May 13, 2015
Alex followed his girlfriend and her friend into a new age bookstore (someplace he wouldn’t normally be caught dead in). He felt called to pick up a book on Zen Buddhism and start reading. He was amazed.
The author was talking about all the things he was dealing with in his life. He thought he had it all (the job, the apartment, the girlfriend), but he was still unhappy. He knew he needed more of this information, so he started to study and meditate.
Eventually he entered a Zen monastery. He settled into the routine there, meditating, studying and running retreats with the other monks. After nearly 14 years, he felt pulled to leave the monastery and start a business so he could share what he had learned with a larger audience.
Listen to Alex’s story of how he became a monk, what he learned from the experience and how he is sharing that wisdom through his Zen life coaching business.
In this interview, Alex shares:
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the moment he first connected to Zen Buddhism
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why paying for life coaching is such an important part of the process.
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the value of making and keeping commitments to yourself and others
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what his personal practice looks like now that he is out of the monastery
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his advice for how long to start meditating
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the app he uses to help him stay mindful when he’s on the computer
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the more relatable word he prefers for the classic Buddhist term “suffering”
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his best advice to start a daily practice
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how he compares meditating to changing a poopy diaper
Resources to Connect with Alex:
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Heart-to-Heart: Compassionate Self-Mentoring Online Retreat - try the first three days for free
Other Resources Shared in this Interview:
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Time Out - break reminder tool for Macs