I started meditating ten years ago.
I meditate in the morning and evening for 10 minutes.
I use a series of guided lessons from The Way.
It’s a new app by American Zen Master Henry Shukman. HeadSpace and Waking Up are also good meditation apps.
When I’ve more time, I meditate for 20 minutes twice daily without an app.
For these sessions, I use a mantra.
I picked up this mantra on a Transcendental Meditation course I took a few years ago.
Yes, a real, in-person course… not one of those online ones you’ve must pay for.
My TM teacher taught me how to use this mantra when practising TM.
I’d tell you the mantra, but the first rule of TM is: Don’t talk about TM!
Also, the mantra is non-sensical to everyone but me. Sitting cross-legged, rubbing my thumbs together, and humming into the great unknown won’t help me build a creator business.
It won’t help me connect with readers.
And a high-paying client isn’t going to magically appear at my front door after a big meditation session.
But, meditation IS a nice way of silencing the noise.
And believe me…
It’s noisy out there.
When you’re looking at social media notifications, short-form content and an endless stream of internet money gurus preaching how to sell, it’s good to step back.
The last year of Google algo updates was brutal, too
I changed my entire business model because of how Google penalized creators in favor of big businesses like Reddit.
Meditation is a nice way for me to step back from events outside of my control, like an algorithm update or a traffic correction.
I sometimes read about meditation practices, too.
I like this famous quote from American spiritual teacher Ram Dass–yes he was an ACTUAL guru before gurus were a thing.
“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.”
That advice works in so many areas of life.
Including for anyone working in the creator economy.
And if you’re still reading this, that’s you.
If you can sit and listen to your ideal clients for an hour or two a week, you might be surprised by their whispers.
(Think Zoom interviews, Typeform surveys, and 1:1 emails to new email subscribers)
Your potential clients might want something you hadn’t considered offering, yet.
Do this, and you’ll find it easier to create content they want instead of trying to reverse-engineer viral content.
You’ll find crafting offers they’re happy to pay for easier than hoping someone sends you money to create content.
Now, you still have to create the content, pitch the client, and deliver on your offer.
The Parable of the Monk the Tiger
Here’s a fun Zen story I discovered in Henry Shukman’s meditation app, The Way.
An aspiring Zen master called Isan was told to found a monastery on a remote mountain.
He hiked up the mountain, built a thatch hut, planted some veggies, and lived alone on the land.
He stayed there for seven years, waiting for disciples to arrive.
But no one came.
After seven years, Isan had enough.
He packed up his belongings and walked down the mountain.
But on his way to a nearby village, a tiger confronted Isan.
The tiger grabbed Isan by his sleeve and dragged him back up the mountain.
He took that as a sign from the natural world to persevere.
Isan unpacked his belongings and went back into his thatch hut.
The next morning, a wandering Zen monk arrived at Isan’s hut.
“I’m looking for a Zen master to study with.”
The next day, four monks arrived.
The day after that, five monks arrived.
And Isan’s monastery flourished.
So why am I telling you this?
It’s hard watching creators build big audiences and businesses almost overnight.
They take to the network of the day, sharing five-figure income months and big client wins.
The rest of us are like Isan.
Building anything meaningful takes time.
More time than we’d like!
I wrote online for a full year before I earned any money, and I earned my first $1,000 entirely by accident.
(I wrote a review of Lynda–now LinkedIn learning–and earned some affiliate commissions.)
It took me another year or two to turn that into five-figure months.
Even today, I’m pivoting my content business from a publishing model to coaching and consulting.
It won’t take me as long this time around.
I’ve transferable skills as I’ve spent over ten years creating online.
I’ve stopped chasing the dopamine rush of likes and shares and going viral. Vanity metrics are the opposite of sustainable business and a sure case for an intervention by a tiger.
I’d rather build a quietly profitable business with a select few clients.
A small but mighty client base who wants to do the same. It won’t take seven years, but you will need patience. But then, you got this, right?