Life is the Practice

To bring consistency and meaning to our practices, we must start with a single question: Why am I doing this? In this episode of Life Is The Practice, I am asking you to wonder about the motivation behind our desire to be mindful. I’ll also share some very simple – but powerful – ways to push back against self-defeating, self-serving thoughts by cultivating “altruistic intention.” Getting stuck in an “egoic state” is a common and fundamental human problem – as well as a source of endlessly unfulfilled desire and suffering. But there is another way: Look to the service of others! It’s my pleasure to walk you through the definition of altruistic intention and how to integrate it into our hearts and minds with transformational results!

You will meet both a student and a mentor of mine, each of whom is sharing their individual journey to embracing an altruistic orientation and some of the specific thoughts they used to get there. I’ll also reveal some tricks our minds can play and strategies – small steps we can easily take – to get our practices back on track. Finally, this episode offers basic, effective ways to quiet the mind and stay centered on compassion, gratitude, and altruistic intention. Little by little, it becomes not only an important thing. It becomes the only thing!

Are you longing to live in a place of inner peace, abundance, and confidence? Had enough of self-doubt, fear, and a nagging scarcity mindset? Then I invite you to explore my online course. It integrates all the teachings I use in my 1:1 coaching practice and the wisdom I've acquired over 25 years of mindfulness and research. Welcome!

You might also enjoy visiting my website, where you can sign up for my free newsletter, find complimentary guided meditations and listen to all my podcast episodes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Negative thoughts, self-doubt, and anxiety are inevitable. But we can push back!
• How to trade “egoic motivation” for “altruistic intention.”
• Why we must break free of mental and emotional patterns that constrict our hearts. 
• Defining and developing your practice in service to the happiness of others.
• How altruistic intention colors every aspect of our lives.
• Tips for weaving gratitude- and compassion-based meditation techniques into everyday life with powerful results.
• Here is an example to help focus our intention, and Juan’s free guided meditations can be found at this link.

QUOTABLE:

• “Plain and simple, when we make the benefit of others the purpose of our work, the practice yields better results. We evolve faster, with fewer difficulties and more grace.”

• “To be of service, we need to break free from these limitations and develop the abilities and skills that allow us to embody our best selves. Only then can we uplift others.” 

• “The challenge is that as humans we aren’t naturally altruistic, or motivated by serving the good of others. We have to work on it ... bring intention.”

• “My theory is altruistic intention. That's why I'm lucky. Not because I'm more clever or because of some magical thing. Oh, how lucky. No! It's the altruistic intention. See, when you practice that, when you are like that in the world, things happen well.” (Juan’s meditation teacher, Juan Manzanera)