5 Top Mindfulness Practices (For solopreneurs)

🗣 Quote of the Week:

"The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it." — Thich Nhat Hanh

I never understood this idea until the day I felt it. Until I committed so deeply to being present without wishing things were different.

In that state, joy is a natural byproduct.

In this week’s dose, I share the 5 ways I practice mindfulness to remain present & calm while trying to grow a one-person business.

One of the hardest things about leaving a 9-5 to start my own business has been setting my schedule and remaining focused. With total freedom to structure my day, my mind loves to wander, often struggling to stay focused.

It’s been a challenge balancing the urge to be more productive with allowing my mind to rest, be still, and think. Struggling with depression has taught me how important it is to create time throughout the day for processing.

To create a ritual of recognizing when I’m getting off center and taking immediate action as a pattern interrupt.

To allow my feelings to flow through me (to not just bury & ignore them).

And do so by creating opportunities for mental spaciousness.

It’s important that I think creatively and keep a wide perspective throughout my day. Stress, overwhelm, and anxiety all inhibit my creative juices.

Here are 5 core practices I do each day to help me stay present & focused:

1. Morning meditation:

Meditation has become the most important anchor in my day.

It helps me in 2 key ways.

First, it centers me.

I start with a few rounds of breathwork + breath holds, then I focus my awareness on every part of my body and the space around me.

I work to drop deeper and deeper into my awareness.

The more aware I am, the quieter my mind gets, and the more peace/love/stillness I feel.

This looks like being aware of my thoughts and then being aware of the part of me that is aware of my thoughts… until I get to a space where I am totally still & present.

It’s how I realign myself and get ready for the next part.

Second, I visualize my day.

I’m driven to build a company with a big impact on people’s lives.

It’s important that I prime myself into a peak state as best I can.

I see myself as a high-level athlete prepping for competition.

I visualize how I want to show up, how to be the best expression of myself, how I’ll handle hard situations, and what I’m going to get done.

Most importantly, I visualize how I want to feel during it all.

It’s imperative to visualize myself as the person who does all of these things at a high level effortlessly.

I always visualize myself coming from a place of calm, confidence, & peace VS a place of fear.

Each morning, I meditate for 30-60 minutes upon waking up (before jiu-jitsu).

Some evenings, I meditate before bed.

There's no wrong way to start. 

2. Journaling:

Anytime I feel like I’m in a survival state - stuck, confused, overwhelmed, frustrated, anxious, sad - I write.

Simply writing my thoughts down allows them to be seen & heard.

Getting these to paper allows these heavy feelings to flow - instead of staying stuck, which happens when we bottle it up inside.

It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes “What’s coming is going.”

Our feelings & emotions come to us for a reason → to teach us something. They don’t want to be held captive by us (which happens when we refuse to experience or process them), they want to flow and stay in motion.

When I allow feelings to move, as opposed to stay stuck, it immediately frees up mental space and helps me focus on what I need to get done.

3. Slow Nasal Breathing:

I discounted the power of breath for years until I took a friend’s 60-min breathwork class, and I felt like I was floating with an empty mind for 3 hours afterward.

In Zen, there’s a simple practice of breathing deeply into the space below your belly button. It’s a way of breathing with your diaphragm (not your upper chest, which is what we do when in fight or flight) and encourages slow deep breaths to help create a sense of stillness.

I breathe only through my nose and focus on a slow, controlled pace.

The great part about this is you can do it anywhere, anytime.

Now, it’s second nature to tune in to my breathing at any given moment. Always checking on my cadence and depth.

4. Presencing:

Presencing is the act of noting whatever I’m feeling… without judgment.

I may say things out loud like, “Anxious. Analyzing. Overwhelmed. Judging.” which helps me separate myself from my thoughts.

It’s a subtle way to remind myself that I am not my thoughts, I am simply aware of them (witness consciousness). This has been a great way to not get swept away by intrusive thoughts.

Something about calling out what we’re feeling (again, facing the storm not trying to run from it) takes the heaviness out of it.

5. Awareness (15-Second Game):

When I’m feeling caught up in a big task list, a sense of urgency, or like I need to be productive it’s a warning sign that my survival mind is activated.

I’ll pause for 15 seconds and become aware of my surroundings while slowing down my breath.

I’ll become aware of the temperature in the room, sensations on my skin, air flowing through my nose, lighting, or any sounds I’m picking up.

It’s been a simple way to cultivate calm immediately.

I find myself feeling a deeper connection with my physical space when I do this - which also brings me an underlying sense of joy.

You can’t wait to feel calm, stillness, presence, or at peace with your life.

You have to be intentional and cultivate it every day.

The good news is that it’s your nature - those things are already within you.

You just have to allow yourself to settle.

To sit through the initial discomfort that comes when you place your awareness on what you’re feeling inside.

Stop running from your discomfort.

Create your calm. 

Tim 🖤

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