SUMMARY

If you’ve ever struggled with the idea of meditation, try this out: How about no beads, no sitting cross-legged, no chants or ashram journeys? The transcendental practice developed by Host Chris Schembra’s guest on this episode of the Gratitude Through Hard Time podcast speaks to all of us who want to embody our deepest visions but find our busy minds get in the way. Vishen Lakhiani’s practice, "The Six Phase Guided Meditation," skips the things that make mindfulness a challenge – especially for frenetic, creative entrepreneurs. As he lays out in his new book, coming out this week, his program’s goals are transformational not because of a series of disciplines or rituals but because they bring alignment in the most direct, simplest of ways.

Vishen’s journey to wholeness began 20 years ago, when he abandoned a burnout job in Silicon Valley. That decision to look for a deeper connection with himself and others has culminated in the fundamentals he spells out in his compelling new book, "The Six Phase Guided Meditation" and can also be explored via his Mind Valley apps and the hugely popular seminar he conducts in cities across the world. If you’re ready to “dream bigger,” then this episode will give you a powerful starting place to shift your mindset and make real what you see and feel. In wrapping up, Vishen reminds us that luck is something we can choose. Reality is something we can bend. And a more abundant world is something we can create, through the unity that lies within us all. “This is the grand magic trick that makes life easy; that helps build incredible businesses,” he says. “This is the secret that helps you live a life that seems blessed.”

Whether you think you are an expert at meditation or that meditating is impossible for you, Vishen's new book is a must-read. It's transformational. Pre-Order before 9/20 and get 500 Customizable Meditations through his APP to use for a year - FREE! You can find the link here.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please click here to listen to previous episodes of Gratitude Through Hard Times. And you can find out much more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience at this link.
 

KEY TOPICS:

• If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life who hasn’t been given enough credit or thanks, who would that be? Vishen recognizes his ex-wife for being an “incredible entity” and wonderful mother to his children.
• On souls and how Vishen believes they were meant to function – not necessarily as monogamous mates for life.
• Advancing Humanity: Businesses are capable of raising universal consciousness, but it doesn’t have to be a blanket effort. Vishen challenges every owner to evolve individually towards consciousness and spiritual growth for the greater good.
• Our ultimate growth is rooted in awareness of our powers within, the consciousness we connect with and extend beyond our physical bodies.
• The Concept of Unity: Separation is a protective mechanism – and illusion.
• Try this exercise from the Sufi poet and thinker, Rumi: Close your eyes and think about the message you want to communicate in silence to another person and remember – whatever energy you put out is what you will receive back.
• Studies of gratitude practices and forgiveness confirm that they yield positive benefits, such as:
• Once we recognize how intrinsically connected we are to everything else on the planet, we move towards unity and understanding of the oneness we all share.
• The Truth About Meditation:
• How Transcendent Practices work by:
• About "The Six Phase Guided Meditation":
• About the Pillars of Happiness and Vision that comprise Vishen’s six phases.
• Vishen reflects on the criticism and rejection he experienced at one point from peers in his native Malaysia and how he persevered with his practice, using it to transform his response to one of compassion.
• Dreaming Big: About using creative visualization to reprogram our brains and deliver a mindset embedded with powerful belief and emotional connection.
• All About Dan Sullivan’s Happiness Gap and how Vishen has incorporated it.
• Vishen’s Ultimate Hope: For people to understand that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience and that everything starts with tapping into the power of our souls and intuition, our ability to manifest the future and connect with all life.
• Parting Thought: The secret is to live in harmony, balancing balancing play, minimizing stress and overwhelm, feeling God’s blessing – the love – everyday.

QUOTABLE

• “Your business is not the most important thing. Your business, rather, is the ultimate vehicle for your personal evolution.” (Vishen)
• “If your business fails, it doesn’t matter. If your business hits a billion dollars, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that running your business is helping you grow.” (Vishen)
• “The greatest thing we can do as humans is move toward unity … and our own fundamental truth.” (Vishen)
• “Our consciousness never actually ends. It blends into all life. We are connected to plants, to energies, to animals. We are connected not just to our family but to the homeless person we pass on the street. When you can move towards that level of understanding, you cannot hurt someone else.” (Vishen)
• “What Vishen has done is written a book and invented a method that gives you access to this internal way of being through a 15- to 20-minute transcendental meditation.” (Chris)
• “What makes you an entrepreneur is the fact that your mind is constantly, creating, jumping from one thing to another. That is your superpower. You do not want to slow that down.” (Vishen)
• “Even the people who are judging you, the people who are tearing you down, their souls are connected to you. They are not necessarily evil or bad. They are simply people who are unaware of who they are and probably going through their own moments of grief, jealousy or bitterness.” (Vishen)
• “By creating a transcendent practice that shifts you into a mindset of love and compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, vision-making and happiness – all these things – you are relying on your agency to create that change. You don’t have to rely on others to fix themselves in order for a conflict to be healed.” (Chris)
• “The Law of Attraction isn’t based on your wants. It’s based really on your resonance. The universe doesn’t give you what you want. Rather, it gives you who you are.” (Vishen)
• “If you can appreciate how far you’ve come and live in that feeling of appreciation, what happens is that … what you appreciate appreciates.” (Vishen)
   

LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES:

• Learn more about Vishen’s latest and previous books here.
• Neal Donald Walsch’s book, "Conversations With God."
• About the program that kickstarted Vishen’s own work: The Silva Method.
• Find out more about the Arbinger Institute’s book, "The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict."
• Dan’s Sullivan’s book, "The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence and Success."
• Historian Ron Chernow’s book, "Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr."

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Vishen Lakhiani is one of today’s most significant education reformers. As the founder of Mindvalley, he and his team serve over 20 million people globally through an evolving ecosystem of the world’s foremost transformational programs, events, and technologies. His new book, “The 6 Phase Meditation Method,” teaches his revolutionary approach to meditation for peak performance in modern life. 

FOLLOW VISHEN:

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ABOUT OUR HOST:

Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours," he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times.

FOLLOW CHRIS:

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN | BOOKS