I’ve been studying mindfulness techniques for the last year, and a recent book I read about two months ago has really transformed a lot of things in my personal mindfulness practice. Here are some of the things practicing mindfulness every day has helped me:

1.Concentration

As I’ve moved into more demanding gigs, the need to go into deep concentration and stay their for long periods is essentially a make or break deal for my career. Using mindfulness practices have helped me better control my thoughts during shows and sessions.

2. Making better decisions.

The music business is full of high highs and low lows, and it’s hard to not let that color how you act. By managing my emotions better I’ve been able to make decisions with less emotions driving what I’m doing.

3. Being more aware of what’s going on around me.

Developing presence allows me to play better onstage and in the studio. It also helps me be a better “hang” by building my listening skills and awareness of others.

4. Hearing people instead of hearing emotions.

Speaking of listening, it’s been so useful to be able to hear what people are saying without letting their emotions overwhelm or over bias you in one direction or another. By being able to distance my own emotions and evaluate them, it makes it easier to understand more clearly the emotional state of someone else.

5. Setting better routines.

When I understand what makes me stressed, angry, sad, happy, contemplative, etc I’m able to adjust my priorities to include things that are going to set me up to succeed emotionally in the future.

6. I’m more relaxed.

By not constantly living in the future or the past, I’m able to enjoy the present a lot more and just relax. It’s amazing how freeing it is not to constantly worry about the next career step, and just enjoy being in the moment.

7. I’m happier.

Ultimately I’m so much more content with where I am as a person. By realizing that emotions are just temporary states of being (for good or bad) it’s helped me to become more content then I’ve ever been before.

If you’re looking to build your own mindfulness abilities, I recommend this book to you (and no, I didn’t get paid for this. I just love this book).