I mention this because I am an example of the truth that another way exists in the space of business, including even the corporate world. There is a way to be successful in traditional terms without suffering, working extreme hours, doing work you hate, or sacrificing your health both physically and mentally. 

There are many people suffering at work only to wake up one day in their 40s, 50s, 60s or even 70s and feeling like they were sold a 20-gallon drum of jumbo garlic dill pickles roadside. (And come on, who needs one of those?)

As a leader you probably have a to-do list that you could trail half a mile behind you out your car window while driving Interstate 235. Heck, it’s become practically a competition to compare who is busier and more miserable than the other when we meet for coffee, lunch or make small talk at the soccer game. This is nothing new. We’ve been talking about this busy-badge culture for at least a decade now. At work we take pride in how much more we are suffering than our co-worker, absolutely sure they can’t have it as bad as we do. No one can have it as bad as I do. Surely, because this is pretty darn bad.

In addition to your to-do list you can locate physically, there is another pile of mental garbage cluttering up your mind, throwing little harpoons at you all day long, like:

Yes, pretend problems. What happens to those “problems” when you get that devastating phone call that someone you love is hurt? It all just fades away in less than one second.

Yes, distracted. Distracted from the truth.

The truth = The answers are deep down within. You have a built-in GPS that can cut through all the BS like a hot knife through a slab of butter ready to hit your August sweet corn.

Well, that’s great, you say, but how do I get to it – all those answers that will set my life straight, so it feels neat and orderly. Where is this peace you speak of to be found?

Wait for it …

Cue loud jungle sounds and bellowing rhythmic hands on a drum roll …

Wait for it …

Meditation.

Ugh. Oh, no. Here we go again. Another hippie with all the answers. I hear you muttering under your breath …”Try living my life for a day. You just don’t get it.”

The thing is, I do get it. I was there. And I came back from there. Now I can see others wearing their suffering like a Mississippi sandbag slung onto their back. Others can see it too, even though they may not have colorful, hilarious language to apply to it. Everyone senses the energy of others to some degree. This energy we each have directly affects our ability to connect in all aspects of life, including business.

Now, when I say “meditation” it can come in many forms. I use the standard sitting in silence for long periods of time. There are others. Walking in nature. Yoga. Writing out your feelings. Time with animals. Your practice can and should change as you grow. But you must have some form of a practice to learn how to move into your highest power.

You are leading others every single day, but not in the way you think. You don’t lead with your brilliant speeches, massive amounts of production or even your creative problem-solving.

You lead with how you live your life. You lead by your example. You lead with the energy you bring into the space of others. People can sense leaders that exude that calm, steady, North Star type of energy. People are drawn to it like a trail of angry, self-centered, stressed drivers behind a tractor on a two-lane highway during planting season. Side note: Meditation will take care of this issue for you also.

So as a leader, your No. 1 job isn’t your to-do list or taming your team gaps. It’s taming your mind and harnessing your magical, creative energy. It’s finding your own true power from within to suddenly see that all of these little to-dos are a mere illusion. If you can locate that power within your being, the list will become as clear as overpriced Evian water. Instead of seeing 1,000 things that need done, you will hear instead one that you know without a doubt is your next best step.

Adding a meditation practice to your life is the No. 1 thing you can do to improve your happiness, your productivity, your connection, your sleep, your health, your spirituality and the lives of all those you touch.

If you are not in a state of either acceptance, enjoyment or enthusiasm, look closely and you will find that you are creating suffering for yourself and others. – Eckhart Tolle

So, before you show up to work on your to-do list, first show up to work on your energy state. All of the chaos will clear itself if you find your highest state of energy to bring to your work, your family and the entire world.

And when I see you on the street, at the coffee shop or the soccer game, I will see what you’ve been up to. You won’t need to share a thing you’ve been DO-ing because your BE-ing will resonate loud and clear. I will feel it before you even speak a word.