Seek out a meditation style that you find pleasurable, such as those incorporating music or focusing on body sensations, because experiencing pleasure during the practice makes it easier to sustain the habit and keep returning to it.
If traditional breath-focused meditation doesn’t work for you or you consider yourself “too ADHD,” try alternative forms like sound-based meditation or body scans, as different types may suit different personalities, times of day, or stages of life.
Practice meditation to reduce anxiety and cultivate self-awareness, allowing you to be present with yourself without external distractions and to clearly observe your thought patterns, including self-judgment and fears.
Enhance your meditation practice by delving into its underlying philosophy (e.g., Buddhism, Eastern spirituality), as the intellectual understanding can feed the practice and provide deeper meaning and motivation.
Cultivate a conscious awareness of your own mortality and the fragility of life, as this perspective can provide a “massive dose of perspective” and help you live better by prioritizing what truly matters.
When anxious or stressed, reflect on the philosophical concept of the “lack of self” or the self as an illusion to detach from expectations and ideas that determine self-worth, helping to overcome negative feelings.
If you have the privilege of life and opportunities, embrace the responsibility to make a positive difference in the world, aiming to improve the lives of others or contribute to societal progress.
Actively foster deep connections with other people, as these relationships are a fundamental component of a meaningful life and can counteract feelings of loneliness prevalent in individualistic societies.
Develop and adhere to a personal value system that acts as your “true north,” guiding your decisions and actions to live a meaningful life.
Don’t feel pressured to maintain a rigid daily meditation schedule if you are “undisciplined”; instead, allow yourself to meditate when it feels right in the moment, as this flexibility can help sustain the habit.
Be aware that all people, regardless of their life circumstances or success, experience similar fears and insecurities, which can help alleviate feelings of isolation in your own struggles.
Consider meditation as a secular practice to achieve the benefits of pausing, reflecting, and finding peace, similar to how prayer functions in religious traditions, to become more deliberate about life’s intentions.
Employ meditation to become a more conscious leader, focusing on being present with your team and stakeholders to offer better support and guidance.
Invest in early-stage technology startups that are mission-driven and have the potential to scale rapidly, as these ventures can combine impact with market forces to create scalable solutions for social challenges.
Advocate for and actively promote greater diversity, particularly more women and people of color, in investment decision-making roles within industries like venture capital, to foster broader innovation and better returns.
Advocate for and support the redesign of workplaces to offer greater flexibility and support systems for working parents, recognizing that current economic structures often disadvantage women’s careers.
Seek employment with companies that provide a sense of purpose and meaning, as aligning your work with your values is increasingly important for personal fulfillment and reflects a broader shift in capitalism.
Support girls’ education through advocacy for policies guaranteeing 12 years of free, high-quality education, and by providing grants to innovative organizations, as this is a critical driver for social change and empowerment.
Support the idea that companies should be responsible not only to shareholders but also to all other stakeholders, and that wealth creation should benefit everyone involved in a company’s success.
Encourage businesses to prioritize sustainability and diversity from their early stages, rather than addressing them as afterthoughts, to build more ethical and effective companies.