Podcast Summary
Spiritual growth: Self-understanding and spiritual growth are crucial for personal happiness. Dedicated seekers like Jada Pinkett Smith practice meditation, physical activity, and connect with a higher power to live a worthy life.
Key takeaway from this episode of the 10% Happier podcast is the importance of self-understanding and spiritual growth, as exemplified by Jada Pinkett Smith. Despite the media frenzy surrounding her personal life, Jada's book, Worthy, delves deeper into her intense spiritual journey. She is a dedicated spiritual seeker who has studied with Buddhist masters and undergone various therapies. During the interview, Jada discusses the significance of dropping habitual storylines, suffering with grace, surrendering, peaceful striving, and the concept of worthiness. Jada's daily non-negotiables include meditation, physical activity, and connecting with her understanding of the Great Supreme, which she describes as a higher power. Her unique upbringing, where she was encouraged to explore various religions, has shaped her personal vision of the Great Supreme. Overall, this conversation highlights the importance of personal growth and spiritual connection in the midst of public scrutiny.
Higher Power Connection: Connecting to a higher power or understanding of the Great Supreme helps manage ego by shifting focus from self-centeredness to serving something greater, through peaceful striving and surrender practice
Maintaining a connection to a higher power or understanding of the Great Supreme helps in managing the ego by shifting focus from self-centeredness to serving something greater. This practice involves recognizing the difference between self-serving and serving the greater good, and letting go of the need to control outcomes. The concept of peaceful striving, rooted in Buddhism, encourages putting effort into endeavors while acknowledging the uncertainty and chaos of the universe. Surrender practice, which involves releasing control and trusting in a higher intelligence, is a daily practice that aids in this mindset.
Spiritual foundation: A spiritual foundation is crucial for filling the void within and providing meaning to life, as discovered by those who have material success and privileges.
Despite having material success and privileges, the speaker discovered that a spiritual foundation was essential to fill the void within and provide meaning to life. The speaker's dedication to spiritual seeking, trying various practices, and meeting different masters from different traditions has given them a deeper understanding of the vast and complex concept of the Great Supreme. This journey brought them joy and helped them learn to find beauty and sacredness in suffering. Ultimately, the speaker's personal experience highlights the importance of spiritual growth and understanding in the human experience.
Embracing Suffering: Embracing suffering rather than masking it with worldly pleasures can lead to profound personal growth and teach us valuable lessons about compassion and resilience
Suffering and grief are not unique experiences, and embracing them rather than trying to mask them with worldly pleasures can lead to profound personal growth. As Jada Pinkett Smith shared, she had to learn that her feelings were not unique and that many people have faced similar existential angst. Instead of seeking more material possessions or distractions, she chose to lean into her grief and learn from it. This approach, as inspired by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, acknowledges the sacredness of suffering and teaches us valuable lessons about compassion and resilience. It's important to remember that everyone experiences difficult emotions, and embracing them can lead to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Universal suffering: Embracing our own suffering can lead to deeper connections and understanding of the human experience, as well as inspire us to serve others and appreciate diverse backgrounds
Acknowledging and embracing our own suffering can lead to a deeper understanding of the human experience and foster authentic connections with others. By feeling our pain instead of running from it, we can come to terms with the truth that suffering is a universal part of life. This realization can motivate us to be of service to ourselves and others, leading to a greater sense of connection and love. As Ram Dass said, "We're just walking each other home." This concept encourages us to view suffering as sacred and an opportunity for growth, rather than something to be avoided. Additionally, learning about the experiences of others, especially those from historically overlooked backgrounds, can help us appreciate the richness and complexity of human history and the interconnectedness of our lives.
Open heart practice: Allowing our hearts to be open to love, even in uncomfortable or challenging situations, can help us respond with love instead of adding to the hatred and aggression in the world, creating a sense of safety and reducing anxiety.
Having an open heart, even in uncomfortable or challenging situations, is a powerful practice that can bring about safety and love. Ram Dass, a former Harvard professor turned influential spiritual teacher, famously said, "We have to learn how to have an open heart in hell." This means allowing our hearts to be elastic and open to love, even when we're faced with pain or aggression. It may be counterintuitive to surrender the ego and open our hearts in these moments, but doing so can help us respond with love instead of adding to the hatred and aggression in the world. The practice of keeping an open heart, even when faced with the "dumpster fires" of the world, can create a sense of safety and reduce anxiety. As one speaker shared, the phrase "My open heart keeps me safe" may seem like new age bullshit at first, but over time, it can become a powerful mantra for embracing love and dissolving hate.
Open heart, inner turmoil: Having an open heart and understanding our inner turmoil allows us to empathize with others and contribute to changing the world by not adding negative energy
Having an open heart and understanding our own inner turmoil is the most effective way to navigate a chaotic world. According to Jada and Dan, if we armor up against the world's and our own nonsense, it's not sustainable as we are too small and our minds are too complex. Instead, we should drop our ego walls, get close to our inner turmoil, and have compassion for others' inner turmoil. This allows us to empathize with them and not take their behavior personally. By doing so, we contribute to changing the world by not adding more negative energy to it. Love may not always be loud, but it is far more potent than negative energy. This concept is like the wizard dispelling darkness in Lord of the Rings, where a small amount of light can dispel a large amount of darkness. Therefore, the greatest contribution we can make is to have an open heart and be willing to look inward.
Loving boundaries: Setting loving boundaries involves protecting peace while maintaining love, requiring personal development and understanding the difference between loving and harmful boundary setting.
Having an open heart doesn't mean being a doormat. It's about setting loving boundaries while protecting our peace. Love isn't just about moonbeams and fairy dust; it can also be fierce. We've been taught to set boundaries from negative emotions, but it takes practice to learn how to do it from a place of love. The speaker emphasizes the importance of personal development and understanding the difference between loving and harmful boundary setting. As she puts it, "I'm all love and light and a little bit of go fuck yourself." Love and light come with a healthy dose of self-protection and assertiveness.
Self-worth journey: The author's book 'Worthy' emphasizes the importance of recognizing and valuing oneself, not seeking validation from others, and that self-love is a necessary foundation for all relationships.
The author's book "Worthy" is about the universal journey towards self-worth, and the importance of recognizing and valuing oneself, rather than seeking validation from others. The title "Worthy" serves as a reminder of this self-worth. The author also emphasizes that self-love, or the feeling of being worthy, should not be seen as an empty cliche, but rather, a necessary foundation for sending and receiving love in all directions. Unfortunately, the focus on personal stories and clickbait headlines in book promotion can overshadow the core message of the book. Despite this, the author hopes that readers who look beyond the headlines will find value in the book's insights on self-worth and the importance of loving oneself.
Surrendering to the unknown: Surrendering to the unknown and trusting that everything happens in divine order can lead to positive results, even if it doesn't go exactly as planned. Perseverance and hard work are also crucial for bringing projects to life.
Key takeaway from this conversation with Jada Pinkett Smith is that sometimes, making noise or experiencing unexpected outcomes can lead to positive results. Jada shared her perspective on surrendering to the unknown and trusting that everything happens in divine order, even if it doesn't go exactly as planned. This mindset allowed her to find meaning in the noise and see the value in reaching a wider audience through unconventional means. Additionally, the importance of perseverance and hard work was highlighted throughout the conversation. Jada discussed her dedication to her craft and the support of her team, emphasizing the role each person plays in bringing a project to life. As we continue our summer series featuring big-name guests, we invite you to check out our previous conversations with Bill Hader, Glennon Doyle, and stay tuned for upcoming episodes with Common and Goldie Hawn. We'd also like to express our gratitude to our team, including producers Tara Anderson, Caroline Keenan, and Eleanor Vasily, recording and engineering by Pod People, and managing producer DJ Khajmir. Thank you for listening to 10% Happier, and don't forget to fill out a short survey at Wondery.com/survey to tell us about yourself.
