Once you have a bigger vision for yourself, how do you actually make it happen? Here’s how I’ve been working to train my brain for success (and a few of my favorite tools… in case you want to try them).
Video Transcript and Relevant Links
So we’ve been talking about intentionality for the last weeks and the idea of intentionally creating your life of designing what you want your life to look like. And then intentionally creating that. And last week we talked about planning and here we are in a new year, so it was all about planning the year.
Well, this time I want to talk about what I consider, for me, the cornerstone habit that drives an intentional life, that drives my life. And that’s meditation.
So, meditation is something that I’ve been doing for almost 20 years now. I’m not some amazing expert at it. I’m not a meditation teacher. There are times where I meditate more, and times where I meditate less. Last year, I decided, I said as an intention that I was going to meditate every day and I pretty much hit that. I missed … it was either two or three days that I missed all year long—so I got 362 days. And it made a really big difference in my life. It brought a lot more focus and a lot more calm and a lot more intentionality to my life.
It’s something that I think everyone should try. And I am not a meditation teacher. I am not an expert. But, I’ve done it a whole bunch. And what I know is, it’s not about sitting in silence and completely clearing your mind and never having a thought come to you. The real practice (I love that word practice), the real practice is that you’re in meditation and then thoughts do come to you. They come to everyone. No one can shut down their brain. Thoughts come to you, but then you come back. You come back, you notice you have that thought and then you come back.
That’s what meditation is and one of the things I love about meditation is… I think of it, I spend usually 10 minutes or 20 minutes (usually 20 minutes, but often sometimes 10)… that those 10 or 20 minutes, if I invest those each morning, they pay back an hour or two hours of productivity during the day because I can just be more focused.
So, one of the things that I love these days—different from when I first started—is there are some great apps that you can get on your phone that help you with the meditation. Because when I first started, it was always … I wasn’t sure how … I would just sit in silence, right? I wasn’t sure how long I was meditating and then there are all these sounds coming in and they would mess up … I’d hear people, I’d hear things and so when I put in some earbuds and an app, that helped out because it would time how long my meditation was and it would also, usually with most apps, it would help drown out some of the sounds. So it was fantastic.
I started off with this one app called Relax Melodies. And it just had a bunch of sounds, a bunch of white noise and it had timer and it had binaural beats. And that was really … and I used that for probably a better part of a decade.
Then I moved on to Headspace. Headspace, lots of great … lots of people using Headspace. Super cool app.
And then just for the last month or so, a month or two months, I’ve been using an app called Waking Up, which I’m a big fan of. Like I said, I’m just, I think about 40 days into it, big fan of Waking Up. So, you might want to try out one of those apps.
This, I think is a cornerstone habit because what you’re doing is you’re training your mind to be intentional. So if we’re talking about intentionality, I think having intentional thoughts is probably the key that creates that, that allows you to create every other intentional thing in your life. And that, to me, is what meditation does.
So I’m Jeff Walker. Wherever you’re watching this, scroll down, leave a comment for me, and let’s go get ‘em this week.
Kevin O.
Great advice and information. Will try one of these apps. Thanks!
Sandeep kumar
Solid advice… I ll definitely try these super cool app
Cris Kiouokiz
Yes Jeff, you are completely right!
I fully agree… using Apps is a good way of doing meditation.
And yes, meditation is really a power tool to create our reality!
By the way, I would like to say thank you for everything I learned with your PLF
janet
I have used various forms of meditation but moving on to Headspace enabled me to have a very regular practice morning and night no matter how busy or where I am. Bonus is sleeping well!
Janet Neustedter
Thanks Jeff! I have found it hard to start and it is one of my intentions this year to meditate. I will get the Ap!
Dean anthony
WOW thank you JEFF! Love the way you do top down, bottom up, specifics. It’s really true that the app designers are spending billions to capture our attention in their content/agenda. Fortnight has managed to make 1.5 million per day (just on the iOS) creating a game that stimulates endorphins and consuming countless hours for what? Playing a “game”. My daughter spends 3-6 hrs a day and she’s 17 so i have decided to be intentional about doing something about it. I’m not sure what to do but I’m going to find out…any advice would be appreciated . Thanks dean
Mor Maty Seck
I wish you a long life and good health to continue to help the world. Happy New Year!
R Fowler
Jeff Walker, what a service you have chosen to do. Sharing the art of meditation with your people, opening hearts and eyes to the vision and value of this inner work is a profound decision. Undoubtedly it will lead to inspired creativity, expansive connectedness and a deepening of purpose and value. Namaste dear One. Thank you.
Kevin
The ROI on meditation when it comes to focus and productivity is massive. If you run a business, or just want to really experience your life more fully, meditation is a ‘must do’. Great post Jeff!
Muhammad Idris
Hey Jeff, thanks a bunch, from Nigeria and new to meditation. Will try one of those apps. Talk some other time.
Jeff Jones
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for another intentional episode.
Have been using Headspace for more than five years and I’m also a fan. I look forward to trying the other apps you’ve recommended.
Jeff
Sara T
Hi Jeff,
I agree that the practice of meditation can change your life. Another app I love often use (and is even free) is Insight Timer.
I always look forward to your Sunday wisdom. Thanks!
Sara
Christine G.
Insight Timer is an AMAZING meditation app and it is FREE! They are introducing a few paid items, but unlike Headspace, you can use most of their meditations without a charge for the app or for the meditations. I LOVE it!
Chris Hatton
I use Insight Timer too! It is AMAZING. Thank You for sharing it.
Wendy Raebeck
Thumbs up! Funny how it all seems to come down to good habits.
When I wrote ‘Some Swamis are Fat’ (pen-name Ava Greene) originally as a journal, back in 1998, I was just working through some stuff. But whenever I re-read the book cover to cover, I realize it’s about meditation. That’s what I kept leaning back into my quest. (Plus I was teaching yoga and meditation at the time, hello.)
Now I think of it more as a grounding practice, where every day at one or two points I stop…. rest my mind….and feel life itself. I always gently realize a thing or two, and tap into the magic and beauty of it all. It’s so reassuring and actually thrilling.
Knowing it’s a cornerstone of your life, Jeff, explains how you sail along as steadily as you do! Glad you shared that.
Irena
I want use one of meditation app you mentioned, Spacehead is my first choice.
Thanks Jeff
Irena
Norma Brumbaugh
I’ve never used an app during meditation, but I do appreciate the gift meditating is in my life. Mine is focused on spiritual concepts, which enhance the experience for me. I call my daily alone time of meditating, Silent Sacred Space. It is a key essential in my life and so I’ve written about its practice many times. Like you, it takes intentional choice on my part. The day seems empty when I skip its practice. I love absorbing the goodness of beauty that breathes life into my being. Good stuff. Thank you.
Casey Demchak
Great stuff, Jeff. I meditate daily as well. I love to use the time to relax my mind, breathe, and ask questions. What happens for me is when I ask questions within a day the answers will flow to me through my intuition. This is great because I’m a big believer that we don’t make our best decisions, we FEEL them. Casey
Anthony
Meditation is truly the key to keep the mind intentionally awake.
. I will try your practical principle on meditation this 2019.
Thanks a lot .
Anne
yes I will try one on these .Thanks
Gloria Hamilten
So, so true what you said about the benefits of meditation, Jeff. Daily, I meditate, varying lengths, depends on what’s going on in my life.
Thank you for those apps.
Jeff
I had trouble meditating for years, but have finally figured out what works for me over the last 8-years or so…for me it was two things:
1. Background: I am not good with guided meditations and find trying to meditate to the sound of your own breath, heartbeat, or someone’s voice doesn’t work. What DOES work for me are white noise sounds – the best of which is repetitive ocean waves crashing on shore. The repetition helps me to really reach a good mind state for meditation
2. How I thought about meditation – my understanding USED to be that you end up in some magical quiet space quickly when you meditate…the reality is the first few minutes (sometimes more…depending on the day) it can be incredibly “noisy” as you attempt to quiet your mind and that this is completely NATURAL…and rather than fight it, let it happen and slowly keep bringing yourself around to rising above the noise (one suggestion is to literally see yourself floating above – as if you are a higher power looking down on your life – to get a more objective view on what is going on.) When I was taught this it really made sense for me and helped me to finally have effective meditation sessions. Maybe that will help some others who have struggled.
Jeff
Ntathu
Ohhh will check out Waking Up. Have you tried Insight Timer, has a wonderful selection of meditations and insightful talks. Thank you
Steve Greentree
Jeff, I have downloaded the app.
Carrie
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for the series of videos about intentionally. I really appreciate your generosity of spirit and wisdom, and you kind, thoughtful delivery.
I feel cared for when you deliver your videos, and you make my life better through your sharing.
Many thanks & best wishes for the new year.
Laura B
Hi Jeff,
I agree! I think meditation can really help us to focus in our sometimes chaotic lives.
I want to add though that even though I think 20 minutes of meditation is great, I may not always have time for 20 minutes so I do 2 minutes. That might not seem like a lot but in a crazy day, that makes a big difference.
I highly recommend the book, Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan. It’s a very practical look at meditation and mindfulness from a former engineer at Google. It’s also a very entertaining read.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts – I think this series on Designing an Incredible life is extremely helpful! Thank you!
peter mutaftschiev
SO right!
On a strict productivity basis (ROI, etc.) meditation is “worth it”. Meditate 20 minutes every day, feel good about yourself for 6 hours (and in control…which is super important for intentionality), work super fast because your brain is clear and calm. That’s it. Thanks Jeff. and Happy New Year.
Kate
Thank you Jeff for you bright and inspiring ideas!
I use some guided meditation as well some times – it helps to understand what is the process and how I expect to feel myself while I’m doing it.
Damon
Great video this lets me know I am on the right path. Mindset development, meditation and coaching has been the focus of my company for some time. Sometimes it takes longer than you want, I realized I needed to grow more as person to run such a company!
You may remember me Jeff from you mastermind a few years back.
Great video as usual!
John Michael Christian
Thanks for the great information on intentionality Jeff.. good stuff!
I started meditating when I was in my early 20s (I’m now 69) and stopped at 25 when I got married and didn’t start again until I was 44 after my wife died.. and I noticed something that was both amazing and very helpful after having done that. The first thing I realized in retrospect was that I wasn’t nearly as focused or Present when I wasn’t meditating during the time I was married, (my wife didn’t meditate so I didn’t either) and I also found after I started again that the effectiveness of my meditation had a direct correlation to my intention.
Initially in my 20s my intention was to attain enlightenment, but I didn’t really accomplish much because I wasn’t focused on that as my intention (as Tony Robbins says, I didn’t have a big enough “Why”), but after I started again the second time I did it because my life had completely fallen apart and that time it was not only to attain enlightenment, but I was also powerfully driven to heal myself.
Long story short, I discovered after my intention was focused and powerful that I would go into meditation (I did a “Third Eye” meditation focusing my eyes inwardly on the point between the eyebrows) and often I’d come out of it feeling like I’d been meditating for 15 or 20 minutes, but to my great surprise it was often over 4 and sometimes over 5 hours. I also discovered that when I came out I was in a deep state of peace and bliss, so much so that birds and wild animals would often come and sit next to me because I was so peaceful.
I still do meditation twice daily.. but I no longer need to do it for hours because it only takes a few minutes now to attain the same state that used to take hours because my brain and body have become “rewired” to a different state of being. I also now have a life again as a spiritual teacher and abundance coach, so I’m grateful for that or I’d never get anything done. 🙂
Cahir
It’s a great idea to meditate. I’ve done TM for a long time. I’ve tried other things bit TM is the one. It takes to that quiet place where you can be part of the Great Soul. It releases incredible creative energy. Clarity of mind was non existent in my life till I did TM.
Chris Hatton
This probably is my favorite part of the Designing An Incredible Life series. I started meditating about 33 years ago. I notice when I miss a day. I don’t react to things the way I should. I get scattered and and I’m not as clear. It’s not profound. It’s not like I get spun out or anything like that. I just catch myself reacting in a more stressful unfocused way thus my reasoning isn’t as sharp. That’s the only way I can explain it. I also take a nootropic stack. In fact, I’ve created a formula for my stack and I’m going to be selling it soon. That’s how AND why I became interested in The Product Launch Formula. I’m going to use your formula to launch my nootropic supplement! My supplement has 8 nootropics and will help support focus, memory, anxiety and more. Very excited I discovered your Product Launch Formula!
Justin
As a meditator since 1980, I’m so happy to hear you state this so clearly to a wide business audience. It’s been my secret sauce throughout my career, but I’m now being much more deliberate about letting the secret out. Just practice meditation as a consistent discipline and it is a tonic (perhaps the best) for the body, mind and spirit. Oh, and bonus icing on the cake: some of the most creative thinking you will do will arise ‘out of nowhere’ during mediation.
Nikki
If anyone finds it difficult to meditate, keep looking for something that suits where you’re at right now. It could be an app, it could be just paying attention to your breath or finding a guided meditation. Whatever works for you!
Carol Joyous
Meditation makes all the difference in my day! In addition to inspired creativity, the ROI includes a sense of calmness, grounding, and I feel like I have more time in my days. I love trying different meditation approaches. I’ll try the apps you mention! Thanks, Jeff!