Medytacja i pieniądze
How can the practice of meditation, not only sitting meditation, but also the practice of conscious presence in everyday life, help in gaining independence, and even financial freedom? Most people associate meditation practice with Buddhist monks, who traditionally beg for food and have nothing to do with money. Of course, from time to time we read in the media that meditation is practiced by the Beatles, Madonna, Steve Jobs, and other mass media people, great celebrities, businessmen, people of great, global success in various fields... We then think that it's a kind of self-promotion, or a whim, and in fact meditation hinders achieving material success. However, Hermann Hesse was right, who placed his titular Siddhartha, a metaphorical Buddha, at a certain point, after training in meditation with wandering sadhus, gurus, and ascetic masters, in the role of initially an assistant and then the main trading entrepreneur. Thanks to the properties of his mind, which were honed by systematic and persistent meditation practice, Siddhartha achieves extraordinary successes in business and revels in luxury and a carefree lifestyle. As a result, he also recognizes it as an illusion, but the point is that meditation in no way hinders achieving material success, but even helps! How does this happen? Several layers of this connection come to my mind, and I certainly won't exhaust this interesting topic. Perhaps you will point to other mechanisms that I haven't mentioned. Feel invited to comment and share your reflections on this fascinating topic below this post. Meditation increases our ability to creatively solve problems, a calm mind is easier to come up with ideas and discoveries. Psychologists have discovered that at the base of creativity lies the ability to play with ideas, concepts, images, which is the domain of the subconscious. Children are creative by nature because their minds are not yet confined to the constraints of so-called common sense thinking. Adults, as a result of the process of maturation and education, integration into society, lose this property. At least the vast majority of adults. Meditation develops in us a distance to the thinking process, very often the common-sense mind simply remains silent during meditation. In this meditative silence, it is easier for us to notice or hear the subtle voice of the subconscious, the voice of intuition and the surrealist mind, which thinks differently than us in wakefulness. It appears in the form of strange images, associations, and sometimes even hypnagogic visions. The latter arise when the brain is in the theta rhythm, even slower than alpha, characteristic of a very deep state of relaxation. Meditation leads to this state, as shown by research on meditators using an electroencephalograph. Creativity, problem-solving ability, coming up with ideas, very often are the basis of business success. You need to come up with an idea for a product, service that will make people's lives easier, and for which they will be willing to pay. You need to come up with an idea of how to advertise it, how to sell it, etc. Meditation, but also other altered states of consciousness, such as borderline states between sleep and wakefulness, hypnagogic states, dreams, lucid dreaming, and even experiences under the influence of psychedelic substances, can help a lot in this. That's why Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, producing iPods, experimented with LSD in his youth and meditated throughout his life. That's why Thomas Alva Edison, Nikola Tesla, Salvador Dali, Larry Page, the creator of Google, consciously entered into a light nap between sleep and wakefulness when the best ideas came to their minds. A huge number of works of art, songs, scientific, mathematical, chemical discoveries, a huge number of products, devices, and technological solutions owe their origins to dreams, naps, and deep relaxation. The stories of Dmitri Mendeleev, who saw the periodic table of elements in his dream, August Kekulé, who also came up with the discovery of the cyclic structure of the benzene molecule in his dream, which was the beginning of organic chemistry, the story of Elias Howe, who invented the sewing machine in his dream, Paul McCartney, who heard the song Yesterday in his dream, which was so complete that he just needed to write it down, are just a small fraction of such events. Meditation, as research has shown, makes it easier for us to connect with the creative potential of the subconscious. Business is based on this. Intuition is also needed in making accurate investment predictions. That is, where to invest your money, even small amounts, to generate the highest income. In stocks, and which stocks, or in bonds, real estate, commodities, currencies, etc. Here focus is needed, the ability to rationally assess reality and freedom from the influence of emotions. Emotions, namely greed and fear, are very poor advisors in investments. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people succumb to them, and that is why most of them lose. They also succumb to social influence, infect themselves with emotions from others. They invest in funds, real estate, gold, when everyone on the street is already boasting huge profits. They invest on the so-called hill. And then the downturn comes, and fear begins to dominate. And again, everyone shouts that it will fall even more, that the stock market is over, and the end of the world is approaching. And then in panic, they sell for a pittance what is still left on the market. They give in to emotions. It is very difficult to maintain peace, independent thinking. Meditation develops in us a distance from our thoughts and emotions. We practice peace and impartial seeing in it. Simply pure, non-judgmental awareness. This really helps to maintain distance even in investments, not to be guided by emotions, but by a rational assessment of reality, and even intuition. Some researchers claim that this intuition closely resembles clairvoyance. Well, but that's a topic for a completely different occasion. Regardless, emotions overshadow intuition, and people often confuse them with each other. They say: my intuition tells me that I should sell everything, while it's just fear. My intuition tells me that now is the time to buy, while it's just greed. Meditation liberates from identifying with emotions and helps us make better decisions. We have a better connection with reality. I know a few examples of people, actively trading on various exchanges, including on such risky markets as Forex, who practice meditation precisely to maintain clarity of mind and freedom from emotions during trading. They claim that it really helps them. I am not an active investor, a speculator, but the topic of medium and long-term investments is not foreign to me, and I can confirm that peace and a cool assessment of reality really help make better decisions. I also think that intuition plays a significant role here, even if someone does not admit it to themselves. Personally, I rely on reason, common sense, and intuition, and they support each other. That's my life experience. If someone questions that, well, it's their right. Everyone lives, thinks, and perceives reality in their own way. And since we are already talking about long-term investing, it turns out that one of the most effective and easiest ways to wealth is systematic investment in diversified instruments listed on stock exchanges. I mean index funds, which over the last 100 years have (we are talking about American stock exchanges) averaged 7% profit above inflation. It seems little, but if we take, for example, a horizon of 20 or 30 years and compound interest, reinvesting profits rather than spending them, it turns out that a surprisingly large number of millionaires in the US and Western Europe are just ordinary people who regularly set aside a certain sum of money and limit their consumption. Meditation teaches us to derive satisfaction from ordinary experiences, deepens our sensitivity. A person who regularly meditates and can free themselves from identification with the mind can enjoy a simple walk, the taste of coffee, a warm bath, meeting friends, sex, listening to music, a good book, and other ordinary experiences. The meditating mind can derive incredibly deep satisfaction from such experiences. It doesn't have to taste the best whiskey for $1000 a bottle, go on exotic vacations on the Queen Mary 2, drive the newest Mercedes, attend parties with stars and celebrities, etc. to feel alive. It has such a deep sense of satisfaction with life and such a sense of inner freedom that it doesn't need to impress anyone. It doesn't have to live in an apartment that is beyond its means, drive a new Porsche Cayenne on lease for others to admire and envy. It does not derive value from distorted faces of jealousy and envy of others. This really frees up a lot of money that can be invested, and eventually, that money starts working for you, and not you for the money. Meditation therefore limits artificial, foolish consumption needs. And this is one of the conditions for accumulating wealth. When I started my adult life, I had friends who earned even more than me, as musicians, but at the same time spent three times as much as me. I lived modestly, but it gave me great joy in life, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, I just didn't need it, and I invested the surplus in stocks and real estate. Today I am financially free, i.e., I haven't had to work for several years to lead my lifestyle. They worry about their future and work, which they need to live. Notice that even the richest people in the world, like Warren Buffet, lead a relatively modest lifestyle, the same applies to the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad. Even though in 2014 his wealth was estimated at $40 billion, the owner of Ikea lived in a small house, drove a well-used Volvo, used commercial flights, ate modestly, stayed in inexpensive hotels, etc. According to him, this feature, combined with thoroughness, perseverance, and a certain contentiousness, allowed him to achieve such great success. Perhaps the latter example is a slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean. Meditation helps accumulate wealth by rationalizing needs. This distance from our thoughts and emotions, shaped during meditation practice, healthy distance, has nothing to do with pathological distancing and derealization from psychiatry, it's completely different, this meditative, peaceful, satisfied, and gentle acceptance distance also frees us from unconscious resistance. This helps a lot in taking action in the face of fear of failure, low self-esteem, lack of faith in our own abilities, objections, inhibitions, procrastination, i.e., putting off action for later, and laziness. Negative emotions and accompanying thoughts stand behind all of this. Meditation practice allows us to realize these unconscious emotions and thoughts as illusory, as just thoughts and beliefs that have nothing to do with reality. It frees us from the control of these insecure or frightened parts of the subconscious and allows us to take action. The action itself, here and now, is the most important thing. Only this moment counts. We focus on the action, not on the emotions accompanying the action. Despite the resistance, we undertake training, sales, work, etc. That's why meditation has always been an integral element of Far Eastern martial arts, where hard, difficult, and long, systematic training is necessary. Without that perseverance, without the distance from the resistance of the subconscious, which meditation develops in us, no one would be able to endure it. This is very useful in life, starting from weight loss and sticking to a diet, through overcoming resistance to contact with others, to systematic learning, work, and business. Action leads to success, not giving in to fantasies during consciousness flights. Meditation is not an escape from reality; meditation is a very close contact with reality. The ability to focus on current experience here and now, sometimes during activity, work, learning, turns into a state of flow. It's a unique state of inspiration when the work takes over, everything comes out on its own, time disappears, the world disappears, there is only action. This was beautifully shown in the movie "Peaceful Warrior" with Nick Nolte from 2006. I highly recommend it. After watching this movie, you will understand even better what I mean. So, as you can see, meditation can in various ways contribute to material and financial success. It develops intuition and the ability to creatively solve problems, frees from the influence of greed and fear, limits expenditure needs and facilitates overcoming resistance to action. There are certainly other connections between the practice of meditation and financial success. If any come to mind, share them in the comment section.
How can the practice of meditation, not only sitting meditation, but also the practice of conscious presence in everyday life, help in gaining independence, and even financial freedom? Most people associate meditation practice with Buddhist monks, who traditionally beg for food and have nothing to do with money. Of course, from time to time we read in the media that meditation is practiced by the Beatles, Madonna, Steve Jobs, and other mass media people, great celebrities, businessmen, people of great, global success in various fields... We then think that it's a kind of self-promotion, or a whim, and in fact meditation hinders achieving material success. However, Hermann Hesse was right, who placed his titular Siddhartha, a metaphorical Buddha, at a certain point, after training in meditation with wandering sadhus, gurus, and ascetic masters, in the role of initially an assistant and then the main trading entrepreneur. Thanks to the properties of his mind, which were honed by systematic and persistent meditation practice, Siddhartha achieves extraordinary successes in business and revels in luxury and a carefree lifestyle. As a result, he also recognizes it as an illusion, but the point is that meditation in no way hinders achieving material success, but even helps! How does this happen? Several layers of this connection come to my mind, and I certainly won't exhaust this interesting topic. Perhaps you will point to other mechanisms that I haven't mentioned. Feel invited to comment and share your reflections on this fascinating topic below this post. Meditation increases our ability to creatively solve problems, a calm mind is easier to come up with ideas and discoveries. Psychologists have discovered that at the base of creativity lies the ability to play with ideas, concepts, images, which is the domain of the subconscious. Children are creative by nature because their minds are not yet confined to the constraints of so-called common sense thinking. Adults, as a result of the process of maturation and education, integration into society, lose this property. At least the vast majority of adults. Meditation develops in us a distance to the thinking process, very often the common-sense mind simply remains silent during meditation. In this meditative silence, it is easier for us to notice or hear the subtle voice of the subconscious, the voice of intuition and the surrealist mind, which thinks differently than us in wakefulness. It appears in the form of strange images, associations, and sometimes even hypnagogic visions. The latter arise when the brain is in the theta rhythm, even slower than alpha, characteristic of a very deep state of relaxation. Meditation leads to this state, as shown by research on meditators using an electroencephalograph. Creativity, problem-solving ability, coming up with ideas, very often are the basis of business success. You need to come up with an idea for a product, service that will make people's lives easier, and for which they will be willing to pay. You need to come up with an idea of how to advertise it, how to sell it, etc. Meditation, but also other altered states of consciousness, such as borderline states between sleep and wakefulness, hypnagogic states, dreams, lucid dreaming, and even experiences under the influence of psychedelic substances, can help a lot in this. That's why Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, producing iPods, experimented with LSD in his youth and meditated throughout his life. That's why Thomas Alva Edison, Nikola Tesla, Salvador Dali, Larry Page, the creator of Google, consciously entered into a light nap between sleep and wakefulness when the best ideas came to their minds. A huge number of works of art, songs, scientific, mathematical, chemical discoveries, a huge number of products, devices, and technological solutions owe their origins to dreams, naps, and deep relaxation. The stories of Dmitri Mendeleev, who saw the periodic table of elements in his dream, August Kekulé, who also came up with the discovery of the cyclic structure of the benzene molecule in his dream, which was the beginning of organic chemistry, the story of Elias Howe, who invented the sewing machine in his dream, Paul McCartney, who heard the song Yesterday in his dream, which was so complete that he just needed to write it down, are just a small fraction of such events. Meditation, as research has shown, makes it easier for us to connect with the creative potential of the subconscious. Business is based on this. Intuition is also needed in making accurate investment predictions. That is, where to invest your money, even small amounts, to generate the highest income. In stocks, and which stocks, or in bonds, real estate, commodities, currencies, etc. Here focus is needed, the ability to rationally assess reality and freedom from the influence of emotions. Emotions, namely greed and fear, are very poor advisors in investments. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people succumb to them, and that is why most of them lose. They also succumb to social influence, infect themselves with emotions from others. They invest in funds, real estate, gold, when everyone on the street is already boasting huge profits. They invest on the so-called hill. And then the downturn comes, and fear begins to dominate. And again, everyone shouts that it will fall even more, that the stock market is over, and the end of the world is approaching. And then in panic, they sell for a pittance what is still left on the market. They give in to emotions. It is very difficult to maintain peace, independent thinking. Meditation develops in us a distance from our thoughts and emotions. We practice peace and impartial seeing in it. Simply pure, non-judgmental awareness. This really helps to maintain distance even in investments, not to be guided by emotions, but by a rational assessment of reality, and even intuition. Some researchers claim that this intuition closely resembles clairvoyance. Well, but that's a topic for a completely different occasion. Regardless, emotions overshadow intuition, and people often confuse them with each other. They say: my intuition tells me that I should sell everything, while it's just fear. My intuition tells me that now is the time to buy, while it's just greed. Meditation liberates from identifying with emotions and helps us make better decisions. We have a better connection with reality. I know a few examples of people, actively trading on various exchanges, including on such risky markets as Forex, who practice meditation precisely to maintain clarity of mind and freedom from emotions during trading. They claim that it really helps them. I am not an active investor, a speculator, but the topic of medium and long-term investments is not foreign to me, and I can confirm that peace and a cool assessment of reality really help make better decisions. I also think that intuition plays a significant role here, even if someone does not admit it to themselves. Personally, I rely on reason, common sense, and intuition, and they support each other. That's my life experience. If someone questions that, well, it's their right. Everyone lives, thinks, and perceives reality in their own way. And since we are already talking about long-term investing, it turns out that one of the most effective and easiest ways to wealth is systematic investment in diversified instruments listed on stock exchanges. I mean index funds, which over the last 100 years have (we are talking about American stock exchanges) averaged 7% profit above inflation. It seems little, but if we take, for example, a horizon of 20 or 30 years and compound interest, reinvesting profits rather than spending them, it turns out that a surprisingly large number of millionaires in the US and Western Europe are just ordinary people who regularly set aside a certain sum of money and limit their consumption. Meditation teaches us to derive satisfaction from ordinary experiences, deepens our sensitivity. A person who regularly meditates and can free themselves from identification with the mind can enjoy a simple walk, the taste of coffee, a warm bath, meeting friends, sex, listening to music, a good book, and other ordinary experiences. The meditating mind can derive incredibly deep satisfaction from such experiences. It doesn't have to taste the best whiskey for $1000 a bottle, go on exotic vacations on the Queen Mary 2, drive the newest Mercedes, attend parties with stars and celebrities, etc. to feel alive. It has such a deep sense of satisfaction with life and such a sense of inner freedom that it doesn't need to impress anyone. It doesn't have to live in an apartment that is beyond its means, drive a new Porsche Cayenne on lease for others to admire and envy. It does not derive value from distorted faces of jealousy and envy of others. This really frees up a lot of money that can be invested, and eventually, that money starts working for you, and not you for the money. Meditation therefore limits artificial, foolish consumption needs. And this is one of the conditions for accumulating wealth. When I started my adult life, I had friends who earned even more than me, as musicians, but at the same time spent three times as much as me. I lived modestly, but it gave me great joy in life, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, I just didn't need it, and I invested the surplus in stocks and real estate. Today I am financially free, i.e., I haven't had to work for several years to lead my lifestyle. They worry about their future and work, which they need to live. Notice that even the richest people in the world, like Warren Buffet, lead a relatively modest lifestyle, the same applies to the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad. Even though in 2014 his wealth was estimated at $40 billion, the owner of Ikea lived in a small house, drove a well-used Volvo, used commercial flights, ate modestly, stayed in inexpensive hotels, etc. According to him, this feature, combined with thoroughness, perseverance, and a certain contentiousness, allowed him to achieve such great success. Perhaps the latter example is a slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean. Meditation helps accumulate wealth by rationalizing needs. This distance from our thoughts and emotions, shaped during meditation practice, healthy distance, has nothing to do with pathological distancing and derealization from psychiatry, it's completely different, this meditative, peaceful, satisfied, and gentle acceptance distance also frees us from unconscious resistance. This helps a lot in taking action in the face of fear of failure, low self-esteem, lack of faith in our own abilities, objections, inhibitions, procrastination, i.e., putting off action for later, and laziness. Negative emotions and accompanying thoughts stand behind all of this. Meditation practice allows us to realize these unconscious emotions and thoughts as illusory, as just thoughts and beliefs that have nothing to do with reality. It frees us from the control of these insecure or frightened parts of the subconscious and allows us to take action. The action itself, here and now, is the most important thing. Only this moment counts. We focus on the action, not on the emotions accompanying the action. Despite the resistance, we undertake training, sales, work, etc. That's why meditation has always been an integral element of Far Eastern martial arts, where hard, difficult, and long, systematic training is necessary. Without that perseverance, without the distance from the resistance of the subconscious, which meditation develops in us, no one would be able to endure it. This is very useful in life, starting from weight loss and sticking to a diet, through overcoming resistance to contact with others, to systematic learning, work, and business. Action leads to success, not giving in to fantasies during consciousness flights. Meditation is not an escape from reality; meditation is a very close contact with reality. The ability to focus on current experience here and now, sometimes during activity, work, learning, turns into a state of flow. It's a unique state of inspiration when the work takes over, everything comes out on its own, time disappears, the world disappears, there is only action. This was beautifully shown in the movie "Peaceful Warrior" with Nick Nolte from 2006. I highly recommend it. After watching this movie, you will understand even better what I mean. So, as you can see, meditation can in various ways contribute to material and financial success. It develops intuition and the ability to creatively solve problems, frees from the influence of greed and fear, limits expenditure needs and facilitates overcoming resistance to action. There are certainly other connections between the practice of meditation and financial success. If any come to mind, share them in the comment section.
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