Ernie Delgado, CEO of BEYOND Technology Education had his heart set on making the world better through education and technology. Fifteen years ago, the Southern California native founded BeyondTech, an Education Technology IT company connecting teachers and students to technology to improve teaching and learning.
An eternal student himself, Ernie describes himself as a novice meditator. I sat down with him to understand his journey into meditation and share his learnings with those of you who would like to try it.
The motivation
About 4 years ago, Ernie became the father to an autistic little boy. His passion for education took on a form he had not anticipated. He spent hours at a time researching autism and how to communicate with an autistic child. During his research, he spotted behaviors in himself that made him wonder: “Do I have adult ADHD?”
A visit to his doctor confirmed that while he was not suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, he indeed had trouble focusing. Refusing to take medication, Ernie was determined to nip his inability to focus in the bud in natural ways.
“Meditation kept coming up in my research and I was intrigued by it”, he says. “I started on my own and had no idea if I was doing it right. Then, a friend gave me some pointers that helped me get into a meditative state more effectively and in a more focused way. Now, I’m following guided meditations I’m curating on YouTube.”
1. Start with your habits
“I needed to look at my habits and be willing to change them. There are certain habits that will naturally make meditation easier, and there are certain habits that will make it harder”, continues the CEO. “For example, I meditate in the morning on an empty stomach—no coffee or food until later.
I understand the importance of a good night’s sleep and make sure that I get enough of it. I don’t take on any major tasks before I meditate so I can keep an open mind and stay fully present in my meditation. I handle my deliverables later.”
2. Try it for 30 days
“First, I only promised to do it for 30 days but by the end, I was craving it. My advice is to try it for 30 days, even if only for a few minutes. Your mind will wander and it will be hard to bring it back to focus at first, but that’s ok. Stick with it anyway.”
Meditation is like any other activity—it requires patience and practice to learn. It requires training of your mind to become aware of and tap into your subconscious. Give it a minimum of 30 consecutive days and see what happens.
“When I first heard the phrase: try to listen between the words during meditation, I didn’t understand it. Now I do. When you listen between the words, you’ll hear things you otherwise wouldn’t and you’ll notice things you otherwise would dismiss.”
Have you ever tried to listen between the words? Share on X3. Put it on your calendar
You’ve heard me say this many times before: if you want to build a new habit, add it to your calendar. “As much as I’d like to meditate every day, it’s difficult, especially when I’m traveling. I typically meditate 3 or 4 times a week, and sometimes I double up in a day”, states Ernie.
I find that my morning meditations often lead to new ideas, clear priorities and better organization so I make it a point to find 15 to 30 minutes of quiet time in the morning. When I meditate in the evening, however, I’m all about winding down and falling asleep calmly. I don’t get many ideas at night.
4. Write it down
“I keep a notebook next to me and after each session, I write down the important things that come through during meditation. This notebook guides my goals and priorities now and helps me remember my ideas. It’s become such a great asset—both professionally and personally.”
Meditation helps bring forth and make clear what’s important. Share on XMeditation expands your mind…and your possibilities
Meditation helps bring balance into your mind. When you’re mind is at peace, your body and soul are at peace. You feel aligned. You see the world as a place full of possibilities rather than a prison of limitations. You make the most of your present and feel stoked about the future.
Ernie’s current motto in the signature line of his email’s is “The quality of our future depends on the quality of the questions we ask and answer today. So be bold and realize that we are creating that future right now.”
Thank you, Ernie for opening up about your journey into meditation and making your lessons accessible to others. The more people meditate, the kinder we can make this world and the better future we can create. Keep spreading the word!
You can read Ernie’s latest blog posts here:
- “Together we can do so much”
- “5 new things that have improved my life”
Related Red Pantz articles:
- The 2-minute meditator
- CEO Glenn’s story: How I got hooked on meditation
- Why We should mind our thoughts
- 75% of us want to be more creative but can’t–learn the habits to “can”
Image by Claiton Conto, Pexels
Petra, thank you for this wonderful interview. I really appreciate your input on my meditation practice and that you are sharing my story with other business leaders. You can visit my personal blog at https://medium.com/the-create-firm