Years ago, I decided to try meditating. I was nearing the end of my master's program, balancing a full-time load of work and school, and what I didn’t realize at the time, was operating at an all-time high level of burnout. Intuitively, I knew I needed to find stillness. But sitting down and meditating wasn’t as easy as it sounded. I barely made it through a two-minute guided meditation! I gave it my best try and dabbled here and there. I wrote a blog about it if you want to read more. 

It wasn’t until later, through a different job, that I embraced meditation. I felt overwhelmed in the mornings thinking about my day ahead- all the meetings, client calls, and presentations kept me out of my comfort zone. One day, I sat down to give that meditating thing a try (again). I walked through all the scheduled meetings and imagined my participation. I considered how I would justify my strategies, and even ran through some slides I would later be presenting. As the day progressed, I remember feeling oddly ready for it. I noticed my participation in meetings was much more confident, and I managed my time and workload more efficiently. You could say I moved through my day without dragging my feet. I had a clear vision and only had to execute it.  

Even though I found it helpful, it still didn’t become a habit until the next job! This time, I was on the leadership team. In this position, I provided a high degree of support to a developing and quickly evolving organization. You could say it was a chaotic environment. I realized I had to meditate and center myself to avoid getting swept up by the day. Meditation finally became a consistent practice for me and the subtle ways it has changed my life over time are consistent reminders of how beneficial this practice can be. 

Whether you’ve tried meditation or not, whether it’s a daily practice or not, I’m inviting you on a 21-day meditation challenge! 

I’ve prepared 21 prompts, that I’ll deliver to your inbox. These prompts will be useful in providing something to ponder and consider while meditating. No, you don’t have to sit with an empty mind while meditating. You just have to practice taking a pause and being mindful of distractions. Often while I’m meditating, an “urgent” task will pop into my mind. My challenge is to be patient when that happens. To resist the urge to act on the task. To trust that my time is well spent in the moment, and continue with my meditation. This is a practice that over time you will see reflected in how you respond to situations at work and other aspects of your life.

As you move through this 21-Day Meditation Challenge, stay connected with Link on social media and update your progress by sharing pics, thoughts, and reflections using #linkmeditationmoments with the Link community!