The Importance of Mindfulness While Leading a Startup
"This is the real secret of life—to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” – Alan Watts
As entrepreneurs leading a startup, we wear many hats, juggling various roles both at work and at home. Balancing these responsibilities can be challenging, but with the right approach, we can enhance productivity and foster healthier relationships. In this blog post, we explore the real secret to achieving this balance—mindfulness.
The Startup Struggle
As startup entrepreneurs, our daily responsibilities are vast, encompassing roles from CEO to Parent. Juggling these diverse tasks can be overwhelming, and effective communication becomes crucial in managing the personalities within our teams.
Meet Brighton
Let’s take a look at Brighton, a startup entrepreneur launching a new app. Brighton feels overwhelmed by the day-to-day duties of leading a startup. From beta testing and fixing bugs to managing tech engineers and designers, marketing the app, sending out press releases, managing a budget, and coming up with an elevator pitch, he’s been feeling bogged down—like there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.
On top of this, Brighton just had a disagreement with one of his vendors over the price he was charged for the services he received. Little did Brighton know that his vendor’s computer had crashed the night before—causing all of his data to be lost, and so the pricing issue was merely an oversight during a stressful situation. What if someone were to tell Brighton that his time-management problem is fixable? There’s a simple way for him to improve his work-life balance, nurture relationships, and feel more fulfilled and happy. It’s called mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present in the moment—aware of where we are, and what we’re doing. It means staying grounded and not becoming overwhelmed by our environment, or reacting too hastily toward other people or situations that are beyond our control.
The Roots of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is at the core of various religious beliefs and practices such as Buddhism and Hinduism. This Eastern practice was first introduced into Western culture in the U.S. by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the late 1970s through his Stress-Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Research shows that this practice improves emotional connections with others while promoting empathy. However, we’re only beginning to learn about the impact mindfulness can have on social cognition. If you’re wondering how many times throughout the day you are operating from a state of mindfulness, a MAAS can be calculated based on a 15-question assessment that was created by psychologists. Despite the fact that there is a plethora of research available on the powerful impact mindfulness can have on the body and mind, there has been a lack of research surrounding the long-term impacts from mindfulness training until recently.
In addition to helping you feel more positive, self-aware, and in control, mindfulness in practice can physiologically change the structure of your brain.
What Would a Mindful Leader Do?
Let’s visit our friend Brighton. If Brighton becomes more mindful in his day-to-day role as the leader of his startup, what are some of the things he might do? Using mindfulness, Brighton should be better equipped to handle any stressful situations or obstacles that arise throughout each day. Breathwork is a wonderful way to induce a relaxation response. Other techniques that can bring the body and mind into a relaxed state of focus include acupuncture, visualization, energy healing, progressive muscle relaxation (such as yoga nidra), prayer, meditation, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and yoga.
Oftentimes, we focus on what’s gone wrong in the past, or what could go wrong in the future. When we focus on the past or the future, we can make ourselves sad or anxious, even over things that will never happen or will never happen again.It’s undeniable that the practice of mindfulness has far-reaching, long-lasting benefits that extend beyond getting more done throughout the day while running a startup. If our friend Brighton is able to include mindfulness techniques in his daily routine, and fully commit to them both physically and mentally, he’ll find he is able to execute all of his daily tasks with greater ease. He’ll have more time in his day, feel better overall both physically and mentally, and improve his relationships both in and out of the office.
