5 More Daily Practices for Enlightened Living

Back by popular demand, this week we have another list of daily practices for enlightened living. The first two articles in this series sparked such encouraging feedback from you all, so I’m excited to release another batch. Now, I’m fully cognizant that we’ve already got 20 daily practices to keep in mind, and, after today, we’ll have 5 more. There’s probably a limit to something like this and we’re probably already past it. How much can we really keep fresh in our minds on a daily basis? But I think today’s 5 are still worthy of consideration. You’ll have to let me know!

1. Keep Asking Questions

While there is much we still don’t know and understand about the human condition, we know this: there’s a very tight connection between curiosity and quality of life. The more curious you are and the more willing you are to follow that curiosity, the better off your life will be. Period. 

Life is fundamentally about the questions we ask of it. “What shall I do and why?” “Who shall I love?” “What shall I pay attention to?” “What shall I prioritize?” Every moment, we are presented with the infinite potential of the universe and it’s our impossible job to sort through all of that and try to live a life worth living. 

As I’ve written about before, there is a conversational nature to reality. This is an idea from my favorite living poet, David Whyte, who in beautiful and moving language envisions life as a continuously moving conversational frontier. What you are doing, when you are doing anything and everything, is asking that frontier a question. What makes life hard is that you can ask any manner of question and there are all kinds of bad ones:

• How do I maximize my physical pleasure right now in this moment?

• How do I get the most for myself right now?

• How do I gain maximum power in life and hold onto it?

And far fewer good ones:

• How can I best love the people in my life?

• What can I do today to make a positive contribution to the greater good?

• Who can I help?

Since there’s no other way to live life than moment-by-moment, the secret to finding success, love, and fulfillment is to use those moments to ask ever more meaningful questions. Indeed, it turns out it’s really helpful to think of life as a long, continuous exercise in dialogue—i.e. exactly what Socrates told us all to do! 

Anyway, the way you ask questions of life is not with words but rather through simple daily disciplines—what you do and don’t do—and in your interactions with other people. The language of the universe is action. Of course, since every good conversation involves a lot of listening, step two of this existential dialogue involves learning how to listen to your life in a different kind of way. You have to learn how to pay very close attention both to what’s happening and how you are feeling about it and do so with the intent of someone looking for the answer to an important question. If you do this for long enough and with a serious enough intent, eventually it will become crystal clear to you what the universe wants you to do.

2. Elevate Your Language

You can completely change not only your own mood but also that of those around you, simply by elevating the language you are using. I’ve been experimenting with this in my role as a coach for the boys’ basketball teams (one kindergarten age and one of second graders). What I’ve found is that if you talk to kids using big, moral terms they will respond immediately and in incredible ways. It’s like they come pre-programmed to understand ideas like what it means to be a supportive teammate and a respectful competitor, the importance of giving your all in the moment, and why it’s good to help those in need of support or encouragement. A child wants to be challenged by the big ideas of life. 

I must admit it felt a little awkward at first. I kept imagining these kids thinking “Why is Coach Nick talking about all this serious stuff instead of how to shoot a basketball?” But I got quickly over that as I felt the impact it was having on us all. Adults, I’m convinced, are looking for the same thing. At the end of the day, we are meaning-seeking, storytelling, social beings and language is our superpower. The more we can engage with language in its highest forms, the better. 

3. Keep Having Fun

Another thing I’ve learned from coaching is the simple power of just remembering to  have some fun. As we get older it’s easy to lose sight of this—we get so caught up in the “serious” stuff of life, like our mission or our need to make money or, in the case of coaching, the desire to win. But serious though these things may be, they don’t preclude fun. In fact, they tend to go better the more fun you have along the way. I’ve been making a point to use that elevated language I mentioned while, at the same time, joking around, smiling a lot, and encouraging the kids to just play. The results have been amazing, especially when things aren’t going well or someone makes a mistake. 

4. Prioritize Financial Literacy

No matter what you may want to do in this life, you have to be good with money. Even if you have smart financial people in your life, this is something you should focus on. What happens if they are gone? Financial acumen is the imperative of modern economic life and to thrive in capitalism you must get capital.

Here’s a starter pack of ideas to learn and keep in mind:

• Always make sure you are earning more than you are spending

• Take advantage of the power of compounding as much as possible

• Understand the difference between productive and unproductive leverage

• Protect yourself from disaster with savings and insurance

• Use your excess savings to accumulate assets 

5. Don’t Hold Back

Nothing good comes from holding back your authentic self. This is something that took me a very long time to come to terms with. I developed an especially self-conscious personality growing up, so much so that I became cautious to the extreme in my social interactions. As a result, I held back so much of myself from the world, all in the name of not wanting to look weird or strange or feel embarrassed. But as I’ve gotten older and that self-consciousness has faded, I’ve realized what a profound mistake this is. People desperately want to see and hear the real you. 

Now, this doesn’t mean you should blurt out whatever thought or feeling comes to your mind. If your automatic thinking is anything like mine, that would be crazy. But when something comes to you that is kind, compassionate, caring, loving, or meaningful, by all means, let it out into the world!  

Ps. 

Speaking of financial illiteracy…