I Meditated Before Business Calls for 1 Year. THIS is what happened...
To set a benchmark for change, I first need to explain how I felt about business video meetings and calls before adding meditation into the mix: simply put, they were dreadful and scary as shit! While the initial meets & greets, where I got the opportunity to introduce myself to a potential new client, felt even worse! Insecurities and impostor syndrome always creeped in, making the waiting before each meeting hellishly stretch out to infinity. In my mind, looking back, all those meetings were about me, because it was what I was worried about the most - myself. Even though I was a freelancer, I didn’t feel free at all. I could barely answer questions, let alone ask them. I was caught in a prison of my own thoughts and selfish hopes for change. Does that sound familiar to you, too?
How to get over my business “non-skills”?
A lot has happened since late 2018, when I first started to reach out internationally as a freelancer - since then, the entire remote-work culture has peaked. I needed to evolve and get over my »I’m-so-scared-I’m-gonna-keep-talking-about-me« routine by finding a different approach. The technique that I’m using these days however, didn’t happen as a conscious attempt to overhaul my business tactics - it came from a system that’s been helping people live richer and softer for over a millenia – meditation. Very soon after I started my own meditation practice, about two years ago, I started noticing its benefits: let’s just say, that it’s changed my experience of being a human dramatically. And so, it only felt natural to challenge my business fears of non-acceptance and judgement with similar tools. I added a quick 5-10 minute meditation routine before my video meetings, and by continuing to show up before each of them to practice, I was slowly starting to look forward to seeing each of the people on the other side of my screen, instead of dreading them. After a couple months, for the first time in my freelance career, I was excited to hear what others had to say, and I was eager to explore their stories.
Welcome to being a human.
By investing for a year in myself (which I will surely continue to do so), I now enjoy video meetings and business calls immensely. Meditating before a meeting had helped me move out of my shell, so I could start listening to people that I’ve been admiring, and have been wanting to work with for so long. Of course there’s still hiccups (welcome to being a human), but in retrospect, I’m not there to try and save myself anymore: I’m there to try and help others. Finally, I feel more »free« in being a freelancer. That said, in no way am I suggesting that meditation is something that’s definitely going to help you, too. I still invite you to try, though. A 30-day test run of 5-10 minutes of meditation doesn’t sound impossible to tackle, right?
