Meditation Increases Success

The idea of being successful, or being able to accomplish what you have set out to do or being able to achieve the state of mind you desire, is usually associated with words like “persistence,” “patience,” “hard work,” and “goal-setting”. Meditation most likely wouldn’t even be one of the top hundred words associated with success. But it should be.

Think about it. If one activity, alone, could improve several aspects of your mind and your body at the same time, from problem-solving skills to general creativity to blood pressure, immunity, and headaches, wouldn’t you think it could greatly contribute to your overall success in life? The healthier you are and the more empowered you feel, the more likely you will be to accomplish the goals you have set for yourself.

Making Meditation Work for You

While meditation can be a prolonged activity, it doesn’t have to take hours of your day. Even a ten or fifteen minute session of meditation can provide some benefits of relaxation.

The following list serves as a reference for different kinds of meditative practices. Choose one or two that you think you might enjoy and incorporate them into your schedule. Many people prefer to meditate early in the morning before starting their day to help them start with a positive outlook. Others choose to meditate just before bed to help them relieve anxious thoughts and drift off to sleep peacefully. A few meditative exercises are detailed later in Chapter 3: The Practice of Meditation.

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Introduction

When it comes to success in our professional and personal lives, few things are more important than achieving a reasonable standard of living through wise personal finance decisions. Through our job choices, our saving, and our investing decisions, we determine what will be possible for us in the future, as well as when we can retire and how pleasant our retirement will be.

Indeed, this is all very important. However, without the right information available at our fingertips, we can often become paralyzed when it comes time to make those important decisions.

For instance, when it comes time to save, we might decide to put it off to another day. Or when it comes time to invest, we might jump the gun and it too early, even though we have outstanding debts that bear high interest rates.

In the rest of this ebook, we will consider 365 different tips—one for each day of the year—that you can use to make these decisions the right way. Through this book, I hope that you not only learn how to be frugal, how to save, and how to invest, but also how to steer your career (and exploit money making opportunities) in a way that will bring you closer to financial security and a broad sense of satisfaction with your life and your choices.

365 Tips for Saving, Investing, and Making Money

Tip #1: Buy products online.

One good way to limit impulse buying is to buy products online. It will allow you to more easily comparison shop. And it will also prevent you from thinking that you have to buy, so that you don’t have to drive somewhere else to make the purchase.

Tip #2: Comparison shop.

When making large purchases, you should always comparison-shop. By spending an extra 20-30 minutes to research your options, you could easily save hundreds or more.
Tip #3: Use coupons.

Whether you’re grocery shopping or shopping for new electronics, using coupons is always a good way to go. So, from now on, stay in the habit of checking the newspaper and other local sources of coupons.

Tip #4: Use online coupon sites.

The Internet is now awash in online coupon sites. They collect and store coupons that can be printed and used at various brick-and-mortar stores. Before you step out of your house, consider looking for coupons for your retail destination; and then putting them to use.

Tip #5: Enroll in rewards programs.

Grocery stores, clothing stores, and other retail stores now offer rewards programs. By signing up for a free membership, you can often gain access to a variety of coupons, discounts, and cash-back offers. Be sure to enroll in rewards programs that are offered at all of your favorite stores.

Tip #6: Look for specials at the grocery store.

Grocery stores often have specials on food they suspect they won’t be able to sell. Take advantage of these specials by purchasing food that you want anyway, but at a sharp discount.

Tip #7: Create a shopping list in advance.

Eliminate junk food and foods that are inessential by creating a shopping list in advance. At the end of the day, you’ll walk away having spent less, and you’ll also have all of the ingredients you’ll need for weekly meals.

Tip #8: Wait for sales.

Some stores have regular sales. For instance, many stores hold sales after Christmas and other major holidays to sell off seasonal inventory. Take advantage of these predictable sales by delaying your purchases.

Tip #9: Limit entertainment spending.

Entertainment is important, but can often be obtained cheaply. From now on, limit your spending on entertainment until you have paid off your monthly bills and have saved a fixed portion of your income.

Tip #10: Reduce the amount of time you spend watching TV.

TV can be an endless time-waster. It is easy to sit in front of the TV for hours on end, even if we have tasks we could be working on to improve our lives and our finances. So try cutting back on the amount of time you waste watching TV.

Tip #11: Avoid surfing the net aimlessly.

Similar to wasting time on TV, surfing the net is a bad habit that many of us have. Avoid doing it when there are other, more productive, things you could be doing.
Tip #12: Get a sewing kit.

Get a sewing kit and learn how to use it. Next time you rip the leg of your pants or the arm of your shirt, simply use the sewing kit to fix it, rather than buying an entirely new article of clothing.