Bringing Life Into Focus
“Life is a funny thing. We never really stop to think about it because we’re too busy living it.” — Pedram Shojai
One of my favorite people to learn productivity habits from is Greg Frontiero, founder of NooWave Flow State Coffee. A brain and human performance enthusiast, he is on a quest to help legions of people find peak performance levels in their work and lifestyle aims.
Greg is not peddling a product. No, I have witnessed him actually living the very principles that he endeavors to share with others. He is a big thinker, driven to bring his dream to market.
Impressed, I actually featured him in a piece for Great Books, Great Minds earlier this year entitled “Books and the Art of a Coffee Boost.”
Like Greg, I am on a quest for a more focused existence. That’s a big reason why I was attracted to the work of Pedram Shojai through his book FOCUS: Bringing Time, Energy, and Money Into Flow.
The New York Times best-selling author of The Urban Monk, Shojai in FOCUS shares his time-tested system for managing what he affectionately refers to as your Life Garden, through a series of 100-day gongs.
Ensuing from ancient traditions refined over the course of Pedram’s 15-plus years of coaching, his peak performance system offers a foundation for:
Managing time expectations in the present moment
Better allocating one’s time and resources in order to boost your productivity
Striking a better balance between doing and being
Tapping into your highest potential
Making sure that the broader context of your life aligns with your other priorities
Pedram’s book offers a refreshing journey into the inner recesses of our own life Gardens while offering accessible life practices for pursuing new levels of halcyon abundance.
For me, the timing of this book couldn’t have been more perfect amid my July 1st (2022) transition to “Great Book, Great Minds” as my full-time work. Here are a few takeaway reminders I walked away with from having read it.
Pedram Shojai
Energy Investment
In FOCUS, Pedram asserts that “where you invest your life’s energy determines what your life will look like.” In other words, continually migrate towards those things that bring you energy and serve as a channel of expression.
By way of example, while having what I affectionately refer to as a number of “energy fueling” stations in my life (i.e. aesthetically pleasing cocktail bars; watching Ohio State football on Saturday’s during the Fall; visits to the Chicago Museum of Art; San Diego beaches; connecting with and having deep intellectual conversations with strangers; spontaneous nomadic adventures to new and different places) I find that I often lose sight of these flow activities as a result of my busy work existence.
It’s here where Shojai offers this reminder:
“Life is to be lived and enjoyed. It needs fulfillment and adventure, or else we don’t feel alive.”
Redirecting Stress
Time, energy, and money says Shojai, are the three greatest sources of stress, lack, and confusion in our society. In explaining his approach to this, he offers this sage explanation from the book:
“Positive investments in these areas, like plants, water and cultivate these areas, all three of them. Time, energy, and money blend together to make a figurative special sauce I’m calling “Water” that we then use and allocate in our personal “Life Garden” to nourish the important items in our life, which we’re going to call “plants.”
He goes on to say that when we focus on something important to us, it becomes the center of our interest or activity.
“Focus refers to clear vision and implies an activity or action that brings it about. Reactionary focus on the past versus pouring my time, energy and attention into future returns. Your focus determines your reality.”
Embracing Movement
I’m not going to lie. Outside of frequent long walks or a bike ride, I hate exercise. Despite this, I have experienced stellar health over my entire existence.
Nevertheless, I was captured by Pedram’s admonition in the book championing physical movement, where he noted that “we live in a stagnant world, and many of us haven’t moved much in years.”
Taking this message to heart, I have recently started cycling a couple of days a week along with some light Qi Gong. These movement practices are a step towards keeping the energy circulating in my body, essential for peak health.
Gut Health
Says Pedram:
“The root of the human body is the gut. According to the ancients, all disease starts there. Heal your gut, fix your diet, move around, get good sunlight, and drink plenty of water.”
The timing of this message couldn’t haven’t been more perfect as I have been experiencing some digestive issues of late. Nothing major but enough to have me not feeling like my normal self.
The gut according to Chinese Medicine practices which I have long followed is often referred to as the Lower Dantian or Second Brain.
Gut health is a critical part of your health, for as we know inflammation starts in the gut. Your gut is a key element of your immune system, a major focus of many during Covid.
To get back on track I’ve turned to a regimen of probiotics, dandelion, and digestive enzymes. Pedram, who is a Doctor of Functional Medicine and a Qi Gong master offers this thought in the book:
“As you start fixing your diet and stop taking in foods that inflame your gut and set off your immune system, you will unlock more energy from your food and start to feel more energized, which will help you feel like moving again.”
Screen Time and Sleep
It’s a well-known fact that our screens emit blue-shifted light, telling our brains (the pineal gland, to be exact) to remain awake and keep foraging for food. According to Shojai, this prevents the release of melatonin, keeping us awake at night. Now, at least two hours before going to bed, I’ve now gotten into the habit of turning off all digital devices and screens.
Pursue The Long Game:
In our world, we are conditioned to seek quick returns in a short amount of time. Case in point — We are inclined to start a business, expecting it to be profitable in three months; we date someone for only six months and wonder why the relationship isn’t solid; we pursue buying a house but become squeamish when amid a tight housing market our roadmap gets pushed out several months, maybe even a year.
Here’s the message to self — While setting short-term goals is important, things often take significantly more time in their evolution than we anticipate. So by setting longer-term milestones (6 months, 1 year, 3 years), we allow ourselves a more realistic roadmap to fruition
Staying In Integrity With Our Intentions
I was really struck by something Shojai said relative to the goals and intentions we set for ourselves.
“When we bail on an obligation to ourselves, we’ve just made a journal entry in the book of life. Breaking the central deal with your spirit not only compromises your word, it also proves to your inner self that you have failed and can’t be trusted. You can’t keep a promise.”
This has been so true for me at times.
He continues:
“How can we succeed in life if we keep failing ourselves on the “little things”? You do what you say and say what you do. There’s integrity in that. When we restore integrity, we stand a chance of winning at the internal and external game of life.”
The Power of Questioning
I recently met a guy at a high-end restaurant who shared with me his story of how he achieved his wealth through investments. Given his apparent stature, I began asking him questions about his roadmap to success.
What struck me is how his investment strategy was not directed towards traditional securities like stocks. Rather he said he made his money pretty exclusively through real estate, commodities, and precious metals.
Hearing this was a reminder to me of the importance of asking questions, and never accepting things based on a herd mentality.
As Pedram notes in his book:
“Inquiry is the name of the game. If we don’t question, then we’re lulled to sleep. If we don’t explore the Universe with childlike curiosity, we accept the answers that we’re given and live a life of mediocrity.”
Impulse Mastery
In FOCUS, Pedram impresses upon readers that “ masters of life have mastered their impulses.” Those words sure got me thinking about my own impulses and tendencies as it relates to books and coffee.
Because doing big, meaningful things can take years of dedication and focus, he believes that we need to remain vigilant of those very impulses that distract us and can knock us off course.
Here’s just one example he cites:
“If we make a habit of checking social media every time we have a ‘moment to relax,’ then our neurons will keep wiring into a habit that becomes an addiction.”
As we close, take heed of this important perspective that he offers:
“This is a great opportunity to examine your life and see where you may be doing things that don’t serve you anymore.”
With that, I am reconsidering some habits and connections that no longer serve me.
To be continued…
