Turn your Inspiration into Transformation

Hey Fellow Zaadzsters,

Have you ever been really inspired to change your life in some way, and then found it difficult to follow through?  Maybe you've wanted to improve your diet, start meditating regularly, get more exercise, find a career that was better aligned with your ideals, or simply live a more conscious and compassionate life.  The wanting is the easy part, huh?

What typically happens?  We'll start to develop new habits, only to let them slide away once our lives get busier and our motivation wanes.   So how come we can start with such great intentions, and yet not always be able to make it a reality?  And more importantly, how can we translate our inspiration into actual transformation?

Well, I've been exploring this question for the last 15 years, and would like to share what I've discovered.  I initially started down this path during my junior year in college.  I was studying accounting at a small Jesuit university, and a typical fraternity guy, when I got immersed into a cultural phenomenon known as raving.  Let's just say this totally shifted my ideas about who I was, and what life was all about...

I was living in Silicon Valley at the time (in the early 90's), and back then raves were still underground and very cool.  (You had to know someone to get a flyer, then call a number on the day of the event, which would give you a map point location to go to, where you'd finally be led to some old warehouse where the rave was happening.   Then the fun starts...) 

And let's just say that raves were designed to give you a peak altered state in all 4 quadrants.  So in the midst of the music, dancing, visuals, close friends, and surreal environment, my experience was one of boundless energy, pure joy, and radical freedom.  I felt so alive, connected to the universe, and believed that literally anything was possible. 

It was amazing to feel this every weekend but when I went back to school or work each week, I discovered that my ‘regular' life hadn't really changed.  It was actually somewhat disappointing to know that so much more was possible, and yet not be able to live from that place.  Can you feel me brothers and sisters, do you know what I'm talking about?

So what's the process that we might all share?  It starts with an inspiration to change our lives in some way.  For me it was initially through raving, but there are infinite ways from which we can get this inspiration.  It may come from being on vacation, relaxing, and getting a fresh perspective on our lives - or while we're spending time in nature, feeling alive and connected to the earth. We may get it from reading a great book.  Or, as often is the case, we have a peak experience at a workshop or retreat. 

You glimpse a new possibility for yourself, and have an impulse to live from this expanded state.  This experience comes and goes though.  So you may start to make some changes, only to gradually revert to old patterns of being.  The big question is how do you turn a temporary state that you experience, into a more permanent trait that you develop?

I certainly didn't know back then.  I just knew that so much more was possible, and that I was inspired to learn new ways to engage my life.  After my initial disappointment, I explored several options and decided to start practicing Shaolin Kung Fu.  I'm an Asian dude, and always wanted to be like Bruce Lee when I was a kid, so it seemed like a good place to start...  I started a Zen meditation practice as well - and also got into snowboarding, working out at the gym, developing a more conscious diet, and taking dance classes (hip hop & break dancing).     

I enjoyed all of these activities and had fun learning new things, but after several years, I found that I wanted something more.  Don't get me wrong, I loved being able to do a jumping spinning back kick, stay in a 3 minute head stand, and get big air on my snowboard.   But I was still searching for something that could help me to better understand and integrate all of my experiences.  At the time, I wasn't even sure exactly what I was looking for, but I certainly knew when I found it...

I can still remember it clearly; it was back in the summer of 2002 while I was on my sabbatical.  I spent the year traveling, playing, deepening my practices, and exploring new ones.  I also did a lot of reading, and it was during this time that I happen to pick up a copy of A Brief History of Everything, by Ken Wilber.  When I read the book, I had a big ‘aha' experience.  It was like I had all the pieces of a puzzle, and was finally shown the picture on the box.  I could now clearly see how all the different parts of my life fit together.

Now that I'm much older and wiser (as you can see from my picture), I've learned to live my whole life as my practice, and can see how everything that I do is connected to everything else in my life.     

What do I mean by that?

I don't see martial arts as just something that I do.  A martial artist is part of who I am.  And this part of me is brought into every aspect of my life.  The same principles that I learn in Kung Fu - how to stay grounded in intense circumstances, focus and channel my energy, keep balanced, be flexible and stay present to what is arising in the moment - are also applied as I work, take care of my kids and relate with people in my life. 

It works the other way as well.  As I expand my mind at work, open my heart so that I have more to give to my kids and learn more about myself as I interact with others, I bring all of this into my martial arts practice.  And the creativity that I access, as I make up new games to play with my kids, can also be channeled into creating new ideas for my work.

You get the picture...

I don't go to raves anymore, but I still occasionally experience a peak state and glimpse a deeper way to live...   The difference is that I now understand clearly how I can bring that inspired energy into every aspect of my life. 

What's the key that I've discovered?  Ah, glad you asked.  It's an ancient Chinese secret... no, not really.  It's called Integral Life Practice which is based on Integral theory - the most comprehensive map of human development.  ILP was developed by Ken Wilber and a team of experienced practitioners (including yours truly) to apply these insights into our daily lives.

If you are interested in learning more about how to develop or deepen your own ILP, please scroll down to the next post below, titled "Your Life is Your Practice".

Yours in service,

Huy