I am currently reading Tim Ferriss's Tools of Titans, which is a synopsis of what Tim thinks are the best tools, ideas and practices from the guests he has had on his podcast. It is a wide-ranging book, with a diverse set of recommended tools and ideas. What has surprised me most so far is the ubiquity of daily meditation amongst the highly successful people mentioned in the book.
Another recommended daily practice relates to happiness. This one comes from Chade-Meng Tan, a Google Pioneer and author who promotes mindfulness and meditation. The practice, which is a super simplified version of the Buddhist Loving Kindness meditation practice, is as follows.
Identify 2 people around you (it doesn't matter whether you know them or not). If there is no one physically near you pick two people you know and keep them in your mind's eye.
Think "I wish for this person to be happy" and "I wish for that person to be happy".
Don't do or say anything. Just think this for 10 seconds.
This simplified practice is remarkably powerful. It turns out that being on the giving end of a kind thought is rewarding. If you want to be happier, try it for a few days (or once every hour in one day) and see what happens.
If you find it too simple or you want to try the full loving-kindness meditation, do. The full meditation is much more involved and very powerful. You can try the traditional Buddhist version or one of the many variations found online. My favourite is the traditional version. While most meditation techniques are inward- or self-focused, loving-kindness (metta bhavana) is an outward-focused meditation technique, and it is a wonderful way to wrap up an inward/self-focused meditation session. Personally, I have found it to be a powerful tool for developing compassion. It highlights where we are stuck or caught in relationships with others. Over time, it results in more positive emotions including happiness, less stress and more health and well-being. There is ample evidence to support this now.
The bottom line is that we can help ourselves feel better and be better with just a few seconds of purposeful practice a day. In a world of increasing complexity and challenge, that's certainly something to be happy about!
