Book 261 - A Year of Magical Learning (3/5)

Reflection Title: 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 -1

Book – Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty (Part 3 of 5)

Book Description: Jay Shetty, social media superstar and host of the #1 podcast On Purpose, distills the timeless wisdom he learned as a monk into practical steps anyone can take every day to live a less anxious, more meaningful life.

In this inspiring, empowering book, Shetty draws on his time as a monk to show us how we can clear the roadblocks to our potential and power. Combining ancient wisdom and his own rich experiences in the ashram, Think Like a Monk reveals how to overcome negative thoughts and habits, and access the calm and purpose that lie within all of us. He transforms abstract lessons into advice and exercises we can all apply to reduce stress, improve relationships, and give the gifts we find in ourselves to the world. Shetty proves that everyone can—and should—think like a monk.

Reflection:

For years, whenever I’ve visited a beautiful place like a new city, a beach, or anywhere that I am in a moment I just want to remember forever; I’ve tried to pause and take what I call a “mental snapshot”.

Places that come to mind recently that I’ve tried my “mental snapshot” game recently were on our first family trip to Hawaii a few months back. I remember trying this while watching the sun go down on Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, watching the massive waves break over and over at Waimea Bay on the North Shore while holding Luca, watching the morning surf roll on a deserted beach after a long run in Malaekahana State Park, and watching our final sunset of the trip on Waikiki Beach as a family on our last night before heading back home. Man, I really love Hawaii!!!

While I can see all these scenes in my mind and remember I enjoyed the moment, I honestly really don’t remember much else. My mental snapshot game is weak and most of the time I need a physical picture I took on my phone to remember what I’m typing here today. Locking in just what I see in the moment doesn’t do justice to the magic of the moment that I want to remember forever.

I know I can do better!

Locking in only the visuals I see in the moment doesn’t do justice to the magic of the moment that I want to enjoy for a lifetime. These are the moments of my life when I want to remember everything, soak up all of my senses, and really feel connected with the world around me. That is what I really want when I play the “mental snapshot” game, but I just never seem to be able to connect to that experience in the moment like I’d like.

That is until I learning the author’s 5-4-3-2-1 meditative grounding practice he deploys in these exact moments in his life.

This technique is a method to become present, aware, and attentive anywhere and at anytime. To meditate where you are, ground yourself in the moment, and lock in all of your 5 senses to really immerse yourself in the feeling.

What is it 5-4-3-2-1 exactly? It is simple, just answer these 5 questions in your mind in the moment

What are 5 Things You Can See?

What are 4 Things You Can Touch?

What are 3 Things You Hear?

What are 2 Things You Smell?

What is 1 Thing You Taste?

That is EXACTLY what I wanted in these moments I shared above, but I didn’t know how to do it.

I loved this idea so much that I decided I would give this a try…immediately…like literally after I learned it from the Think Like a Monk.

I just so happened to be listening to this book on audible and was in the middle of a long run when we came across this section of the book. When I say long run, I mean LONG RUN…for me at least. I’ve got a lot of free time on my hands these days. As I told you all, I recently quit my job after reading Seth Godin’s book, The Dip, so I really don’t have much to do in the middle of my day currently as I wind down my final 2 weeks at Salesforce and before I start my new job about a month after my final day. So, Emilia and I have been able to extend our Living for 2 time that was usually reserved for just the mornings and evenings to all day long.

For whatever reason on this day, Emilia and I randomly decided to do what we call a Riley Run together. That is when we run from our house to Riley’s Hospital for Children and back which is about a half marathon distance. I learned this concept on the 7 miles leading up to getting to the hospital and decided this would be the perfect time to try 5,4,3,2,1 when we got to the front entrance.

It had been since the day before Emilia’s original due date since I last did a Riley Run back on July 12th, 2020. The last time all I remember is crying as I ran by the hospital as I was overwhelmed with emotion. This time, almost 3 years later it was completely different. This time, Emilia and I were ready to savor this moment together.

So, I sat down on a ledge at the front of the hospital, turned off my book, slowed my breathing, and Emilia and i went through this exercise together. Here is what we found.

5: I see you opening your eyes for the first time and me being the first thing you see, I see the Lion picture on the wall facing her isolate, I see the sheltie stuffed animal I smuggled into the corner cabinet that wasn’t supposed to be there, I see my beautiful daughter snug in her little blankets, and I see all the monitors showing your vital signs

4: I can feel the touch of your little tiny hand on your last day, I can feel you against my skin the one day I finally worked up the courage to kangaroo with you, I can feel the faux leather of the purple recliner on my skin as I sit next to you, I can feel touching the equipment keeping you alive, I can feel the touch of my badge that I have to pre

3: I hear the beeps, dings, and dongs from your monitors, I hear nurses saying how cute you are and fighting over getting to take care of you, and I can hear your heartbeat the nurses recorded on your last day for us to keep forever.

2: I smell hospital cleanliness and I smell gross hospital meals

1: I taste the green goddess salad that your mom and I ordered from ClusterTruck while we waited for what seemed like forever the day of your first big surgery.

This was a moment that I will never forget!

Question: How do you ground yourself in moments you want to remember forever?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - Think Like a Monk