“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Most people do just the opposite. They seek everything else and occasionally they think about His kingdom, if ever.

In meditation, we are actually entering the kingdom within. It’s the best way to get rid of stress and to calm the mind for clarity, focus, and productivity.

Here’s a short list of highly successful people who meditate: Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn; William Clay Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor; Oprah Winfrey; Madonna; Elon Musk; Mark Zuckerberg; Jeff Bezos; and Bill Gates.

If all those people are meditating to clear their mind, be more creative and productive, why not you? Obviously, there is a secret we need to discover for ourselves.

If you are saying you don’t know how to meditate, let me share what works for me.

Dive Deep Below Your Thoughts

Many people often tell me that it’s hard to quiet the mind during meditation. The reality is, calmness is our default.

In your mother’s womb, you were peaceful and carefree. In deep sleep, the mind and body is completely calm. Let me illustrate with this metaphor.

The ocean can be agitated by violent winds. Turbulent waves are crashing against each other. But if you dive deep underneath it, it’s calm and peaceful. No noise. No agitation.

It’s the same for the mind. No matter how many turbulent thoughts that are racing through it, there’s a place deep within us that is calm and peaceful. It’s our default. The goal of mediation is to get there.

Just sit comfortably and completely relax. Observe your breathing. Feel the air coming through your nostrils and filling your lungs. Breathe in slowly, hold, and breathe out without forcing it. Don’t try to catch a breath. It’s there waiting. Just inhale it.

Watch your thoughts making noise above you as you begin to sink deeper and deeper. Don’t resist those thoughts. Welcome them. Say to yourself, “Here’s another one.”

After a few minutes, continue to be aware of your breathing. Say to yourself, “In. Hold. Out.” You breathe in, hold quickly, release.

If you can, create a rhythm with the sound of in, hold, out. The brain loves rhythms. Try to slow down your breathing once you are totally relaxed and deep beneath the fast and furious thoughts.

You will notice the moment you observe a thought, it disappears. After a while, you will feel peaceful. Like everything else, it takes practice and patience.

Feel free to listen to some calming meditation music as well. Start with 15 minutes a day at the same time and location. I mediate for a full hour, which feels like 15 minutes to me.