A reporter once asked Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "If there were anything you would do differently in your life, what would that be?" Surprisingly, Dr. King didn't say he would take up a different cause or use other tactics or strategies for the causes he led. Instead, he said, "I would have meditated more."
Some form of meditation is a crucial practice for people who have achieved success, and a means to deepen presence, gain insight, and reduce stress. It is one of the daily routines of highly evolved people. We should practice it before leaving home or undertaking any significant task or project.
An employee was agitated that one of his co-workers stared out the window all day and didn't do any work. To make things worse, his boss gave this nonworker a raise. The raise caused the already upset employee to become more distressed. So, he went to his boss and said, "I don't understand this. I work very hard every day. And yet you raise this other guy's pay, and all he does is stare out the window all day. It's unfair." The boss replied, "Please don't disturb him. I don’t want to see him working. The last time that guy stared out the window like that, he came up with the idea that helped make this company an extra $1 million."
Whether he knew it or not, that seemingly unproductive worker was practicing meditation. His focused attention took him beyond the rim of limited thinking and enabled him to tap into universal knowledge and wisdom. One of my spiritual teachers told me that if he had to pick one practice above all others, it would be meditation. Many great inventors, thinkers, and artists throughout history have practiced techniques that helped to liberate themselves from ordinary thinking to achieve extraordinary creativity. They include:
Sir Isaac Newton gazed at the stars for hours. When he did that, he would enter a dreamlike state and, at the same time, capture clear insights from which many of his best ideas would take shape.
Beethoven, Emerson, and others would take long strolls in nature to leave ordinary awareness behind and experience a higher level of consciousness.
Entertainer Tina Turner used meditation to overcome formidable obstacles and contribute to her creativity as a singer.
Contemporary athletes, actors, comedians, and talk show hosts, among others, have attributed their creativity and success to meditation.
Meditation leads to an open-mindedness that opens us up to the all-knowing Universe. It is akin to taking a warm shower, and suddenly, even though we’re not thinking about it, a great idea will come through for us to grab. It is a crucial practice for a creative, successful, and healthy life. Don’t leave home without it.
Peace and Blessings,
James
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