Peace to you!

After attending Oxford and Harvard and working in investment banking, I had a spiritual experience that led me to leave the path of success to live in monasteries for over 7 years.

Through this newsletter, I share practical wisdom from my experience in the monastery. I hope it’s fruitful for your journey!

Each week, the Monk Mindset newsletter comes with:

Monk Mindset for Living Well

Monk Mindset 7
Discern Carefully, Commit Confidently: Making Decisions

Reflection on the Monk Mindset and Quote

In my day job, I work with hundreds of founders to help them grow in business and life. One of the most important factors of growth – at work and in the heart – is great mentorship. 

This is especially true in one’s spiritual journey. We have such a limited and incomplete view of ourselves. We need others with more experience to reflect us to ourselves and guide us. 

Based on her experience of having many directors, some great, some not that great, St. Teresa of Avila makes a counter-intuitive claim that it’s more important to have a guide who is “learned” – or knowledgeable about spiritual growth and transformation – than one who is advanced in that journey himself. Though, in practice, these two aspects can be highly correlated.

We all need a guide, a “director”, who is deeply knowledgeable about how to grow spiritually and as a flourishing human. 

We all need a yoda. 

Put It Into Practice This Week

Admittedly, it can be harder than it seems to find a great guide.

If you have one, awesome. Be transparent and open to grow. Try to meet monthly.

If you don’t have one, pray for this person to emerge in your life, ask around, and don’t be afraid to meet with someone as a low pressure “test run” to see if there’s a fit. 

The fit should be a two-way street, both director and directee having a peace and comfort with the relationship.

Wishing you abundant peace this week,

John

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