Badassery Magazine Issue 6 | Page 13

Entrepreneurship causes us to leave our bodies and spend way too much in our heads. We forget to eat food, or drink water, or sleep properly. Mindfulness helps us entrepreneurs pay attention to our bodies, and take care of ourselves even in the heat of business success. MINDFULNESS REMINDS US THAT THE JOURNEY IS WHAT MATTERS Humans have a tendency to focus on the juiciness of the results, rather than the mundane-ness of the journey. Mindfulness helps remind us that each moment towards the journey is more important and precious than some end-result (that might never actually arrive, as nothing is perfect, and nothing ever ends). Using mindfulness, we start paying attention to each moment as it comes at us. We stop worrying about hitting a certain result, and we think more about what is going on in each moment that is taking us there. That kind of present-moment thinking ensures we aren’t always living in some far off non-existent future. Entrepreneurs spend way too much time living in that far-off future of more profits, more clients, and more success. Mindfulness helps us come back to Earth, and grounds us in the present moment. MINDFULNESS IS ALL ABOUT APPRECIATING AND LOVING OURSELVES AS WE ARE Too many of us hate ourselves in the present. We tell ourselves we will love ourselves when we are thinner, or richer, or taller. We are too critical of ourselves. Instead of seeing all the unique strengths that we have, we tend to focus on our weaknesses. Mindfulness helps reminds us that we are perfect as we are in this moment. We learn to love ourselves in this moment as we are. The future me might be wiser than me or better than me in some way, but I can still learn to love myself in this moment right now. Entrepreneurs are perfectionists, and we have a tendency to want to be someone else. Comparison is a disorder that seems to affect every entrepreneur. Mindfulness teaches us that we may be imperfect in so many ways, but in this moment right now, we are worthy of love. MINDFULNESS IS ALL ABOUT JOY ABOUT THE MUNDANE Life is a series of mundane moments. But humans are thrill-seekers. We want the bright and shiny moments, filled with adrenaline and excitement. We tend to ignore and move right past all of these mundane moments that make up most of our days. But life is actually about these mundane Wednesday afternoons where you are sitting reading a book while your partner sits on the couch next to you snoring (or whatever the scene might look like). MINDFULNESS REMINDS US THAT THESE MUNDANE EVERYDAY MOMENTS ARE WHAT MATTER Each moment needs to be loved and treasured, no matter if it seems not as shiny as the next. Entrepreneurs have a tendency to devalue the mundane moments in which they are working on mundane, boring tasks (there are a lot of these in business). But these mundane moments and tasks make up a business. We need to savour them and remember each of them in our long journey. MINDFULNESS IS ALL ABOUT FOCUSING ON RELATIONSHIPS IN THE NOW With so much choice on the planet with regards to our choice of friends or relationships, it is easy to brush right past all of our current friendships and relationships. We become desensitized to what is in front of us right now. We forget to appreciate the people who are in our lives right now, always seeking the next thrilling relationship. We forget that these people who are in our lives right now will definitely not be around forever (death gets us all in the end). MINDFULNESS HELPS US APPRECIATE EACH MOMENT WITH EVERYONE IN OUR LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT Entrepreneurs get distracted by business, and stop spending time with their loved ones. They believe they will have time once they are success 12