As Evergreen leaders, I would guess that many of us set pretty high expectations for ourselves—in business and in our personal lives. I know I do – often to the point of being harder on myself than is productive. I am generally trying to get a lot done and, justified or not, I often feel like I need to do more just to keep up.

I was introduced to meditation in college by a happenstance flyer advertising a lecture by a visiting Japanese monk.  I decided to give it a try.  Since that time, I have found that meditation offers a way to practice pausing just a moment more before saying or doing the next thing.  At my best, I can experience some of my thoughts and emotions without letting them immediately drive my actions. My goal is to meditate each workday, and the practice continues to help me find clarity and reduce stress.