The Power of Meditation

Hey Everyone,

So today I am going to talk about the power of meditation, and how implementing meditation into my life has impacted my life.  This is not going to be one of those science blogs where an expert is spewing facts that tells you to meditate or else, but instead I am just going to share with you my personal first experience with meditation.  

I started mediating for only 10 minutes a day a little over a week ago, and I have personally witnessed a difference not only in my stress levels, but also experienced a much clearer mind, and greater sense of focus. Throughout my life I always heard about the benefits of meditating whether it was in a class at school, from my personal mentors, or in a article I found while browsing the internet.  Even though I knew the positives of mediating I had never truly acted.  One day last week I just said heck it and downloaded the app called "Headspace".  I then went to my desk in my room and shut the door. (I was scared that one of my roommates would come home and give me crap about meditating).   Once I was in my secure place I proceeded by starting the recorded audio sessions, and the rest was history! 

After a measly 10 minutes of; sitting in my red spinning chair, eyes closes, hands resting in my lap, feet firm on the ground, and the audio playing.  I felt this extreme feeling of relief that I have never experiences in my 4+ years of college.  For the first time in a long time my mind was at ease, my body felt rested, and I could truly think clearly about what I needed to accomplish.  (I wish I did this years ago) After ignoring the books, mentors, and experts for so long I had finally experienced the power of meditation for myself, and let me tell you it was AMAZING!

My final thought for you is to say "Heck It" to something that you have been putting off in your life, and try something new.  It does not have to be meditating!  Maybe you will say heck it and finally ask out that girl you've had a crush on,  or maybe it is starting woodworking as hobby.  You never know what is going to happen until you take that risk.  Who knows maybe you will find your future wife, or the career pathway that is absolutely meant for you! 

Crazy Morning Routines from Young professionals!

Hello Everyone,

Earlier in my blogs I talked about the morning routine of CEO Strauss Zelnick.  Zelnick is only one of many people who treat their morning routine as an essential part of life.
Here is a list of "(slightly insane) morning routines of these top professionals 35 and under."

Full list of  morning routines

If you do not want to read the full list I found a couple morning routines trends;

• Work out 
• Meditate 
• Eat avocado and toast 
• Read/listen/write positive things

Below is two morning routines that I feel like I could adopt in my future.

Kevin Lavelle runs the men's fashion company Mizzen + Main with his wife (and dogs). So, yes, they also all start the day together.

Lavelle eats the same thing for breakfast every day — scrambled eggs with veggies, bacon, fruit, orange juice and coffee — to simplify the start of his day with one less decision.

Since he and wife, Jen, run the company together, they usually cook breakfast together and watch MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Kevin, 30, typically gets up at 5:30 a.m. in order to make it to his CrossFit gym by 6 a.m. Jen typically joins him, but is taking a hiatus from morning workouts for the duration of her pregnancy.

Not only do the Lavelles get to work together, they also load up their dogs and bring them to work.

The dogs often join us for a morning meeting.

Mark Luckie, the head of media and journalism at Reddit, spends up to 30 minutes deciding what to wear. It's worth it, he says.

Luckie, 33, makes sure to leave time for two priorities in his morning routine: a 32-minute meditation session and time to pick out the outfit of the day.

“I take what I wear very seriously, so sometimes it takes up to an additional 20 to 30 minutes to put together an outfit,” Luckie said. “How I dress dictates my mood and vice versa so the time is totally worth it.”

Luckie said his meditation practice helps him plan for the day and solve problems he may be facing. It also provides great ideas, so he keeps a notebook by his bed to jot them down.

While drinking a glass of juice — he rarely eats breakfast — Luckie catches up on the morning news by scanning Twitter, Reddit and trending bot sites like Latest.isand Nieman Lab Fuego.

Scenes from his morning:

Meditating for 32 minutes. ("Because of scheduling, I tend to live my life in 30 minute increments; 32 minutes reminds me to shake things up a little and squeeze in an extra idea or two.")