Building a Better Work Break

How does meditation fit into the corporate environment? Is meditation simply a relaxation technique or is it something far more significant and powerful? To answer that question, I will pose a question: what is the most powerful human ability?

Contrary to popular opinion that our strength lies within our physicality, I would argue that intention is the most powerful human ability. Merriam-Webster defines intention as “a determination to act in a certain way: resolve.” Intent is our purpose and our ability to make things happen. Intent is the engine or the force of will that is able to take an inspiration and follow it through to completion. A team with resolve is unlimited and unstoppable. Although some would also argue that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. So resolve must begin with the individual. It is a mental capability that is learnable, although our society seems bent on dishing up more distractions than we can handle.

Intent is our laser-beam of focus that shirks all hint of doubt that a thing can or cannot be done. The difference between an excellent athlete and an extraordinary athlete, all things considered, is actually found in the mind. Extraordinary athletes have cultivated their minds to eliminate all trace of doubt. Yes, they train their bodies, but they don’t stop there. They repetitively visualize their participation in their sport. They visualize and feel themselves crossing the finish line or standing on the winner’s podium. They have exercised and cultivated their intent with the same degree of discipline with which they practice their sport. The most successful humans have always utilized a razor-sharp intent. More important than education, opportunity or resource is our ability to exercise our intent.

In a society that has cultivated ubiquitous distraction, how can we learn to develop a strong and healthy sense of intent? The first step is being able to control the input and output of our thinking machines. Most people have the erroneous impression that meditation is about “not thinking.” Meditation is less about trying to stop thinking so much as it is cultivating an awareness of what the thinking activity actually is. Our stream of thoughts, by and large, are a byproduct of the machinery of our minds. There is an element of our thinking that feels automatic, as if the thoughts are actually thinking themselves. They often manifest as an endless stream of mental chatter and are typically meaningless, or worse, negative and harmful. This stream of mental chatter can be thought of as an inefficient computer program that takes up much of the processing power of a computer.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who is clearly quite distracted? They are easily distracted by outside environmental influences and by their own internal chatter. We walk away from these engagements knowing that the other person wasn’t paying attention to us and likely won’t remember much, if anything, of our conversation. This is a hallmark of an inefficient mind. Sure, we all have moments like that, but as far as our work performance is concerned or the performance of our employees, it doesn’t bode well. If we need to discuss surgical options with a physician and find they are easily distractible, we would have little confidence in their abilities.

Meditation is an activity that allows us to gain some distance between the automatic stream of thoughts and the observing part of our minds. In the beginning, it may feel difficult to sense any separation between these two aspects of our minds. But, as we continue with our practice, we really begin to feel the separation and are able to start the task of deciphering which thoughts we claim as our own and which thoughts are of no value. This is the task that primes our mind to begin to better handle distractions. This practice also results in better stress and emotional management. A focused mind that is equipped to manage stress, distractions and emotional states is also a mind that is primed for receiving inspiration. In our new focused state, we now have the intent necessary to see our inspired ideas through to completion.

Is meditation an appropriate activity in the work place? How do employees spend their break time? Smoking is passé, but the need for taking a break is arguably more relevant today than ever. Our information streams (internet, email, cell phones, etc.) are omnipresent and constant, inviting and encouraging us to engage in multi-tasking to the point that our focus is scattered beyond the point of maximum performance. In a world where our attention is sought from every direction, what is the impact of our diminished focus? How does this lack of focus affect our abilities, memories, performance and fulfillment or satisfaction? Do we even have the ability to set appropriate boundaries and gain clarity or are we just responding to each email chime in the moment and diffusing our productivity in the process?

As it stands, the modern-day non-smoke break typically involves engaging in social media. Sounds harmless enough, but is it? What are the ramifications of scrolling through Facebook during break time? We see it as an opportunity to disconnect from the stress of our lives for a momentary distraction, no different from watching a few minutes of TV. We argue that it allows us to feel connected to others, however, it is a disingenuous connection, and what is worse, it facilitates unplugging from our own lives. At a minimum, we know that these activities do not nourish or replenish us. What is coming to light, however, is that social media is insidious and addictive.

We log on and become voyeurs in others’ lives, yet we should stop to question what we are truly experiencing. The content that we deem worthy of sharing online is suspect. It includes the somewhat manufactured highlights of our lives, taken completely out of context. These social media highlights are strung together in a way that is lopsided and out of balance with what real life is like. Our first-day-of-school photos of our kids dressed in their finest are positioned such that the dirty breakfast dishes are out of sight and no mention is made of the harsh words that were required to motivate our kids out of their summer-time reverie. As we scroll through these daily highlights, we may feel a gnawing sense of dissatisfaction and insufficiency, coming to the erroneous, if not unconscious, conclusion that our lives pale in comparison to others.

Ironically, what social media can accomplish is a fulfillment of our indwelling need for focus. As we scroll, stare and disengage from our lives, we tune out everything around us. What meditation in the workplace does is offer individuals an opportunity to spend some of their daily break time in an activity that is actually uplifting and nourishing. For an employer, the decision to cultivate a work-place culture that appreciates and facilitates a focused mind is what will set a company apart from its competitors for the long haul. Beyond mere gimmicks and short-term accolades and rewards, it is what creates an unstoppable flow of inspiration and the necessary intent that puts that inspiration into motion.

Yours in focus,

Janet Chambers

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