In my book The Corporate Sufi, and also earlier in this book, I advocated the “Hour of power” (20 minutes exercise, 20 minutes reading something uplifting and 20 minutes meditation).
Where do you find the extra hour from your busy schedule?
Go to sleep an hour earlier, as the last hour is usually a waste. Think of what you do during the last hour of the night—watch TV, do laundry, laze around, argue or do insignificant chores? I know there are some exceptions—some people read something inspiring, say their prayers or spend quality time with their partner. However, often your last hour awake at night is not productive. By going to sleep an hour earlier and waking up an hour earlier to concentrate on body, mind and spirit, you significantly increase your effectiveness.
I know some very successful leaders who wake up three hours early to meditate, pray, read, exercise and have breakfast with the family. Then they go to work having accomplished some very important things—exercise, reading, meditation, family. These leaders know how not to let things that matter most be at the mercy of things that matter least.
There are others who wake up as late as possible and scramble to make it to work. They dress and eat breakfast while driving!
Here, I want to introduce a new concept which I call the “Power of the Hour.” When uninterrupted, an hour can feel like an eternity. By scheduling one uninterrupted hour every day, you can attend to some major goals and objectives such as coaching/mentoring your team, calling your most important customers, meeting and planning with your team or even calling your spouse and children to say “I love you.”
One of the ways to spend this hour is investing it in meditation and silence. Quiet meditation and silence increase your awareness. When you do this, do not try to empty your head; instead, try not to get caught up in random thoughts that come into your consciousness. By becoming a witness to your thoughts, you will heighten your awareness and presence. Silence opens our inner eye to see the signs around us. Can you see the air that you breathe? Can you see the fragrance in a flower? If you say to the embryo in the womb that there is a beautiful world outside, it will not believe you. Our inner eyes make us see things that we cannot see with our naked eyes, including signs that come to us.
The beauty of this hour is that you get to spend this time with yourself with no “noise” around. In our fast paced life, this seldom happens. We get carried away in an activity trap sometimes for weeks without stopping to reflect on what is really happening in our lives.
By making this hour a daily ritual, you will deeply experience the “Power of the hour” Try it!
(Excerpt from the book, ‘Life Balance the Sufi Way’ by Azim Jamal & Nido Qubein)