The Zen of Safia

I have a daily ritual that trains my mind, my body, and my soul. And interestingly enough, it refines my so-called “entrepreneurship skills.” It’s a routine that I’ve started recently but that has shown great results thus far.

It starts with the mind. Every day (almost), around 8 pm, I spend two hours coding. I try to make sure that the software I write in those two hours is something that challenges my intellect. A new algorithm I haven’t heard of, a new programming language, a new web dev stack or even a machine learning technique I learned so many years ago it’s foggy in my brain. In those two hours, I fall into a deep intellectual trance where my energies are focused purely on my brain. I can feel the heat in my head and the electricity inside it and the rhythmic pattern my mind, fingers, and computer fall into. It’s a beautiful experience.

Then I workout, hard , for 45 minutes. I enjoy working out in the privacy of my home and like to use Johnson and Johnson’s 7 Minute Workout app to do so. In addition to the traditional 7 Minute Workout, it contains a variety of other workouts targeted at different fitness levels. My favorite part of the app is the Smart Workout feature which automatically generates a workout for you based on a fitness and motivational level that you set. A chunk of that paragraph sounded very promotional, but I assure you that Johnson and Johnson are not paying me to endorse their products. I do intense cardio for around 45 minutes. It feels great. The sweat down my forehead. The heat all over my body. The fact that unlike the first part of my ritual, my brain completely takes the back seat. For 45 minutes, I gain strength and endurance and push the limits of what I thought my body was physically capable of.

Afterward, I finish it off with a brief period of meditation. For this, I usually sit for 15 minutes and clear my mind. I start by counting down from 900, inhaling on even numbers and exhaling on odd. During this period, my brain and body are too sore to be active. Instead, my soul, the weird thing that pushes me forward in periods of grief and rejoices in periods of sadness takes the front seat. It’s a calming moment. I consider myself a spiritual person, and in those brief moments, I find myself intertwined with the universe. Sometimes I find clarity. Other times I don’t. Regardless, I never meditate to look for it.

So how does all those mumbo-jumbo contribute to “entrepreneurship skills”? Well, it’s all about endurance, discipline, and creativity. Every day, for 3 hours, I train my body, brain, and soul to endure, to move forward, and to be consistent. It’s no easy endeavor but endurance and discipline are really the only things you need to run a business. I like to think that even when I’m not working on dsfa, I’m working on becoming a better business leader.