Blog | Personal Finance

Meditation and Journaling Leads to Inspiration

Searching for new opportunities? Start by looking within.

Ommmm. Have you noticed how many people are adding meditation to their lives lately? From Clint Eastwood and Sir Paul McCartney to Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey, so many successful people swear by meditation’s many benefits. And it’s not just musicians, talk show hosts and movie stars who are jumping on the bandwagon— Inc. names 11 wildly successful entrepreneurs who swear by daily meditation, including LinkedIn’s CEO Jeff Weiner, talk show host Joe Rogan, and founder of Huffington Post Arianna Huffington.

Benefits of meditation

Studies have shown meditation’s ability to reduce stress, improve concentration and productivity, decrease depression, increase self-awareness, decrease pain, and even benefit cardiovascular and immune health. Plus, establishing a regular meditation practice can help build awareness and mindfulness. Living in this state of mind helps you take a step back from your inner critic — your judgmental, negative or emotional thoughts (about money, making a career change, going after your dreams, etc.) that can prevent you from moving forward — and move into a more expansive mindset that allows for creativity, innovation and intuition. Sounds pretty great, right?

I firmly believe that when you have a clear mind, you are open to more opportunities. You are instantly transported to a more creative zone, where repressed inspiration is more likely to come to the surface. You’re feeling free, so you’re more likely to explore new possibilities that you might otherwise dismiss as silly or far-fetched. When you’re open, the world is your oyster. You can let go of fear, say goodbye to the status quo and confidently reach for the stars.

My meditation practice

Over the years, Robert and I have become huge advocates of meditation. There are many forms of meditation you can explore to find the one that’s right for you — such as Transcendental, Kundalini, Qi Gong, and guided visualization — but, unsurprisingly, the form we gravitated toward is a bit different from the norm. We were introduced to something called Holosync by a colleague several years ago, and now use it to meditate every morning.

Holosync is a sophisticated form of neuro-audio technology that allows the listener to easily enter various desirable states, and create many desirable mental, emotional, and spiritual changes, through entrainment of electrical patterns in the brain. Essentially, this creates a synchronization, or balance, between brain hemispheres, enhancing mental/emotional health and mental functioning. The initial draw for us was that it can help a listener quickly enter and benefit from states of deep meditation (which was previously only available to those who spent many hours a day practicing meditation over many years).

Robert and I use this method of meditation to dig deep into our subconscious, because that’s where our reality and beliefs reside. The benefits of this daily practice have helped improve our business partnership because it’s helped us communicate better as a couple.

The power of journaling

Meditation isn’t the only way to discover more about yourself and practice positive rituals. As I talk about in It’s Rising Time!, our entire company took the Kolbe Index. Created by Kathy Kolbe, an expert on human instincts, this tool helps identify a person’s natural, innate and unchanging talents. It helped us put the right people in the right jobs so they could excel.

During the process, I discovered that I’m not a “natural organizer,” and by outsourcing my organization tasks to someone who loves to organize, I was able to accomplish more. Sometimes, it takes an outside source to show us our strengths and weaknesses.

But what do you do if you don’t have anyone you feel comfortable talking to or the funds to see a counselor or service that can help?

Well, have you ever journaled? It’s a very effective way to discover more about yourself and the environment you’re in. And all it takes is something to write with, a pad or notebook, and you!

Are you looking for answers?

Whenever I’m looking for an answer, have an issue I’m struggling with or just want to get more in touch with what’s really going on in my life, I write in my journal. It’s a form of meditation for me, and it may work for you too. But when you journal, there are two, key rules to remember:

1. It’s for your eyes only.

   When you write in your journal, write whatever you want, however you want. After all, you are the only person who is going to read it, and this is about you.

   Don’t analyze, question or filter anything. Write whatever you are feeling or want to get out of your system. This way, the truth will come out.

2. Keep writing.

   Write until you find the answers you are looking for and the issue is complete. There is no time limit and no restriction. And you’ll know when to stop writing. It will be a rising-time moment, and you’ll feel differently. You may be more relaxed, have a sense of calm, be excited about a particular idea, or feel something else depending on your specific situation.

The sky’s the limit

So, back to my “clear mind = open to opportunities” belief: I’ve learned throughout my life that enduring a major upset (like the time Robert and I were broke and homeless) leads to the greatest personal growth (it fueled our fire to make a change). The truth is, you simply don’t learn as much when things are easy and calm. We learn much more from failure than from success, which is why I preach that it’s OK to fail.

If you are having issues with your finances, business, personal life, and more, it’s time to focus on you and discover what you need to do to change things for the better. Whether it’s taking the Kolbe Index, talking to a friend, family member or counselor, meditating, or writing in a personal and private journal, get answers and find out the truth. And remember: You don’t need permission to make yourself a priority.

Our natural tendency is to resist this process because it can be painful, embarrassing or even depressing — I know first-hand how draining each of those emotions feels. But through meditation and journaling, I have been able to take that energy and become calmer and more peaceful. Once you achieve a state of peace, you’re automatically open to new possibilities. Whether you want to make a small change in your life or achieve financial freedom, I’d encourage you to give meditation and journaling a try and see what happens.

Remember, each of us is gifted and unique. Don’t let others, or even your own thoughts, sabotage your success. As I say in my book…

“This is your journey, your dream, your process. Make it true to you. It’s Rising Time!”