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advertisement Chapter 59 of the book Self-Help Stuff That Works by Adam Khan: Getting Paid to Meditate IN MOST DISCIPLINES of meditation, the first thing a student learns is how to concentrate. The Master gives the students techniques. In some cases, students may be instructed to count their breath. In other cases, they are given a word to repeat over and over. Sometimes they hold a visual image in the mind’s eye or focus all their thoughts on a candle’s flame. There are hundreds of different techniques, but they all have one aim in mind: to teach students to hold their attention on one thing and prevent their attention from wandering away to other, more interesting things. But this is America. The meditation practice of sitting still for long periods of time may have been perfectly appropriate for an unmarried, childless Brahmin priest who was a member of a caste that was supported by the government, but you and I have to make our own living. We don’t have such an enormous privilege of time and guaranteed income. We need to be up and doing. And there’s a lot to be done. The ability to concentrate is the core ability, the essential skill. Control your attention and you control your mind. But the discipline to control your attention doesn’t have to be done sitting still. It can be done with anything — including your job. Your job can become a “spiritual” discipline. The practice is simply to keep your attention on your work. And unless it’s a challenging part of your job that compels your attention, your mind will tend to wander, just as it does in meditation. You’ll get distracted. You may get sidetracked with a daydream or playing a computer game or talking on the phone. In some studies, researchers found that while people were at work, fully 25 percent of the time they weren’t actually working. The practice of meditation is to bring the mind back to the task every time it wanders. Over and over and over again. This is meditation. Do that with your work, and you are meditating. Do it often and you will slowly but steadily increase your ability to concentrate. You can make any job challenging with this technique. Let’s call it the Productive Meditation Technique. Simply do your job with the intention of paying attention to what you’re supposed to be doing. When you notice you have gotten off track, get back to the purpose. Get crystal clear on the purpose and function of your job and the part it plays in the overall scheme of things, and then pay that purpose all of your attention. Your mind will wander. When you notice you’ve strayed from the purpose, bring yourself back. Again and again. advertisement Then take the practice home. Sweep the floors or listen to someone you love as a meditation. Whenever your thoughts wander, bring them back. Practice mowing the lawn with your full attention. Cook dinner with your full attention. Talk to your child with your full attention. This ability to keep your mind here in this moment is not a trivial skill. It may not get you reincarnated as a higher being, but it will make you more alive right here and now. When you notice your mind has wandered, bring it back to the task at hand. Self-esteem should be intimately tied to integrity. If it isn't, the self-esteem is a farce. How to Like Yourself More Why do people in general (and you in particular) not feel happier than our grandparents felt when they had far fewer possessions and conveniences than we now have? We've Been Duped What is the most powerful self-help technique on the planet? What single thing can you do that will improve your attitude, improve the way you deal with others, and also improve your health? Find out here. Where to Tap Would you like to be emotionally strong? Would you like to have that special pride in yourself because you didn't whimper or whine or collapse when things got rough? There is a way, and it's not as difficult as you'd think. Think Strong In some cases, a feeling of certainty can help. But there are many more circumstances where it is better to feel uncertain. Strange but true. Blind Spots When some people get smacked around by life, they give in and let life run them over. But some people have a fighting spirit. What's the difference between these two and why does it make a difference? Find out here. Fighting Spirit Learn how to prevent yourself from falling into the common traps we are all prone to because of the structure of the human brain: Thoughtical Illusions top table of contents | immediate relief of negative feelings | making changes stick share your favorite principle | my book

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