Original subtitles

What was that like, living like a monk?

Yes, you wake up at 4:00 a.m. every day.

You sleep on the floor on, like, this thin, tiny mat.

And all of your possessions fit into a gym locker.

♪♪♪

Today I'm talking to an author, podcaster,

and award-winning storyteller.

He's on a mission to spread the riches of wisdom and gratitude.

And, like me, he's always striving

for balance of mind, body, and spirit.

I'm so excited to welcome Jay Shetty.

Welcome, Jay.

Thank you so much for coming.

From what I understand,

you started in finance,

and you ended up becoming a monk?

- Like-- - That's...[ laughs ]

How does that happen?

When I was 18 I'd met people who were rich.

I'd met people who were beautiful and attractive.

I'd met people who were strong and powerful.

I'd met people who were intellectual and smart.

But I don't think I'd ever met anyone who was truly happy.

Mm.

And when I met a monk, he just exuded joy and happiness.

And he said that we experience that

when we use all of our talents and gifts to serve others.

- Mm. - And I thought to myself,

I want that.

What was that like, living like a monk?

Yes, you wake up at 4:00 a.m. every day.

- Wow. - You sleep on the floor

on, like, this thin, tiny mat.

And all of your possessions--

literally everything from in your wardrobe--

fits into a gym locker.

That is not my life anymore today, but that's how it was.

Half your day is spent on the self, on working on yourself,

and the other half is service.

So you start your morning with your personal prayer,

your personal meditations,

working on your inner world,

and then, for the rest of the day, you work in the outer world,

so you're feeding homeless children,

you're working on charities, philanthropic projects,

and so you get this perfect balance between self and service.

♪♪♪

You recently released your very first book...

What was the motivation behind it?

I think for me it was to help people understand

that you don't have to live like a monk

to think like a monk.

- I love that. - Monks have been shown

to have the happiest, calmest,

most compassionate brains on the planet.

And so I thought, if I could show people

the practices, the easy tools and techniques,

and the tips that they could start right now

to experience that

without having to live as a monk for three years.

Then that was the goal of the book.

What are a few simple things that everyone can do on their own

to start living a happier and healthier life?

I'm gonna give you four really simple ones.

So the first one, which is probably my favorite,

and you can do it through journaling as well,

- is thankfulness or gratitude. - Mm-hmm.

The most amazing thing about thankfulness and gratitude

is not just feeling it or experiencing it,

but it's when we share it in a specific way,

not only does the person receiving it

feel a great sense of happiness,

but the person giving it ourselves,

we feel a deeper sense of joy as well.

- Mm. - So that's the first one.

The second one is inspiration.

It's doing something that inspires you every day.

How amazing would it be

if the first thing you saw in the morning

was a painting that inspired you,

or a quote or a prayer that you loved,

or a mantra or an affirmation

that made you feel like you were starting your day off right?

The third one is meditation.

Meditation at the simplest way, if anyone struggled with it before,

is just spending time with yourself.

- Mm-hmm. - And so I really feel

like if you can find one thing to do a day

where you get to know yourself a little better,

then that's the beginning

of a lot of people's meditation journey.

- Mm. - And then the final one

is exercising.

When I say exercising, I don't mean the gym or the treadmill.

- I mean dance parties. - Yeah.

I mean whatever it could be,

like whether it's a sport that you love.

I just think it's important for us to move every day,

so that spells the word "time," so it's easy to remember.

"T" for thankfulness, "I" for inspiration,

"M" for meditation, and "E" for exercise.

♪♪♪

You seem like a spiritual person.

Where do you think religion ties into this, if at all?

For me, spirituality is like the heart of religion.

- Yes. - What I was taught as a monk,

the word spiritual means the spirit behind the ritual.

So it's the essence, the reason why you do it,

that brings you joy.

And so I think, as long as we're seeking the divine in everything,

then we'll actually be able to learn

from all the different traditions and all the different parts

and bring them together

because I think that any path

that is giving you that opportunity to do that

is beautiful, and it should be welcome.

It's so inclusive,

and as I've been on this spiritual journey myself,

I found that, when you pick a flower from here and a flower from there,

you end up with a bouquet and a beautiful life.

- Absolutely. - What's one thing you hope

our viewers take away from this conversation?

I feel like we really get caught up right now

in always feeling like we're ahead or behind.

- Mm. - So we always feel like, "Oh,

I haven't got married yet" or "I haven't got promoted yet"

or "I'm not living my passion yet" or "I haven't found the one yet."

And we always feel ahead or behind.

And I think if everyone was able to understand

that they're exactly where they need to be,

I think if we could just breathe that in

and just sit with that

and be like, "I've got everything I need right now

- to become who I want to be..." - Mm-hmm.

And if we start there,

then we won't waste so much time and energy

on comparing ourselves.

That's so beautiful. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you.