How Russell Simmons got it so right.

If any of you don’t know, Russell Simmons, among many other accomplishments, is a founder of Def Jam records and Phat Farm clothing line. His book, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple caught my eye on my way out of the library last week. I grabbed it and added it to my stack.

Holy cow! If I can get him to come on my podcast, he is the epitome of what I’m trying to teach and preach: that money success and mental/emotional/physical success, are inextricably intertwined.

Let me give you some of my favorite benefits of meditation that he outlined in his book:

• More Balanced Brain. By sitting in silence each day, our tendency to be “left” or “right” sided in our brain will come more into balance–literally creating more pathways that connect the two hemispheres of our brain.
• Less Cortisol and Adrenaline. Trains our amygdala (the flight or fight response in our brain) to stay calmer and better able to distinguish between the super annoying and actually dangerous. In other words, less reactive in general.
• The “Cool” Factor. You know those people that are just “cool.” Simmons refers to that as equanimity, meaning “evenness of mind, especially under stress.” Who doesn’t want to be more equanimous?
• Steady. Unhooks us from the highs and lows, extreme celebration when we win, and hence, extreme lows when we lose. Instead, we embrace more steadiness and clarity. Taking satisfaction in doing a good job, rather than being so tied to the outcome.
• Depths of Creativity and Thought. Takes us deep sea fishing, rather than just hanging on the surface of our “ocean of consciousness.” The depths of our mind are where the big ideas are. Our phones, computers and television all keep us on the superficial surface where the little fish hang.
• Prepares the Brain. Creates more fertile soil for creative ideas to germinate and grow.
• Freedom from Superficial. Releases us from identities of our careers or roles. Being tied up in an outside identity causes us to “ignore that voice inside of them that tells them they’re no longer in love with what they’re doing.” In a short period of time in meditation, fear would drift away.
• Healthful Eating. Helps us be more in tune with our bodies and mindful about what we’re eating and why.

How Simmons Meditates

Simmons meditates for 20 minutes a day, twice a day. He taught it to his two daughters when they were young and still meditates with them on the days he takes them to school. He also regularly attends yoga class, it’s written into his schedule and his assistants know to work around it.

He uses a quiet space, sits in lotus to create the straightest posture, and uses a mantra like rum, or ruuuuuuum, or rummmmm. But you can just focus on your breathing, or a peaceful word, or the number one (so your mind doesn’t start counting), or om.

The objective is to give your brain a rest from thinking, a spa day for the mind. When thoughts come in, acknowledge them, then get back to your mantra, word, or breath. Set a gentle timer so you don’t have to worry about time by peeking at a clock.

Meditation and Longevity of a Successful Career

Simmons attributes the longevity of his success to meditating and keeping clear, rather than relying on drugs, alcohol, and excessive partying to fuel his energy, creativity, or motivation.

Today there is zero doubt in my mind that if I had kept on believing that the noise was what was fueling me, my life would have fallen apart….What I thought was inspiration was really nothing but noise. And if I kept stuffing that noise into my head, the less and less I would have been able to hear those quiet moments that I actually needed so badly. I would have kept pushing myself to what I thought was the top of the mountain, but in reality I would have just been setting myself up for a terrible fall.

Simmons, Success Through Stillness, p. 14.

My very favorite story was his first yoga class. He went to yoga because he thought it would be a great place to meet beautiful women. Check. What he discovered was far greater. After he got over a “fear of the stillness” he couldn’t fathom that he was the peaceful, calm and centered guy sitting on a mat with a silly grin on his face.

He told his buddy, “If I keep doing this shit, I’m going to lose all my money!” In other words, he thought slowing the freight train down would cause him to lose his drive and motivation.

Far from making me lose my ‘golden touch,’ that sense of stillness I experienced in yoga, and later in meditation, actually was what prolonged and saved my career.

Simmons, p. 17

Start Where You Are

The takeaway: Start where you are. I don’t meditate for 20 minutes twice a day. But I do meditate for 10 minutes at least once per day, up from 7 minutes when I restarted as a New Years’ Resolution. I don’t do a yoga class every day. At most, I attend a class once a week. But I do 10-15 minutes of yoga five days a week, sometimes after cardio and weights, sometimes by itself. That consistent little bit makes a huge difference. It’s consistency more than the intensity that counts. I’ve found that intensity can lead to burn out. Be the tortoise.

One Last Thought

I recalled in the past year when I had an agreement I had to overhaul. It required extensive redlines and the client required a quick turn-around. My head was not in the game and I felt stressed.

I decided to do a quick meditation on my back, like a shavasana (corpse pose). I set a timer for 10 minutes, closed my eyes, and just relaxed and breathed easily. When the timer went off, I stood up and was amazed that my head felt clear. I was actually more energized. I tackled the agreement no problem and met my deadline. Most importantly, I felt happy. Happy that there are little tools right inside of our bodies that we can access quickly with a little training. Give yourself that gift!

Namaste, friend.

xo, tricia