Three Words for 2013: Move, Measure, Meditate

My friends Chris Brogan and C.C. Chapman are vocal proponents of the practice of choosing three words as your focal point and reminder of goals for the coming year. The challenge is to narrow your annual objectives to three words that serve as guideposts to remind you and keep you centered on the things you have decided really matter.  I've tried to master the art of three words a few times in the past, but not every year.  In fact this year I've chosen to focus more on being in control.  That said, there are three words that I do think I should put at the top of my list this year.  As a faithful, fervent fan of frequent alliteration my three works all start with the letter M:

Move.
Measure.
Meditate.

Move.  In many ways, movement is the secret to all success.  We must increase our movement to be healthy.  We must always keep our mind moving to stay sharp.  We must always keep our careers and relationships moving forward.  For a shark, ceasing to keep moving is a literal death sentence.  For a human, lack of movement leads to stagnation, to depression, to frustration.  In 2013 I want to keep moving.  From literally running for exercise, to advancing personal and business goals, constant and positive movement will be key.

Measure.  We live in the age of big data, and as someone who never really was a numbers guy, I've come to gain an appreciation for the value of measurement.  It started with an obsession with fitness trackers.  I wear both a Fitbit and Nike Fuel Band every day, and I pay attention to the data they provide, relishing in the satisfaction of measurable results, and enjoying the discovery of patterns and new personal records.  Now I want to apply that same appreciation of measurement to track and monitor my progress and results in areas beyond fitness, and especially in business.

Meditate.  Over the summer I was inspired to revisit practicing meditation, something I began in High School but let go of sometime after graduating from college.  Over the past few months I've been sporadically trying to reestablish TM as part of my daily routine, but it hasn't quite stuck yet.  It's a shame, because when I do manage a nice stretch of a few weeks of consistent daily meditation I can tangibly feel the results in my improved energy and awareness, and just plain feeling better.  So, as part of my mission to take better control of my time, I want to make the time for meditation each and every day.

There you have it.  My three words for 2013.  I won't go so far as to tattoo them to my forehead, but I will write them on post it notes, and in my notebooks and hope to refer to them regularly as gentle guides toward a productive and fruitful New Year.

How about you?  Have you selected three words?

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From Transcendent Man To Transcendental Meditation

Ray Kurzweil

I recently was fortunate to attend an information and inspiration packed event in NYC.  The theme of the event was "Abundance" and the roster of incredible speakers included everyone from science and tech stars such as Ray Kurzweil, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Peter Diamandis, media giants like Arianna Huffington and Steve Forbes, best-selling author Neil Strauss, and countless others over two packed and powerful days.  I took more than 20 pages of notes at the event, which I am sure will fuel a number of blog posts here over the coming weeks.

The Singularity Is Near

One of the highlights (of many) for me was to hear inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil speak.  I have long been a fan of, and fascinated by, his works and visions of the future.  As an avid science fiction fan it is hard not to want Kurzweil's vision of Transcendent Man to come to fruition (and science fact seems to increasingly be on Kurzweil's side).  His talk focused on "how to create a mind" and how "you are what you think" and, thanks to technology, the advent of our "expanded mind."  Heady stuff about exponential growth, abundance, and both the true power of our human brains and the shortcomings that technology will help us overcome.

Transcendent Man to Transcendental Meditation

While the theme of the event was Abundance, many of the very successful, highly motivated speakers shared their personal stories of how they are motivated and maintain their focus to keep their businesses and personal lives moving forward.  Quite a few referenced meditation as an essential part of their daily routines.  Feeling inspired myself, I was reminded that, back as a senior in High School, I went through the Transcendental Meditation program and practiced "TM" for a number of years thereafter.  I don't exactly recall when (or why) I stopped meditating, but it was certainly a decade or two ago.  Repeatedly hearing of the benefits of meditation from so many provided the social proof I needed to reengage myself with the process.  As I sat in the audience the conclusion for me was clear.  I should start meditating again.

Habits Eat Intentions For Breakfast

In order to get back into meditation it was clear to me that I had to figure out a way to make it an inexcusable part of my daily routine.  I had to make meditating a habit, not a goal or an aspiration.  For my work with gapingvoid we recently put together a presentation on some of the science behind changing behavior through visual communications.  We cite neuroscience expert Robert Cooper whose work on behavior change highlights the importance of creating habits to effect change. His line, "habits eat intentions for breakfast" resonated with me, and the intention to begin meditating again seemed like the perfect objective with which to prove Cooper right.

An App To Create A Habit

So how was I going to turn meditating into a habit?  Since the singularity is near, I turned to my extended robot brain, my (aptly named) Android smartphone, and sure enough found the perfect app to help me reintegrate meditation into my daily life.  There were actually many choices, but based on ratings and reviews I installed Meditation Helper Pro by Neill Alexander.  What I love about this simple program is that it instantly makes you accountable by adding a widget to you phone's desktop that shows how many days in a row you have meditated, and your longest stretch of continuous days meditating.  This little reminder system, inspired by Jerry Seinfeld, has made it easy and fun for me to begin meditating regularly (going on 10 days now...).  The app lets you set the duration of your meditation sessions, marks the start and end (and other points at your option) with a soothing gentle bell, and best of all, during your meditation time it puts your phone into airplane mode, so there is no chance of being interrupted or disturbed by the beeps and buzzes of our connected world.  Meditation, by definition, should be a respite from all the "noise" and this app, for me, is a great way to help create the right environment for some peaceful moments of meditation, twice a day, every day.

I may not yet be a transcendant man (yet), but I am well on my way to becoming a meditating man... and hopefully the better for it.

Do you meditate?  If so, what is your method for making it part of your daily routine?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.