The Myth of the Perfect Meditator with podcaster Jay Shetty

A Bit of Optimism

The Optimism Company from Simon Sinek

Self-improvement, Careers, Education, Business

4.8 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 11 March 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We turn to ancient philosophies to help us cope with the stress of modern life. But what if ancient wisdom could use some help from the modern world? Jay Shetty has made it his life’s work to make wisdom, peace, and purpose available to everyone. After living as a monk for 3 years, he left his monastic lifestyle with the hope of spreading what he learned to as many people as possible. Today, he’s the host of the On Purpose podcast, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a life coach, and an entrepreneur who has helped millions of people find clarity in their lives. I was excited to talk with Jay about the balance between ancient practices and modern life. He shared with me the three biggest lessons he learned as a monk, what people get wrong about meditation, and how we can slow down and reflect amid the bustle of modern society. For more on Jay and his work, check out: On Purpose Live Tour jayshetty.me

Transcript

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0:00.0	How long did you do the monk thing?
0:01.0	Three years.
0:02.0	And why did you quit?
0:03.0	So many.
0:04.0	He's quit the wrong word?
0:06.0	Yeah.
0:07.0	Like why did you decide to come back?
0:08.0	It's like asking someone, why did you get divorced?
0:09.0	That's the kind of question.
0:10.0	I apologize for the word.
0:11.0	No, no, no, no.
0:12.0	It's a good question, but I'm saying like that's what, it felt like a divorce.
0:16.0	Like that's how it felt. Everybody keeps telling me that I need to do more yoga, that I need to meditate more, that I need to
0:24.2	embrace all these ancient philosophies to help me manage in this modern world.
0:29.2	Sure, that's good.
0:30.8	And I went to a yoga class and somebody yelled at me because I took their mat.
0:35.0	And at the end of the day, what's so wrong with the modern world? I mean,
0:38.6	I can disconnect by zoning out in front of Netflix just fine. In fact, I find it super relaxing.
0:44.4	What's the right balance? That's why I sat down with Jay Shetty. He's the host of the podcast
0:50.1	on purpose, and he has spent a career helping people find peace, tranquility, and purpose in our modern world.
0:57.6	He actually did live in a temple as a monk for three years, before leaving that life to return to our magical and wonderful modern society.
1:05.6	We really got into it.
	...

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