Brian Tate
Founder, CEO
Oats Overnight
Who Has Time For Meditation?
That’s what I thought while cruising through the day-to-day at my previous career. I knew that I needed something to assist with my anxiety, but couldn’t seem to make time for a 10 minute moment of stillness. Left unaddressed, my anxiety lingered. Some days were better, some days were worse. I found workouts and runs to be helpful, but those take time, too. I ultimately needed a change, and found it in the form of a new career.
Enter Oats Overnight
I was making this unique overnight oatmeal recipe (almost always Chocolate PB) in my kitchen to squeeze in 20 extra minutes of work each morning. Ok, some days they were spent on the snooze button. No matter how I spent the time, removing that first decision of the day was huge for me. I LOVE this product and I decided to share it. Excitement around building the brand with our amazing team carried me another year without issue, but then the anxiety came back. It’s unpredictable in that way. Routine helps, but I’d just launched a career that doesn’t tuck neatly into one. Go startup life.
Fine, I’ll Try It
After a 30th recommendation from a friend to try meditation, I decided to research it more seriously. What I found changed my entire perception of the practice. I learned that everyone has difficulty meditating at first - not just those of us that suffer from ADD. Being motionless is hard. The human mind wanders naturally, so you have to train it to be still. Like a workout, you don’t see progress immediately. Unlike a workout, it only takes 10 minutes and you won’t break a sweat. I found the
Calm app’s “How to Meditate” by Jeff Warren especially helpful for taking the first step. After that, it took me a few months to stick with it (still startup life), but when I finally did, the results were amazing. I was more relaxed, more focused, and less impulsive. I began auditing my decisions regularly. And as a result, I made more quality choices throughout the day. This reinforcement encouraged me to stick with it.
Make It a Ritual
It’s important to create routine by scheduling important pieces of your day. For example, if you have to consciously decide whether or not to exercise after work, you’ll find yourself making excuses too often. Don’t do that. Set a schedule and stay on it. My days start with Oats Overnight to free up an extra window of time for meditation. Find a spot outside if you’re lucky enough to have access to grass. Otherwise, anywhere inside will do. Don’t worry about the noise. Sometimes the sounds of traffic and children are inescapable - but that’s ok. Learn to let them pass through you, rather than tense up or get frustrated when they enter your space. This comes with practice but trust me, it’s a superpower.
I’m honestly shocked that this has worked for me given my choice of career and the ADD. But it has. So don’t accept that anxiety will define your reality. Instead, accept the present moment for 10 minutes each day, and you’ll learn to live in the present moment for the other 1,430.
Join Me On The Journey
Oats Overnight is a company and a community of people that embrace what’s Real. Anxiety keeps people distracted with what might happen in the future, instead of what we can embrace in the present. We’re actively looking for ways to move past it and become the best, truest version of ourselves. Practicing mindfulness is a way to do that. And it helps us be more present to each other. We hope you’ll join us on our journey toward greater health, success, and joy.
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