We all deal with stress in our lives. Kids, mortgages, relationships, the job. Unless we have a magic wand, stressful circumstances will always show up. That’s no different whether you’re a CEO, a teacher or a busboy. So let’s find out why Jack Dorsey started meditating.
Being the CEO of a publicly traded, world-famous company can be incredibly stressful. But make that the CEO of two major companies and you’re just asking for trouble.
As CEO of both Twitter and Square Payments, he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. From investors to government regulators, from employees and also to his customers, they all depend on him. That’s a lot for anyone. Additionally for Jack, worrying about the impact Twitter has on the world makes a perfect recipe for a mental health disaster.
Many of us have heard the stories of how Jack Dorsey meditates for two hours a day. Here we’ll explore why Jack Dorsey started meditating and also how it helps him. We’ll dive into how he fits it into his busy schedule, as well as how we can all benefit from meditation.
Stress isn’t something that only the rest of us have to deal with. Like the great poet philosopher once said, “Mo money, mo problems.” The only difference between the super wealthy and everyone else is that money is not one of their problems. But they still deal with stress just like everyone else.
There’s a lot of pressure when every little decision you make could cost thousands of your employees their jobs. Or when your choices could cost your investors billions. Not to mention the pressure when your actions could upend democracy as we know it.
No matter how rich you get, relationships can get messy. Illness and death happen to everyone. And even tiny inconveniences can set you off.
In fact, the richer and more cushy our lives become, the less able we are to handle unpleasant experiences. You’d be hard pressed to find an unhoused person complaining about the temperature of their soy mocha latte. Or that there were two stevias instead of three.
When Jack returned as CEO of Twitter in 2015 while still running Square, he knew he had to get serious about his health.
To manage the stress of running two companies, he took silent meditation retreats and began meditating for two hours a day. He learned vipassana meditation, which can also be called mindfulness or insight meditation.
Let’s face it, we’re all busier than ever these days. We’ve also got great excuses not to do things. Too tired, too busy, don’t wanna… Few people are busier than Jack Dorsey. That’s why Jack Dorsey started meditating in the morning.
In the morning, our discipline is at its highest. Also, the unexpected things that come up during the day haven’t started yet. Furthermore, it’s the best time to make new habits stick.
Jack knows this firsthand. Usually, “too busy” is the most common excuse for not meditating even 10 minutes a day. But if two-time CEO Jack can do two hours, really no one else has any excuse not to fit in a few minutes every single day.
In the morning, preferably before we check our phones, our minds aren’t racing too bad yet. It’s the best time to have a deeply relaxing and powerful meditation. Distractions haven’t crept in and it’s the best way to set your day up for success.
Why Would the Man Who Has it All Meditate?
The Double-Edged Sword of Wealth Caused Jack Dorsey to Start Meditating
The more efficient and pampered our lives become, the more any minor stressor becomes blown out of proportion. As nations become wealthier and technology becomes better, we see this effect in everyone around us. A website takes an extra 3 seconds to load and we get upset. A 4-minute line at the bank and we lose it. The screens in our pockets that will show us anything we want to see or hear instantaneously has made us all easily stressed. And also quick to anger. Just watch videos of fights on planes if you don’t believe me — the one time we have to put our phones away.Why Meditation Can Help with This
Luckily, there is a solution for this. Meditation is the antidote to stress for many reasons. But one of those reasons is because we can’t immediately act on our impulses. Want to get pull out your phone? Too bad, you have to wait until your meditation is over. Want to impulsively snack? Can’t do it. Want to light up a cigarette or do any of the other unhealthy things we do when we’re bored? Nope.In meditation, we retrain our mind to be patient, calm, and rise above our base impulsive instincts. We become the boss of our mind. We no longer let it’s childish, undisciplined desires rule our lives.Instead, we simply observe our impulses and desires arise and fall away. We get become highly aware that they don’t control us and that they are only temporary. We recognize them for what they are – background chatter. It does not define who we are and through observing them, our higher intelligence can take back the reins.
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