…to convince you to meditate, you may want to note that even influential people take a few moments out of their day to do so.
Introduction
Stress is inevitable at work: virtually every career requires you to deal with approaching deadlines and a mountain of responsibilities.
However, addressing this stress is necessary if you want to prevent bigger problems like burnout.
My popular blog post, Meditate Regularly to Improve Your Creativity and Focus, highlights that meditation is more than relaxation.
It can improve your creativity and focus through divergent thinking—a problem-solving technique that involves viewing things from multiple perspectives.
It helps you come up with new ideas for problem-solving and increases your focus on your craft.
If this isn’t enough to convince you to meditate, you may want to note that even influential people take a few moments out of their day to do so.
Below are a few of them:
1. Daniel Negreanu
Poker involves immense concentration. Keeping a good eye on others’ body language and focusing on your next moves bring you closer to success.
This is why professional poker player Daniel Negreanu meditates to calm himself in high-tension environments, allowing him to stay grounded.
It clearly works for him: to date, he holds six World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour titles.
He was even inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2017 as a testament to his skills.
Meditate like him through activities like journaling, yoga, and daily reading.
2. Arianna Huffington
Managing major companies like The Huffington Post and Thrive Global is no joke.
It involves countless meetings and attention to detail, enticing businesswoman Arianna Huffington to meditate.
She once fainted due to burnout, leading her to develop a plan to fight it using 60-90 second breathing exercises, stretching, and reading inspirational quotes.
This gives her time to reduce stress and regain her focus.
Today, Huffington remains prosperous as a CEO, co-founder, and author of fifteen books.
Like her, you can practice breathing breaks between tasks to realign yourself.
3. Naomi Osaka
The professional sports industry is demanding, and world-renowned tennis player Naomi Osaka can attest to this fact.
She once worried about being called weak when she withdrew from the 2021 French Open, despite having numerous achievements like two US Open and two Australian Open titles.
This was when she realized the role of mental wellness as an athlete, enticing her to develop a guided meditation session with the app Core.
Osaka is sharing her meditation practices on the app—including breathing exercises—for people struggling to concentrate and ground themselves.
Similarly, you can use a meditation app to kickstart your meditation journey.
4. Will Smith
Even if you’re not an avid movie-watcher, you probably know actor Will Smith.
The household name famous for movies like ‘Men In Black’ and ‘I Am Legend’ wanted to be the biggest movie star in the world, which is why he set goals through meditation.
Smith gets up at 4 a.m every day to read and meditate on specific ideas.
Meditation gives him control and settles his mind, effectively putting his thoughts into action.
Now, he’s one of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Like him, you can consider taking the time daily to concentrate on your goals and concrete ways to achieve them.
5. Faker (Lee Sang Hyeok)
The world of esports is competitive. Intense focus and self-control are needed since participants play as a team with one goal.
That’s why professional gamer Faker (whose real name is Lee Sang Hyeok) meditates and stretches before games, as he believes patience and concentration are non-negotiables in esports.
His efforts have paid off: he’s achieved several wins, including three World Championships and two Mid-Season Invitationals in the game League of Legends.
Conclusion
Before starting your tasks, you can also consider calming yourself down by meditating to eliminate distractions and body tensions, and to maximize focus.
There’s no doubt that meditation can help you achieve your goals.
Like the above influential people, you can practice meditation through yoga, journaling, or stretching today to improve your craft.
