5 Ways Daily Meditation Benefits Your Career
Before we dive into the benefits of meditation and how it can help take your career to the next level, let's take a step back and speak about what meditation is. In the technical sense, meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique such as mindfulness to focus on a particular object, thought, or activity to train attention and awareness and achieve a mentally clear, emotionally calm, and stable state.
On a spiritual level, I like to think of meditation as the openness to receive a metaphysical download from your higher power or higher self. Meditation opens the mind to receive information that is most important and relevant to the person receiving it.
There are many forms of meditation, but the two main categories are guided meditation and unguided meditation. In guided meditation, a teacher guides you through the basic steps of the practice. In unguided meditation — also called silent meditation — you meditate alone, without someone else explaining the process. When you first begin a meditation practice, it is encouraged that you find a guide to help you navigate meditation.
Always remember meditation was not created to silence the mind completely but instead was formulated to focus your thoughts. Our minds will never completely be silenced, but we can train our minds to focus on the thoughts that are most beneficial to use in each passing moment.
Now that you have a firm understanding of what meditation is, here's how a daily practice can benefit your career.
First, it increases your focus and concentration.
If you find yourself constantly getting distracted at work or missing important deadlines because you're not focused on the task at hand, meditation can help you improve this immensely.
Second, it improves self-esteem and self-awareness.
By having an increased sense of self, you'll thoroughly understand where your strengths and weaknesses lie and can leverage that to your advantage in your career.
Third, meditation reduces stress and allows you to use your breath to regulate your nervous system.
If you have a high-stress job and often find yourself spiraling mentally at work, this will give you the tools to remain calm regardless of what's happening around you.
Fourth, it helps manage anxiety.
If you're someone with high anxiety, meditation will help you regulate your thoughts to reduce the impact anxiety has on your life, and specifically your career.
Lastly, meditation helps exercise your intuition which can give you the upper hand at work during projects or special presentations.
Increased awareness of your intuition allows you to tap into your higher self and enter into a space that athletes call "the zone." When you're in full alignment with yourself, you perform at the top of your game, so think MJ Game 1 NBA finals 1992.
You, too, can create historical moments in your career by simply implementing a daily meditation practice.
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Featured image by Justlight/Getty Images
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Crystal Renay Is Prioritizing Healing, Her Kids, And Her Coins Amid Divorce
Crystal Renay is reclaiming her time and her identity after dealing with heartbreak. The model was married to Ne-Yo for seven years and they share three young children together. However, after a cheating scandal that resulted in a baby outside of their relationship, Crystal decided to end her marriage to the “So Sick” singer. Now, she is focusing on her bag and her kids. She is co-owner of Johnny’s Chicken and Waffles, launching a lip kit line, and is back on TV starring in the new WE TV reality series Bold & Bougie.
But it wasn’t an easy road, especially with reality TV. From the beginning, Crystal and her castmates bumped heads due to misconceptions and alliances with her ex-husband’s former partner, Monyetta Shaw. However, the mother of three exclusively tells xoNecole that she doesn’t regret her decision to join the show.
Crystal Renay
Photo courtesy
“Honestly, being in that space, we had a– you know, when you're first getting to know people, sometimes it can be smooth, and sometimes it can be rocky,” she says. “In our case, it was a little bit rocky and just getting to know each other, and I like to call it growing pains. And I felt like we had a couple of moments, but all in all, like the experience was really good for me, and I would do it over again.”
Crystal describes herself as “career-oriented” and says she is in her selfish season because she is now prioritizing herself first. But she admits that she is still healing from her divorce. The reality TV star shares some tips for others who may be going through the same thing.
“I would definitely say pray, pray as much as you can. Try to take your emotions out of your reactions to things because it’s always going to be something that you don't like in the situation,” she says. “But we can't move off of emotion because 10 times out of 10, a few months later, you're not going to feel like that. So, I'm a firm believer in not doing things that I will regret later. So I would just say be patient with yourself and stay positive.”
While there may be an opportunity to find love again, that’s not Crystal’s focus at the moment. She is in the rebuilding phase of her life, emphasizing the importance of self-care, personal growth, and finding her own happiness. She has had her share of challenges, including dealing with negative emotions and the public's perception of her, but her priorities involve spending quality time with her children and running lucrative businesses.
“I would definitely say pray, pray as much as you can. Try to take your emotions out of your reactions to things because it’s always going to be something that you don't like in the situation.”
“With my kids, I'm very hands-on. I’m team mother with soccer kids, and they don't really make no goals because they like five years old, but I'm there cheering them on every week,” she jokes. “I want to travel, especially this summer, with my kids and take them somewhere internationally because they're at the age where they can handle a long flight. So, me just spending more time and more new experiences with my kids is my main focus with them and showing them all the love that I could possibly give them.”
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Photo courtesy of Crystal Renay