Meditation and Millennial

We millennials have fascinated the world, overtaken social media, and have influenced the way we look at trends, work, creativity and innovation. Deemed the largest living generation, a lot of what we say, think and do has become (and is) the subject of journalistic features, Internet memes and popular culture. (Thanks to people like Gary Vaynerchuck for believing that we truly are the future, that we are not lost, just misunderstood by generations past!)

We’d like to believe that we are not slackers and self-entitled, but of course, we have our demons to battle. One of the best ways to really get in tune with our inner selves and our capabilities to really impact our world and generation positively is the practice of meditation.

Why meditate? In our incredibly noisy, distracted world, we are not starved for things to entertain us. Which makes it all the more important for us to tune out these distractions — others’ opinions, mind pollution, negativity, etc. — and learn to listen to ourselves.

Benefits of meditation

• We quiet down. We are a generation addicted to connectivity, to the “fear of missing out” and “carpe diem.” But did you know that constant connectivity and communication decreases our performance at work, in our businesses, and also our IQ. Yikes! We have to learn to quiet down, to slow down. Practicing meditation can help us to concentrate on our soul, our spirit, our brain, helping us to really dwell on our existence, on why we go about our lives day in and day out.

• We learn the skill of self-reflection. Meditation helps us to understand our minds. Sometimes we struggle to define what we value and believe, because there are so many potential influencers that call for our attention. (Sharing a quote on Instagram doesn’t make us inspiring, people!) Through meditation practice, we can create a daily habit of discarding negative thoughts, selfish thoughts, self-defeating thoughts. We can instead think of goodness, what will make us better people. It can also help us to form other good habits!

• We become more sensitive and compassionate to the world around us. We know what journalism and memes say about us: that we’re an entitled, self-absorbed, no-work-ethic generation. You don’t want to believe you’re that, right?! Meditation practice can help you to take the focus off yourself and become more outwardly aware.

How to starting meditating

There is no rule for this. If you are a religious person, meditation may be quiet prayer. If you have no spiritual inclinations, meditation is simply getting quiet and calm in your mind. The easiest method is to do it first thing each morning, after you get up out of bed but before you do any other activity. Sit still for two minutes; close your eyes. Focus on nothing but your breath, and check how you're feeling while you are in this state. Don’t let your mind think of what you’re wearing to work, what your to-do list is; just sit still and be quiet in your mind. You can then progress to your daily gratitude practice and your morning stretches.