When I started meditating I was told that the only measure of my progress, as master of my mind, would be my ability to remain calm in my everyday life.
Could I remain calm when my life was falling apart and nothing was going well or would I break down in panic?
Life will always throw you curve balls but the true test of character is not what life throws at us but how we handle what life throws at us.
It’s easy to be calm and saintly when life is going our way but how often does life go our way?
If you don’t master your mind, your mind will master you
When we learn to master our minds and our emotions, we can always remain calm in the face of chaos, which is a step closer to enlightenment.
According to tantric philosophy we experience serenity or calm when our seventh chakra (located at the top of the head) is in balance.
The seventh chakra is the meeting point between the ego, the body and the soul.
When this chakra is in balance we’re one with the divine and taking beneficial action.
How Can You Find Serenity & Remain Calm?
1. Understand the principle of separate realities
Jane Nelsen in her book, Serenity, argues that we achieve serenity when we understand that everyone has a separate reality.
Everyone has their own unique story and experience of reality. When you get this, you stop trying to change people or please others and you just start to live and let live, which brings you inner peace.
2. Meditate
A recent article in Inc., stated that meditation makes you a better leader.
It lists all the successful leaders that credit their success to meditation - Russell Simmons, the hip hop Mongul, and the executives of Facebook, Ebay and General Mills.
Meditation has been shown to enhance brain activity, reduce stress, reduce the feeling of overwhelm and increase work engagement.
Google has gone as far as to set up separate meditation rooms for senior staff to meditate at work.
The most basic form of meditation is anapana meditation - close your eyes and focus on your breathing for a few minutes or even hours at a stretch. When your mind wanders, keep bringing it back to your breath.
3. Yoga
Yoga focuses on the breath and connecting the breath to the body, which gets you out of your mind and into your body so you can feel your emotions.
Because of its stress benefits, companies in different parts of the US have started corporate yoga programs for their employees.
4. Align your personal goals to your daily activities
The best way to remain calm in chaos is to make sure your behaviour aligns with your values.
When you take action that’s in line with your values, you focus on being authentic, which is effortless and increases productivity.
When things go wrong you know that your reputation and your personal brand are safe, which is one less thing to worry about.
How do you remain calm in chaos?
Do you meditate?
Let me know in the comments section below.