Do you find looking at the ocean calming? How about gazing over a still lake; does that quiet and calm you? Most folks answer “yes.”

I got to wondering what it is about these sights that take us out of our head and into our senses. Here’s an answer I came up with: The scenes are vast and there is nothing else in them to distract us. Our focus is on one thing – the only thing in our view. That’s hypnotic.

Think of the movie scene where a hypnotist swings a pocket watch on a chain and asks the subject to follow its movements. The person’s attention is on one thing, and one thing only, and they are easily lead into a calmer, undistracted state of mind.

Objects that we laser focus on are vehicles that transport us to what The Buddha called, “no mind.” Whether you repeatedly chant “OM” or devoutly recite a prayer, it acts as a vehicle to take you from here to “there.” “There” being a place where you’re not distracted by your thoughts.

Many have a name for this place: Nirvana, Utopia, The Kingdom of Heaven, etc. The descriptor I use is the “Cauldron of Creativity.”

A quiet mind is a creative mind. No distractions telling you what’s not possible.

Just in case you think this message is for the “touchy-feely” crowd, consider the words of the highly successful entrepreneur and investor Naval RaviKant:

“A busy calendar and a busy mind will destroy your ability to do great things in this world. If you want to be able to do great things, whether you’re a musician, or whether you’re an entrepreneur, or whether you’re an investor, you need free time and you need a free mind.”

Want more smooth sailing? Focus on calming seas.

All the best,

John

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