Badassery Magazine Issue 6 | Page 12

MINDFULNESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP by Boom Shikha F ear is a big part of every entrepreneur’s journey. When I first started my mindfulness practice 8 years ago, I had no idea that it would be such a useful practice in my entrepreneurial journey as well as everything else I was doing in my life. I actually began meditating to help me become more at peace with myself, who I was, and where I was going in life. I wanted meditation to help me build my patience gene, which seemed to be missing in spades. When I first started my business five months ago, I realized meditation and mindfulness would be absolutely crucial in helping me in my entrepreneurial journey. Some of the primary ways mindfulness has helped me in my journey are as follows: MINDFULNESS IS ALL ABOUT STAYING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT The more in the moment you are, the more you are 11 able to appreciate the freshness of each moment. All we really have this moment right now. Nothing else matters. The past and future are all illusions. Entrepreneurship needs that mindset. Stop focusing on the end result and focus on what is going on right now - focus on what you can do right now to impact your business and life. MINDFULNESS IS ALL ABOUT STAYING PRESENT IN YOUR BODY Most of us run away from the present moment by lo oking to the future (or the past). We run away from the present moment by not paying attention to what is going on in our bodies right now. We don’t pay attention to the minute aches and pains. We don’t think about how fast our heart beats when we feel fear about something particular. Or how relaxed we feel after a particular chance encounter. Mindfulness helps us pay attention to all of this.