Actively work to understand and overcome your fear of other people’s opinions (FOPO), as this is identified as one of the greatest constrictors of human potential.
Cultivate a specific relationship with all forms of experience, including difficult ones like anxiety, depression, or despair, viewing them as part of the curriculum and doors into wakefulness and awareness. This helps optimize well-being and ethical behavior by transforming your relationship with challenging experiences.
Exercise the ‘muscle’ of a ’not knowing mind’ or open awareness, which means not believing your own theories or propaganda, especially about yourself or others. Staying with the space of not knowing allows for the emergence of new insights and prevents being trapped by preconceived notions.
Understand that the ‘real meditation practice’ is how you live your life moment by moment, especially when faced with difficulties. View every moment as an opportunity for wakefulness and awareness, making you sharper and more agile in responding to challenges.
Recognize self-centered, negative thoughts as mere ‘soap bubbles’ or ’thought bubbles’ that naturally self-liberate, rather than believing their content or amplifying them into reality. This practice liberates you from self-generated suffering and depression, allowing you to reclaim your full humanity.
Nurture your own aspiration to live your life fully by recognizing and feeding your internal beauty and human dignity, rather than trying to improve yourself or blaming external circumstances. This liberates you from suffering and allows you to access your inherent awareness and beauty, which can atrophy if ignored.
Find at least one friend with whom you can openly discuss your meditation practice, fears, and life experiences. This provides essential support, helps you see yourself more clearly, and fosters connection in your journey of self-discovery.
Dedicate time to a daily, rigorous, formal meditation practice, which can include sitting meditation or mindful Hatha yoga. Formal practice acts like training for the mind and body, sharpening your ’living awareness’ and cultivating ’non-doing,’ making you more agile and responsive in daily life.
Shift your focus from self-centered happiness to caring for others and acting out of that care, recognizing that the ‘we’ is more important than the ‘me.’ This approach leads to infinitely greater happiness and fosters a profound sense of belonging, moving beyond small-minded self-maximization.
Actively contribute to tilting global affairs towards greater sanity, sustainability, vulnerability, and justice by modulating your behavior and energy use. This is an ‘all hands on deck’ moment for humanity to make the planet habitable and ensure well-being for all species and future generations.
Mindfully move your physical body regularly, incorporating it into your meditation practice, to maintain health and agility. Physical health is crucial for the ‘marathon’ of life, and mindful movement supports overall well-being and awareness.
Practice recognizing the inherent beauty and wholeness in others, avoiding the tendency to put them into limiting ‘boxes’ based on external narratives like income, status, or roles. This fosters deeper connection and understanding, moving beyond two-dimensional perceptions of people.
Cultivate an inner ‘repelling shield’ against external projections and narratives that others impose on you. This protects your inner state and maintains authenticity by not internalizing others’ limited perceptions of you.