Perhaps nobody is better at helping people unlock themselves than the Buddhist meditation teacher George Mumford who taught meditation to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He's also worked with inmates, police officers, and corporate executives. There’s a reason why they call him the “Performance Whisperer.”
George has an incredible story: he began teaching mindfulness and meditation after kicking a serious drug habit, leaving a career as a financial analyst, and then earning a master's in counseling psychology. He's got a new book, it's called Unlock: Embrace Your Greatness. Find the Flow. Discover Success.
His first book was called The Mindful Athlete: The Secret to Pure Performance. If you want to hear him talk about that book, we've put links in the show notes to his prior appearances on this podcast.
In this episode we talk about:
- What it means to be in flow and why many of us may be achieving that state more than we think
- How to challenge negative self-talk
- The importance of gratitude
- The importance of service
- The importance of making mistakes (as George says, “no struggle, no swag”)
- How to recognize what he calls your hideouts
- Why he identifies as an empath and why he believes this may have played a role in his addiction
- And George’s take on often misunderstood terms such as love, hope, and faith
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/george-mumford-589
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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This is the ten percent happier podcasting dan Harris. I don't know about you, but there are plenty
of areas in my life where I can at times still even on the knowledge
mr happiness or whatever still
be a little tight and locked up where my
Head is up my ass and I cannot function at my best. I'm talking about areas such as work,
public speaking or writing or social situations. Perhaps nobody is better at helping people unlock themselves, then the buddhist meditation teacher, george mumford, this is a guy who taught meditation of Michael Jordan and kobe bryant he's also worked within
aids police officers and corporate executives. There is a reason why they call him the performance. Whisper george, who is a friend, has an incredible story. He began teaching my fulness and meditation after kicking Assyria.
His drug habit leaving a career as a financial analyst and then earning a master's in counseling psychology he's got a new book. It's called unlock, embrace your greatness, find the flow discover success. His first book was called the mindful athlete secrets to pure performance. If you want to hear him talk about that book, we've put links in the show notes to his prior appearances on this podcast
but in this conversation we talked about what he means by unlocking what it means to be in flow and why many of us may be achieving that state more than we think how to challenge negative self talk. The importance of gratitude, the importance of service, the importance of making mistakes, as george says, no struggle, no swag how to recognize what he called
your hideouts. Why he identifies as an empath and why he believes this may have played a role in his addiction and his take on often misunderstood terms such as love, hope and faith.
The show is sponsored by better help, one of the big things I'm working on with my girls.
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for me now I haven't concerns,
Are you happy? You enjoy life at my own concern? He no talking eu makes me happy. Ok, the levers
Are you happy? Yes, I am actually what's the content of your happiness
I'm this excited to talk to you about anything but about the book and its ring.
and I'm heading to l a tomorrow morning and
I don't want. I love to do and I'm being a while at the base, of course, not alike. I mean nothing. That sounds perfect. It does yes. Well. You mentioned the book.
so maybe let's start there. Ok, it's called unlocked. What do you mean
by unlocked. So if you think about what was alive,
don't call it to be locked locked out,
You can't go anywhere, you go out together, take classes and whenever and then
What's your evil
back out your icy, not locked down or you're a mark
so what I mean by a mark is being able to express you're you're too self. The beat in a moment.
The be present at the moment with
being
by desire or fear, but just being able to be this being able to express yourself? So isn't it? I guess it would be. A lot would be spontaneous.
one way of looking at it in spontaneity? Is one free? Well, it's like you just go with the flow is like you have a vehicle debts,
let's just say, car a cylinder senor only operating on two or three
but we are lucky operating on all eight cylinders.
Everything your mind body, hot and solar,
line and his wife sigmund freud, talked about the whole essence. Us psychoanalysis was a get people the love work and play
the high capacity. So when you're unlock is like having that little,
imma switch on your wall
turned out. We are.
so you're getting the full potential of delight.
And it's not something that you're unlocking you always a lot. You know there's moments of being unlocked his moments or not, but to be unlocked. This means that to be able to be real to be yourself to show up in the moment, fully deployed and fully engaged and then enjoy
doing the thing you doin, this being so the terrible bodies are marked. Embrasure greatness, find the flow
was success, so you might say them when we
Bracer greatness when we say yes to whatever comes out and we d role with
life is not a problem, is like being in flow. Are you find your flow is like you just going
and you're not there, but you are fully engaged
The only thing that matters is this moment and fully expressing yourself. I think it's important and helpful that you said it's not like for mortals that we're going to live in a perpetual state of unlock, because you know life is hard and so they're are going to be times when we have.
had inserted up our ass and were stuck in habitual story lines or ancient resentments or whatever
and what you're providing us with its tools to continuously inconsistently unlock it. My right, as I say this
yeah. It's actually saying you know we got this masterpiece of we have this divinity. Does the man spark or whatever it is
and so I would say, a caterpillars unlock when it comes to butterfly
and become a butterfly without struggle. You could see it in athletic competition. You could see it when you are in flow
or when you're. You know, if you're, if you're driving, I say, you're in manhattan and you're driving a down block to block and as you are moving from block to block there's a green light and you're just slowing is not stopping you're a
it just flow and what I'm talking about is nonlinear, so it's hard to describe, but at the same time we all have this ability. So we ever have an expert
ass. When you felt like what you were intending to doing what you did you,
I like you were fully engaged and so happy with what happened it just turned out. Well, even though you might have had some hiccups or whatever, but you got to do what you did and afterwards you realize man that was pretty cool. You know I start to feel guilty every time I talk about flow either with you, mostly it's with you or
Some other guests bring it up, because I dont know how often I'm actually flow, and I'm mr like meditation guy, yes, so you're
communicator,
So when you communicate I've had this experience with you as we talk,
we talk in and then there's a subjected for your attention
all right, there is the intuition, it's a knowing you get. What I'm saying I think I do this is in your language,
more mine, but I really do think of it like pulling your head out of your ass, like if you're stuck in your own stories and self consciousness, and doubt that you can't be spontaneous you're, not I
awaken aware right now, but if you can drop all that and really listen, I guess I am in
in these interviews, in that I'm listening, hopefully an and following along with, what's happening right now, yes,
say a lot of us flow, but we don't know where and flowing, and one thing about mind will end up paying attention
when you notice, when you run slow, you're gonna find that europe.
More than you know because
You know what they're what it looks like what it feels like what expanse of it is
when you train yourself and then it becomes automatic because spontaneous in so
We have these moments, but we don't know how to sustain.
How to have mortals moments and what it requires
he is being in a moment.
And getting a media feedback and making adjustments on fly and then at some point you find a rhythm will you find
and is this happening this is happening. It just goes down would say flow. Is this
resting on the creative energy is inside of us a crate?
everything is a wisdom that creativity inside of us that expresses this
How can we get out of the way we get? I had alibis, as you say, I just want to pick up on something he said, weren't
more often than we may think, but were not really aware of it, and I think,
plied in that and I think there's some research into this- is that if we can
be mine, fully aware of one worrying positive states can be flow or can be gratitude can be helpfulness, can be friendliness, it can be. Com
we can have a meadow awareness of it. If we can be aware that this is happening and appreciate
It's happening as its happening that we can get better at coming back to it. I think I've heard that that's maybe in one of the nearly six hundred episodes we ve done. Somebody has said that to me
making this up, no you're you're right noticing
it grows in your kindness. In your way,
can you become more two men to its over his talk about a practice by gratitude practice and chocolate talks about this in his hand?
the advantage in one of the bases habit is every twenty four hours right down three new things to be grateful for
So what happens when we do that? We actually create the automaticity of noticing what to be grateful for
you're asking programming yourself, so it happens automatically, and so I would say it
we train and we do something and it through the air, a correction to the struggle that our consciousness can pick up patterns unconsciously and then all of a sudden.
You get access to that intuition or that knowing is inside of us when we can. This be stolen. No, like the same about
there's something about
this attitude of being
relax
it, is allowing things that happened instead of making things happen, but it takes it.
Among us face in confidence to do that.
What we are really talking about is each unknown
falling moment,
happening. You must not knowing what the house for happiness
no one, but if we can train ourselves, the ambraciots say yes to it. Generally,
open, then restart, discovering stance that we start to see things in inside meditation. We talk about the five.
It says: let us talk about your will agree
Are they hinders hindrances because they hinder our ability to be present in the sea. Clearly,
its own, we're locked you see. Clearly then you're asking is gonna, be clear and his,
way from a place inside of you,
What I call a masterpiece, or this device part desert in wisdom inside there,
you can get out and just allow it to express itself that creativity comes out with this notion.
And I know you ve had expressed a great tyranny. Will you stole it?
something, and then you see all his way out and then you rely on us, but it then it would have been if I didn't have
struggle
I talk about the caterpillar is something about being a cat,
a pillar and being a net crystallize again
our children, our way out of it and as we chip our way out of it. Even though the struggle we developed the strength to fly,
so I was there would be. No luck is our ability to embrace whatever comes up and say yes to generate the whole
and make decisions were able to express our uniqueness or let that credibility flow out of us and that's how we discovered
things and we live in that creativity, the joy of discovery, because we're just present
and it does no hindrances. You know-
it design want this really badly or
it. I I'm just averse to everything I'm pulling back on me.
Protein or avoiding boy face now, but some of that programme on how we train ourselves. So we know certain things like women
we were in a conversation. We can listen more than speak. We can listen,
the open my without judging it without for some things away, one towards us, but the lead.
The thing speak in his own language is
together of understanding with devout wisdom by seeing clearly
and then understanding how things work is on you. I like you
The one with the gravity of you jump up.
don't come down.
Leaving gravity. But as you know that, and then, if you allow yourself how gravity worst, then you can use it to your advantage.
and so I say when we unlocked were able to see clearly were able to be present and were able to figure stuff out. Even though we're struggling, we make mistakes, but we're not judging ourselves we're just noticing. Yet
then learning and practising what we need to learn in practice so that we have the executioner
Why are we able to do what we intend to do when the struggle is really important? I find that reassuring that the struggle is important, because I do a lot of struggling and it makes me feel better like I can feel with writing. For example, we all have our own different struggles in our lives. For me, writing is one of the big ones. I can sometimes get down on myself for the fact that writing sucks and not in some blissful state of flow, all the time or rarely actually, but the struggle is what allows for these moments of breakthrough. If I'm understanding you correctly, I need to go through the struggle and the
I get a moment of clarity in that's a beautiful paragraph. That's the result of seven days of Hell. Yes, but you might noticed it. How did you get there at some point? You re with. Let go the girl,
were able to just say: okay, this is what it is.
Saying yes to it, then you're able to do something about it. I think I might have talk to you about before ace.
and one of our conversations. But I talk about the four a's
the belly, let things speak to us, the awareness that yet
the awareness that mere reminded this reflects was in front of us
is the acceptance and ass a challenging one. They said yes
I don't like this. They said that they are all you know or you. You said it yes
this is what happened. I get embraced the yes. This is what happened, and I don't want it to happen. I hated it. Did because this aversion, this anger at his first ratio, but a week in this same yesterday, accepted because some of us do, you suppose, could be like the grief and process where you go through all of those
five stages. You know bargaining in denial, the anger of the press in the except. It's you go through that boat that what we say yes to embrace it, then we can,
work with it and then by accepting it, then we
do the compassionate action and then there's the assessment so
me growing up the way I did and whatever I would say, I don't get stressed out, I'm too cool to get dressed up. So does the awareness that there's something going on, but then
acceptance of okay- maybe I don't think I'm stressed out, but there's something inside of me says yeah. This stress in here dude cut your shoulders up around your ears, so
they're, ok, won't one, and I assume that right and once I embrace the gap, maybe I'm just even die, don't get dressed now I can work with a nun,
into combat, so that I can. How do I relate to my stress so that I can get east or I can work through it and that's what I mean so it could be substance, abuse or some kind of
nation, this awareness of it, but because we are on a sunday.
we're seen it, but when we say yes, I have a problem
and you embrace it. Even
I kept it even it's painful. Then you can do something about it.
And then what you can do something about. It is about the choices we make greenish space between east and west response, so that, within that choice
We can choose wisely based on our values. Based,
I'll go
stone whatever it is. We say we want to do and we certainly want to be.
And by making a choice, then we get there, you, okay, so that that paragraph six it I don't like it. I like the way it feels
you want to get through with you wanna get down with it so
you embrace and say yes is welcome, suffering
I know it is not
what I want, and that is present
I thought the way I want it doesn't feel right, but
saying yes to that. By accepting that, then you can keep changing what you're doing
Why are you writing until you get a place where it feels right?
might take a fortnight.
take out no, but are we want the put the effort in so bad?
We're gonna do it until we can do so. Then then you can it
That's, ok! So how do I do that? I was in flow.
At like thirty seconds, whatever so the assessment bodies. So how do I replicate tat
and you start understanding, you know what you did in and what the essential aspects of it isn't that a big problem
my vote in wisdom working together. They collect data the get collecting thousands to ask the understood.
and what the essence is and how, how did it happen,
as the hard questions, and then we sought to understand of this is how this works
the hindrances or in abeyance, and on this,
well present, and you know I'm seeing
clearly and amend the moment. That's beautiful
how did I do that? How do I sustain that?
and that's what is about, but can you sustain it took? You know funny for some following, not because things are changing
have more moments where the fears not control in us controlling what we see, how we feel and a performance, what what way
what to do, and so what we understand that, then we can do so
then about it? So it's really coming from this space of starting off at embracing impression. The greatness
we have this capacity to access, wisdom and creativity,
and that will allow us to overcome these these obstacles. We can look at things ass
stepping stone rather than a roadblock, and it is by stepping over that.
We get to another level and getting to that
now we're having more than ability to be unlocked around.
In that situation and then, as we start to do, that, we start to see that there's this masterpiece, we just have to like a chrysalis, the caterpillar we have to chip away. We have to get rid of these hideouts that prevent us from
in unlocked once you get out a hidell then were able to suppress more that creativity that masterpiece correct me. If I'm wrong, you get more personal in this book, then you ve ever gotten before you talk about your
on hideouts. Would you be willing to describe what a hide out is and how that phenomenon has played out in your life, so hidell
We not impressed him what s insane saying yes to it, and being able to do
things about it, so we had out by the nile- and I say for me- I don't know about you, but
things are changing so fast.
Like okay. So if you have an iphone and all of a sudden they do upgrade, you know the configuration is totally different than you're used to the other configuration that you don't like this one. So
would be well enough and use our phone or I'm gonna. Just not learn a new system, and so is that a broader and more energy more and tells us understand.
What is this? How do I adapt this new thing we player
I'm game or we might
lies does not that important, maybe I'll just use my computer seven use my iphone
and so I hide out when I am not able to say yes to whatever comes up that life. Is
about learning. So if I'm in survival mood, you know I'm in fight fight a freeze, the locked up, but when I can get in to the love mode
resting digest, then, even though make mistakes, even though these are met,
happening in way. I want
maybe, but because I am in broad modem. Looking at all, it was the last year,
what do I need? A warm I felt like I want. The most exciting
I could be on the adventure,
getting to know myself better
getting to know how I tend to hide out how I tend to withdraw energy instead of bringing energy in how I shut down
rather than stand open to see the way forward. To actually say: ok,.
The lesson here. How do I learned how to do this? That makes it yeah, I'm curious how its
played out in your life beyond the iphone? Yes, all! Ok for this book
Always there, oh yeah, I wanna do my own audio book on it.
And then, when I got a low resistance, like you know them
but in the same way you know so challenging whatever
and so I said okay, so it doesn't matter made peace. I won't do the audiobook and then my agent was very persist
and he wanted me to do it,
I said: ok I'll, do it and when I go
in their studio. You probably note this is like there was a struggle,
like I couldn't breathe. I was right
I so I was hiding out by judges.
Go and allow are not asking for what I really want it. I really want to do the audio book back
I got a low resistance, I just backed off and so
when I went there and it was a struggle by the state,
Time is like ok. I haven't really been challenged states because of a long time
the second day was better and then than I had a practice. What I preach, I rachel,
what's going on. But making mistakes
it was, but once accepted it, and then this cab error correcting in nice.
waiting it even though it's a part of me looking at my clock, when are we going to be done? It was just
idea of having people around me they would calendar
it took me twenty years to write a book.
Oh that was had not the pony is so many other areas
I like that. I hide out I'm not ready for deciding out, because his comfortable, where I am. I know that one side of the coin is freedom. The other side is uncertainty, anxiety. You could be in work, love and play
but it's really there.
idea that yeah
It's not easy to embrace your greatness, because it's painful
and we see how much we have aversion to it. So writing this book about unlocking house
We talk a lot when I'm doing the aka work that make any sense yeah it does. You said something there about how it's hard to embrace your greatness. I mean at least superficially would seem like be awesome to embrace your greatness.
it does, but he's a thing. I work with latterly lot and I can't tell you how many times people
into that no getting older and withdraw the.
There is a certain level of anxiety exposure
That you're gonna have vulnerability that happens when you embracing, because it will be some people- we're gonna, be have said to you in a canoe
other people and when you move by the us to move when you changed relationship changes as
the powers did knows. Even you could see it. Will you make decisions
sometimes I make a decision not to do something, because I want to do something else and there's somebody did.
Upset about that. The things that I shouldn't have done that, because it is done,
Most of us are now got to deal with that blow back. Some people say that when you
your goal. It is no thousand today
What a downside to that is made
you can hang out with people use day out with, or maybe you know better,
they feel abandoned because you're doing things and and they're not going to go with you as you move to the next thing that your life is calling you to go to when you go on your hair.
Was journey, was not be somebody who's gonna be upset with that
ass. If your sensitive like me, then you'll, try not to me,
People feel bad or you take responsibility for people that was
I hit out take responsibility for people by trying to control how they feel gay describe yourself as an emperor. Yes
yes, and so what do I do it? That was a little boy saw there as the one on the street walks by
I devastated somebody moves from the black I'm devastated.
Only moved away, you know and and the walkin this visit of. But there was this,
feeling, alas loss. I know they do with that sensitivity
So I set it down. That's how I hit out does message: do you think that played into your later struggles with addiction? Oh no, no question
no question about that was another way to hide out.
Be somebody else, another deal with the pain of the scene
Not knowing that yeah is certainly by alchemy
got it in a way where it allows me to embrace my greatness in our work. I can use that same ability to feel somebody failings and they have an and instead of feeling aversion to it,
embracing, say, okay, so how can I be of service? How can I help them, and so I can take that same empathy and they use it to help people I help myself, so I had to just instead of focusing on them. I focused on
we first and then was a focus on me. I couldn't help them coming up. George mumford talks about bringing out your inner masterpiece and the role of service, faith and love in his life on a cold night in twenty ten, a boy I stopped by the police while walking home from a party in the bronx he's only sixteen he's been stopped by the police before, but this time is different in a special for part series, the generation
why podcast unravels the story of police, broader, a young boy who was falsely accused of stealing a backpack and held without bail at rikers island for three years. He endured regular abuse by prison staff and inmates and was held in solitary confinement for more than seven hundred consecutive days. Three years later colleague was released, never having stood trial. This is a story that digs into the injustice of the justice system and a young life caught in the middle. We say innocent until proven guilty, but where do we draw the line?
and between due process and cruelty. To hear this four part series follow generation. Why, wherever you got your pod casts, you can listen ad free, I'm amazon music.
or wondering app, even the rich as upon cast from Monday. That has the jaw dropping stories about the tumultuous lives of the world's elite from the greatest family dynasties to pop culture, superstars, having unimaginable wealth unlocks a world of which most of us could only dream. But what you get past, the red carpet dollars and private jet vacations. There can be a darker side. The most recent season of even the wretch explored lucille balls meteoric rise to fame as the first female set comstock, an studio exact, despite periods of soul, crushing rejection and a husband with a wandering. I there's also a season about madonna and american icon in more ways than one, though from humble beginnings, she transformed herself into the material girl and became not only the biggest pop star in the planet, but the world's number one trendsetter another explores the life of the legendary, dolly pardon, who began her career as a poor girl from rural tennessee, with a big heart and an even bigger dream, but even dolly's, yellow brick road was chequered, with struggles follow even the rich. Wherever you get your pot cast, you can listen.
Ad free on the amazon, music or wonder Iap. Another thing you say in the book is the only way to keep what you've got is to share it. Yes, yes and in this powerful, because what I discover is the more I share it, the more it gets ingrained in my awareness, my consciousness, so that it grows
In other words, them why share them? Why have does all that I give this is given to myself? It comes back to me.
So if I give love, I get love by your brief again
greece, and so, when I share my experience, strengthen hope because back to me and then somebody
stay there and then they do that, and then that comes back to me as well is like the collar lothar
The prosecutor, many names for police like once again
I think about this way. There is a practice. You know
data, oil, preheat joy answer. You appreciate someone when they do something and it's the antidote from jealousy.
Envy. What I learned from my own experience of data is it's easy to be enjoyed,
somebody you like, but his talents to be enjoy when your team,
don't be by another team, but what I
Recognize was by being injured,
what are those, even though they are not somebody real
I probably might I part about try what that happen
happens and that is by being enjoy. I'm why experiences of joy,
this thing about any time. Somebody has a good turn or has some experience
happiness. May you have what my mama's happiness? May you have more joy? May you meet with more success because to your efforts, you are able to get that result
So I'm getting these little ways of alone.
Even more by noticing there is
for me there.
What I'm happy my team lost,
The press will. I could be
my team last, but I get focused another team and instead of being the press, I can have some vicarious joy
oh, I messy minimizing my negative emotions as well as my my envy. My jealousy
because the envy and jealousy keep us locked up just like covet keeps us locked down, but if we have those positive emotions, then we have what they call. The broaden and build theory is that
having to function is enhanced and were able to be
enjoy or appear ease. Would it be a part of my stay with you
What is talk about will talk view having. I know you you're often slotted, in a public consciousness into the category of performance, and you know you ve been called the performance. Whisperer worked with all these incredible people, but when I hear you talk, you just mentioned the dharmu or buddhism, but that's what I hear when I hear you talk that the how the practicality as I understand it
when you talk about getting unlocked and success and greatness the how that is
training your mind through meditation
bringing the dharma your life so that your creating as many
positive mind states is possible and these become mental muscles. You can build over time and that's how you bring out what you call the inner masterpiece. Do I have that right? Yes, you do have that right, it's interesting, because when we talk about mindfulness and insight meditation the way the teaching of the buddha, so the threefold training is really wisdom.
Integrity and mental discipline, the so a lot of people talk about my listen and meditation is just a mental discipline. That would be like right, africa, concentration and by my fullest, oh, but it has to be,
founded in wisdom, which you know sometimes we talk about. It is my view and well intentioned right thinking and that the
integrity, peace, the nun humming right before I left my report there
how the base our ability to be more present, and so when I
talk about performance you have to perform. You want to be president. He want express yourself in a way where you felt, like you were being yourself, you'll, be instant
there will be an authentic and so is developing this,
The moment a moment really this being able to collect and tell or to see how things work,
in the revised it. If I like myself with with how things work, then I'm parliament, however, when its spirit-
but at the same time, my integrity, my relationship them.
self another's instead of an well good, will
you dont using like I talk about joy, compassion
loving, kindness, equanimity or or orbs another way and saying just just be impressed him without judging and just being fully in
and what you don't know who your west that
All of those things is all about how we manage this moment. Our cultivate disability debts,
Yes, whatever comes up and generate the home and see that that's where the
to to learn and to evolve and to express myself in a way that you know is alleviating suffering so as a service, a big part of that not just for myself but for all beings.
The greatest good but eyes good and so ass. I see it so we had to develop a thief
Yes, that's it, I'm doin what I'm doing it real
language in day to day making it accessible practical, because that's how you get access to that divinity that buddha consciousness, that price consciousness, the wines bar the masterpiece.
being unlocked possessed there. So how do we market like the crystallize and as the book is about how to unlock and how to be yourself, because only person you could be as yourself or I'll talk for myself?
in person. I could be it myself and only time I have is now
all. I really need his love. That's an interesting phrase. All I really need is love. A man reminds me the beatles. Is it possible?
that phrase to be rendered into an empty cliche, and what do you mean by it? Yes, of course,
words without asking Scobie, they don't know enough to do, is not to know
what it means for me. When I talk about love, that means openness,
getting beyond the illusion of separateness when you love something you help it grow, and so Erich fromm talked about it in his book the art of loving. He talked about four aspects that I talked about: tough love, responding to my needs. Carry in a careful
I myself am respect. Respect in boy am, as I am not trying to be damned
but allowing myself to be at that bring myself to be sincere about, I feel in, and what my deepest design
These are the last thing. Is there no myself, I didn't know how to care for myself.
didn't know when I'm not respecting, who I am
I dunno what I'm not responding to my needs as not. I feel it is more like
activities on you, love someone you make it grow, you weren't, you make it
so you label for what you love. You know what the labour force and when I talk about love, I'm talking about for the greatest,
and get beyond illusion. Separateness, then realising that we all suffer an outer
people embraced ever leave eight. The suffering and the things I'm from the top is changing
so that energy, I love it or being in love mode. I'm able to learn the lessons and did not withdraw energy, but to bring more energy into it, ought to be willing to investigate to explore and let the wisdom, that's the that's, the ultimate stress, reducer.
Where's, the knowing how things work in align myself with that, so that your based on what is not what we want to be a what was
but everything day saying could be
the unless your heart, mind and soul and body are engaged in
it's true or choosing
yes to everything and bring your best mine and you
As ability to make wise choices are choices that are conducive to peace, understanding, love, compassion, kindness in the book you talk about working with prisoners, including double lifers. Basically,
at two licences is what I understand. How did they react when you start saying things like all I need is love or kindness and compassion yeah. How does it go down with them worthy
get it because they're beyond the amount mount been in there for a while, and they know the quality of their life is going to be predicated on the quality of their mind, and so,
they have they get em. They can do time,
the time. Do them.
And so they would they be just for common in there, and I could talk
that matter. Five I mentioned the buddha or or anything there are open to it, because there was an exit
is it the illusion eleven people, their freedom, is dependent on how they develop them.
and how they related experience by hesitate fatality for me to go back
what I did twenty five years ago, because how I talked to home was predicated on
being aware what was their beaten and where they were
either by mines on this. In the wisdom of just letting things beat me and then
out of that creativity out of that potential inside of me, so
most of this is like I'm figuring this out a heck of a lot, especially back then, because I didn't know what to expect so. My job was it just be aware and then accept what was there and then do the compassionate. I can provide concrete
is between east and west in response. So now you knows the inspection
So this letting the wisdom. I know my fulness dictate what I do but its ground.
my carrying my response
tat in these spoken unspoken
I think who they are, I'm not trying to make them somebody else, but the knowledge to knowing have being able to see clearly to be able to be in the present and to be able to experience them as a worm or as anyone is
So I learn earlier and I was going to work in another prison and
There was one my first classes, and so I had these calls.
We have no two hours but deliver this time attack or this servant, though
and I go into the prison and I think
like, I don't know exactly numbers but less safe
Thirty a
and twenty eight of them were spanish speaking only
so a lad, interpreters, okay, so those notes, ok cited
be here, and how do I communicate with them? And how do I keep it simple and ass to the time of the creative energy or that
embracing it inside. Then. I can't do this and sit there and be quiet, but to say no okay, so
to talk to them and give them a basic fundamental? So I can't besought esoteric my interpretation, but this
earth meeting and where they are, and just talking about this simple sitting of being present and beaten,
body. So that's what I mean I can we fight back,
say what yeah cause we we learned from.
Fighting I experienced, but in a moment my best thing was
president and see what happened and see what wisdom. What will come out of that size that not knowing I noticed this
when I was a morning television anchor, you know. First, I was just awful added to so stuck in my own head and planning out my little quips from moment to moment, which always landed flat. If I had planned them and over time I had this. I guess confidence. Maybe even faith is a better word that if I
just drop all my plans and am right there spontaneously reacting in the moment to whatever my co angers were saying
in the light of no net situations that I would have access to the right, quip or the right said way or the right question for people, and that came to mind, as you were talking about being in front of thirty and made twenty eight of whom didn't even speak, the only language you know how to be good but doesn't,
as been in flow, then I saw a sand. You ve been a lotta turned, you didn't even know it, but how did tat happen and that's
you ask yourself and that they have to do with no
worse with, doesn't work and then realizing that
can I just have to be myself and I have to allow things to happen. Instead of trying to make things happen now
I talked to people I to young man today
cutting my dear
and what I discovered is and what young folks tell me that I give what
we're experienced in language
talk to the men away unfolding obese,
That's we're talking about
then they realize. Oh, I already had that. Oh yeah I've been in full but ass, telling you something
that how you related to a sitting
wasting where you were,
and watery you or you would come in from the senate, fear to happen,
ability to let go and whether the confidence come on the confidence comes from now.
Making the right effort in figuring stuff out. I did. I want to make a sickly study groups on on faith faith day, the sons of things hope for them.
as of things unseen, and so when you have faith, it's not all done anything. It's like a complete acceptance of your greatness and that things are going to try
well, I don't know how are you going to turn up, but he's gonna be ok
you'd, better, ok, because
a positive mind state another one of those hindrances,
Hence my ability to be present and they see clearly so
even if you're in that don't know, mind beginner's mind I dunno how this is going to turn out, but I'm just going to see
what happens and then then, let all my training it so at the pyramids, both this process of because I'm not trying.
The main things happen, I'm allowing things to happen. There maybe says yes, it just it's a leap of faith to allow things to happen
yes and when you allow things that happen and they turn out. Well, then, that faith grows and that's part of the process. I talk about it as much my other book, the mindful athlete seeks to pure performance, one of the superpowers,
face and it grows when we have confidence and we do things and we learn from our mistakes. You know without failure
He knows it says so this ability to embrace are errors and learn from them is huge. The struggle
say no struggle, no swag. I guess swag,
what I it and you have to keep earning it because Eminem fifty one I've ads.
Successes in my life. But if I want to have any more, I'm gonna have to continue to climb back into the chrysalis. Yes, that's true, but he is in a way the lock ashley.
the nervous system doesn't know the difference between what we experience and what we think about- and I usually talk about
Imagine of me in front of a old fashioned blackboard, and I take my fingers and I used my finger nails and I stress the blackboard and
was shattered- is like there's: no black were there, but the imagery of it creates the experience of it.
And so when we make a mistake and we keep reflecting on a mistake
and how awful was in our bad person would not reiterating that analysis is going to do that so that its use
lestat around and you focus on your past successes there. You briefly,
Got it and you keep playing a moving your mine, then that growth and creating
mindset that allows you to have better cognitive functioning.
and you actually have more face. Let me go back to love for a second, the whole notion of love. Being all you need. How scalable is that notion? Could you have that attitude if you were president of the united states in a dangerous world with,
superpowers trying to potentially topple your government or whatever? That would be the challenge in the most important question we have to ask is whether the
the recent friendlier unfriendly, have his unfriendly
Then we use our resources to deny destroy as war.
to remove the threat, but it
You see, the universe is neither friendly.
unfortunately, though, it doesn't matter what we do. Well, if we
see. The world is friendly, the lad tasks.
to align ourselves with all things were,
so you gotta have a open, my open heart, the be able to solve issues in the bay
with the see things and learn from them, and they go back to the cherokee grandfather
and his grandson insane. Did he had this ferocious battle between two wars in sight of him
we'll call fear the alone would call love and the grandson became concerned is a graph
which waffle when a grandfather
said the one did I feed saw us learn from it
How do we relate pollyanna for that
Another lesson based make me turn my jeep
I put my hand up to block it or move out of the way, but what I'm saying
is, if you have over mine overhead you'll be able to,
responding to what happened rather than react, so your response will be measured,
and will be an alignment
I say you are and what you say you want to do. That's why, when I say all you need is love. What I'm talking about is
saying yes to life, but also understand well connected, but you gotta see clearly and with love. How can you be so confident that universe,
is friendly and given the reality of inequality,
the violence, bigotry, competition.
Et cetera and there seems to be plenty of counter mending evidence. Yeah.
I let us add, a railroad tracks,
a lot of nasty parcel life being a drug addicted and what not
All I know is that I was able to transfer
in spite of all the adversities in spite of being asked,
american man who could be driving a car.
And get a d w b,
What d w b is driving la black? Yes, there you go
all of us have always does this have nonetheless been happening even way worse. When I was grown up, so it
Are you can do, is do you as a virus?
I live in the world not of the world, so is like seeing yeah
see clearly that may, but.
There's something alarm was I have a better chance of being able.
he's fine and ways is gonna, create less suffering,
doesn't mean it won't be softened. The sufferings of first number two is gonna, be suffering that can't be people who, I might add,
violence and dawn nasty, bad days or you know hiding out through drugs or you know any additions or just
being in hey. All I know is when you're in the negative stay at least
suffering even though short term, you might feel like you're doing something, but what you give comes back to you. Let me see if I can restate some of the some ad living here, so I I might mess this up,
I think what I'm hearing you say is: yes, the universe can be, or at least the world can be pretty hostile. That is because people have
Had lots of adverse stuff happens in their lives prior to this moment, and that has put them into a situation with their fear. Wolf or their capacity for hatred, has the steering wheel, and
I don't have to judge them per se. You don't have to hate them back, that's not going to help. You can defend yourself, protect your interests, protect people, you love, do your best to compete, but you don't have to
who d humanize them other eyes them hate them in the process, because that actually just weakens your abilities. This one
Is this a laugh honestly, the universal view allowing myself with how things work? I guess tat gravity.
no gravity was set waiting. You behave,
according to how it is.
so when you allow yourself about with divinity you don't have
the violence, various or you're gonna suffer less than you would otherwise
The nervous system is programme to if it's pleasant approach, if is unpleasant, avoid
is neither pleasant unpleasant and that economists dennis basing our personal
as this weight is answer.
How to train ourselves. This day in the center weather is
as an unpleasant and not to space out, but to be present in the economist, deny the hurricane.
I would say that huge. Is it possible that all this stuff,
This activity you're were talking about this capacity, for compassion could be too many people simply academic if they don't actually practice on the cushion as a meditative.
Yes, so the cushion is one part of it, but all day long, you know her.
I think, an relating to them
work and play because you can manage
and do all that stuff. But then you have to be a union of all is that of the heart, the other be compassionate, be loving became and so a threefold nodded,
action on training the mind, but also a behavior. You no good will is that of ill will cause very
take some. You know the heart to heart is open and loving, or at least tolerant, and then the wisdom to see was working and was not working to see if I have on their love glasses,
then then I see things a certain way. If I have an affair glasses, I'm probably going to be in fight flight or freeze. Coming up, george talks about the connection between generating hope, having optimism and achieving our goals. What the negative committee is
and using uncertainty and anxiety as opportunities to challenge our habit. The habit, many of us have of negative self top there's a phrase you ve used repeatedly in this conversation. You keep using it
we now ask you about it, but I'm curious generate the hope. You said that over and over and over em, what does that mean? Specifically
So when you're an optimistic when you're up not right fewer urine
wholesome minds state
the angel cognitive functions, is gonna, be enhanced and avoid you'll be able to see
it's like when you're in theory, you got tunnel vision, so let's say you're stuck on channel five or seven and it's like four hundred channels were thousand channels. So when you generate
the whole there's a willingness to not get stuck
one channel and the open sea in outside of the box. What this,
who as well it is you want to achieve them
When you generate the hope, then you're more apt to stick with it and be able to see clearly to be present, and so I talk about this, I call it the h, o, F hall, of fame
I hope optimism and faith. That's how you get to the hall of fame, but you gotta do work and you gotta have some talent, but
what our whole optimism I faced wilson,
that adversity comes soon as you hit a roadblock gonna quit quit. Speaking from my experience, not from the book about what people say, the theory, this my experience with working with elite perform
as well as myself as it. You gotta, do that you guys say: yes, the and you're gonna. Do
I do hope, as otherwise,
you're not gonna, learn the lesson you're not going to bring the energy you need to achieve what you need to achieve them without hope, without actually believing that it is possible you could achieve whatever it is. You are trying to achieve. Why would you try to achieve anything,
That's all right, if I may, that you want me to have it unless you have faith in the open,
that's, but you're not gonna get the result as though this is exactly why the talk about faithful outworks is dead.
You gotta have a whole, but then you got some.
What they they use. All like. Ok, you, home
You don't do the evident by having a whole heavy
Optimism have to face vienna so interesting of his actually right on time. For me, because one of the most difficult
Psycho dynamics in my life is higher relationship to writing and which I talk about before I'm in your five on writing this book and I keep having to drag my aspect of computer computer. Do this thing and then involves no shortage of hope. I guess I wouldn't have use that word, but I see now that is apropos, and even today I was in this depressed mode. There's lots of values, you know is as an author, but there are lots of valleys in this process, and this latest valley I was in was because the publisher of my first book, ten percent, happier asked me
personally, to write a preface for the upcoming tenth anniversary. I can't believe it were almost ten years into this thing of the book, and so I was going back and re reading the book I haven't read the book and I don't know nine year.
is that Ivan Ivan Ivan read my own book since, probably since it came out and I'm reading it, and I was like huh, it's actually pretty good and then I went into a mode of like oh well. This new book, I'm writing- is not going to be as good as this and I started to get really depressed, but actually the right lens would have been to see it.
At a challenge. Ok, I'm being reminded that I worked five years on this previous book and it worked out. Ok and yes, the current state of the next book is not as good
That doesn't mean it I'll, never get there. I should just view this as a child. Yes view as a challenge and the sea, it is
you know why you says an opinion of I'm not gonna, be as good bye
so my check you'd only about one hundred cited hotline. Anyone
as they say you, innovation, but you cannot say
I did the best I could with work.
When I have now. That's a winner, not try.
replicate what happened in the past or what might happen in the future, but showing up and doing your best in the moment moment by moment and trusting that this is going to be an awesome book or awesome process and you're going to be able to express yourself more clearly and more passionate
I I'm just saying so. If that's your dialogue, what do you think's going to happen? It'll be a terrible book? Okay, sorry.
with the understanding is less it with no you're measurement, be ten miles was dead. You know yes of saying, but you you get, my dress is the south. There is
We have an impact on our ability to have confidence in that package.
I mean I just went away,
the balkan doin. There doing me, are you buddy,
and then they have many was alive and had just said man not trying to hear that is focused on
However, when I read my book in my book is all about a lucky,
how'd, you like when we are feeling and secure, or you fill in ages, boy this uncertainty,
the involved here, where you don't know how this is going to go. But right now it looks like it's not going to be as good as it was before and and those are opportunities
he's the ass. We challenged a voice in the changes so that you can get access to that recipes for then we get really challenge
That's one of the leading abilities express themselves, no struggle of wag. Listen when autumn. It's always ask him to talk you, whether were in person or to an end.
Remote, pakistan review. Can you just remind everybody in the name of your new book and any other resources you ve put out into the world that you want people to know about? Yes, thank you for that, and so the name of my book is a lot. Immigration greatness, buying the slow, discover, success and is produced by
once again, you can see all of it ass it now and you can also go to my website: joys method, dot, com,
and have access to all of the disease in africa.
We have also, however, you two general than I do, but what I call the at home with joy stern uneasy at once a week by the website, is a great place to go to check all that stuff out and yeah. I just really appreciate
it being with my buddy there. You know, I think it was a really good buddy and a friend, and he challenges me because he asked questions that actually brings the best out of me. So I want to say thank you dan for this opportunity and ten percent happier. Thank you. I think of you as a buddy and a friend, and I feel lucky to have you as one thanks again to george mumford, always great to talk to my friend george. Thank you as well.
If everybody who listens to the show very grateful for your ears if you've got a second go, give us a rating or review that really helps, and thanks most of all to ever
who worked so hard on the show ten percent happier is produced by Gabriel's ackerman, DJ, cashmere, justine, davy, Lauren psmith entire Anderson are supervising producer, is mirth
schneider men and can be regular. Is our managing producer scoring and mixing like?
your bonaventure of ultraviolet audio and nick thorburn of the great ban islands. Road. Our think we'll see you all on friday for a bonus, a prime members
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Transcript generated on 2023-04-27.