Meditation for Elite Performers vol1

Welcome to Robin Sharma's meditation for elite performers. I'm Jeffrey Felberg, chairman of Emet Corporation, which is one of the world's leading companies for taking your courses and training over the Internet. It's for this reason that our clients affectionately refer to us as "painly" for your e-learning headaches.

I'm here with Robin Sharma, who is the international bestselling author of six books, which include the global bestseller *The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari*, and *The Saint, The Surfer, and The CEO*. Robin holds two law degrees and is CEO of Sharma Leadership International, an integrated learning firm that offers leadership training and coaching services to clients such as Microsoft, IBM, General Motors, FedEx, and Ntel Networks. Robin has become known as one of the planet's premier leadership thinkers, and I'm delighted to be able to talk with him today on how the practice of meditation can help us become more effective leaders in our professional lives, as well as at home.

Robin, as you know from my own personal experience, your books and coaching have made a profound impact both in my personal as well as professional life. Your systems have revolutionized the way I run Emet, which not only benefits Emet family members (that's what we call our employees), but the close to 1 million learners that we've helped to date. And Robin, what's always amazed me is your talent to take the proven principles and make it easy for the business leader to understand. Your no-nonsense approach is not only informative and effective, but you do this in an entertaining and fun way that's really all too rare today. So, welcome Robin. It's great to have you here.

Jeffrey, it's great to be with you. Robin, as you know, as most things go, there's usually a story about the creation of things, and really, for this recording, there's no exception. As you may recall, I first started speaking about meditations when I found myself frustrated with the choices that I found in the marketplace. I remember that morning specifically, and like we're talking about, I really want to have the benefits of meditation. I want to have stress relief. I wanted to get some wisdom and some clarity. And I tried all different types of programs, but really, I found myself either sitting in funny positions, feeling very uncomfortable, or listening for hours at a time with information that was either complicated or didn't make sense, or really became frustrated within minutes of me starting the meditation. And those are the most, most common things I hear from other people that are struggling with meditation. They don't know where to start, and they don't know how they can find a guide to get things going. And that's one of the benefits that we're going to share as we go through this presentation: how to take meditation and use it as a tool that'll really create results, and specifically, elite performance in our lives.

The day we did that, you spoke to me about the frustrations with the meditation, and really, you shared with me your proven and effective tool that you've used for what you affectionately call the superstars in business. And I can still remember that day clearly. After you took me through the meditation, I felt as though I was literally walking on clouds. And I have to tell you, that particular day was a really tough day for me, but I tell you what, at the end of the day, I just felt fantastic. And as you know, my wish back then, as it is today, is that if I can just bottle you up, take you wherever I am, so when I want to do that meditation, I could do so on my own time and convenience. And it's really from there that I understood why some of the most successful leaders in business, the business superstars, have been seeking out your private executive coaching. And if I'm not mistaken, I believe you just came back from London, England, after doing a day of executive coaching.

Absolutely. And coaching is very fulfilling for me because I can take the tools that I've been sharing through my books and show them to people on a one-on-one basis. As a matter of fact, the meditations that we're going to be going through are the meditations that I've actually been using with these high-level executives who are really playing at a global level in their specific markets. And these are individuals who come to me for coaching over the course of a year, and they are looking for the best tools available to create personal and professional change at a massive level. And so that's why I'm so excited to be able to share these meditations, which I know work so profoundly well.

In speaking of that, maybe you can take a quick few minutes and share with me your own relationship with meditation and what it's done personally for you and for your career.

Well, Jeffrey, I used to be a lawyer before I became an author and leadership coach. And I was facing all the things that most people in business are facing today. I was trying to get more done in less time. I was always feeling that I was spread very thin. I always had a lot on my plate, and I was feeling a lot of stress. And so I was looking for a specific tool that would help me basically still my mind and operate at the highest level that was possible for me, not only professionally but personally. I read a lot of different books on leadership and on goal setting and self-management and personal mastery, and I kept on connecting with this whole notion of meditation. And the more I read, the more I realized that meditation was not really reserved for monks sitting on the top of a mountaintop, but it really was a specific strategy that could be used to slow down the mind, to become more still, to become more focused, to grow more into your power, to be more creative and inventive in the way that we're working and in the way that we're living, and basically to live a better life.

So what I did was, I learned to meditate over a period of weeks, and I realized some profound strategies that really caused the changes that I was looking for. And I must tell you, the first little while was a bit of a struggle. But like any new skill, once you get through the initial few weeks, and once you get through the initial stress because you really are stretching yourself, the habit forms. And after a while, it felt automatic. In terms of the results that I saw as a result of using meditation on a daily basis, I felt far more calm. I felt far more effective at what I was doing. I could make better choices. I could see things more clearly, especially in terms of spotting opportunities. I had more energy. I even felt better about myself. And I find that meditation is a great tool to protect confidence.

So the question for you is, I know the results from the meditation that you took me through were absolutely phenomenal, but my fear is, am I going to have enough time to do this on a daily basis? Can you talk to me a little bit about this and how can I find the time? How often should I be listening to your meditation?

You know, Jeffrey, a lot of people at my seminars come up to me and they say, "Robin, I'd like to learn to meditate," or "I'd like to set a legacy statement like I teach people," or "I'd like to make time for self-renewal, but there's just so much on my plate. I can't find those extra few minutes." And for anyone who says that to me, I always say the same thing. I say, "That's a lot like saying you're too busy driving to stop for gas. Eventually, it will catch up with you." It's like when we fly. I don't know if you recall, but when you're sitting in the seat on the plane, the flight attendant always talks about the emergency procedures. And one of the first things that he or she always says is, "In the event of an emergency, oxygen masks will drop down. And make sure that you put the oxygen mask on your face first before you try to help anyone else." And I think in terms of personal development, in terms of self-leadership, and specifically in terms of meditation, taking the time to nurture yourself by this practice is a lot like placing the oxygen mask to yourself. What it allows you to do is allows you to be better in everything you're doing. So if someone says, "Well, you know, I really can't afford the time to meditate," I would say, "You really cannot afford the time *not* to meditate." It'll make you far better in everything you do. It'll infuse every remaining minute of your day with a great sense of peace, a great sense of focus, a great sense of energy. And again, it's only about 15 minutes a day to really practice this habit.

Now, you mentioned a little earlier that when you first started getting into meditation, you experimented and you tried for a number of weeks. And if meditation is anything like business, I would think that at the beginning, we're probably going to see some really good progress, but then you may hit a temporary plateau where maybe the results that you're seeing at the beginning aren't quite there. And really, is this something I should expect if I do get into this and things do kind of fall flat? What do I do? Is that normal? Is there a way around that?

Absolutely, Jeffrey. Whenever we start any new discipline, there's always an initial period of struggle. There's always an initial period of stress. And the very awareness of that happening allows you to move through the stress. You just need to know that whether it's learning a new language or whether it's learning to meditate, the first few weeks, you're going to feel uncomfortable. But that's because most of us, as human beings, we live within a box. And anytime we start to move outside of that box, our fears come up, and stress comes up, and we start to doubt ourselves. But once you're aware of that, right? Once you're aware that this is what happens as a human being, you can say, "I'm going to transcend that, and I'm going to go through that stress because I know that on the other side of those fears lives my freedom." So with meditation, the first few weeks might be a little bit difficult, but you don't want to give up on it because it's such a powerful practice. Otherwise, it's like saying, "I took French lessons for a week. I couldn't speak the language, so I gave up." And that makes a lot of sense in terms of why we want to continue doing that.

Now, let me ask you something. And I know I'm not too different from people out there. When you hear the word "meditation," myself included, I really think of the stereotypical person who's sitting on the floor in an uncomfortable position for a long period of time. And really, as a business leader, what I really want to know is, how would meditation really relate to the business world, and how can I tie the meditation into my continued success in it?

That's a great question. In *The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari*, I share a story that a lot of people have connected with, and it goes like this: One Sunday night, there was a father who had a little boy, probably the same age as my little boy, Colby. And the little boy wanted to play with his father, and he kept on pestering his father over and over again, saying, "Dad, let's play! Let's play!" And the father, unfortunately, didn't have time to play with this little boy. The father wanted to read the newspaper. And so the son kept on pestering the father, and the father eventually got an idea. He noticed there was a picture of the globe in that newspaper. And so he tore the globe out, and he ripped it up into many tiny shreds, and he handed them to the little boy, saying, "Here, son, go put this back together," thinking it would take him quite a while to do it. But what I've discovered, Jeffrey, is children come to us more highly evolved than adults to teach us the lessons we need to learn. And after only a minute, the little boy comes back, and the globe is perfectly backed together. And the father can't believe it. He says, "Son, how did you do that?" And the little boy looks up at his dad and he says, "Daddy, on the other side of the globe, there was a picture of a person. And Dad, once I got the person together, the world was okay."

I always love that story because what it really speaks to is this: It's not until we get our inner lives together through the inner work that our outer lives can change. The real lesson for anyone in business is perhaps this: Stop wishing for fewer problems and wish for greater wisdom. Stop wishing the outer world would change and life would become simpler, and work on yourself first. See, we see the world not as it is; we see the world as we are. We see the world through our own stained-glass window with these filters and these fears and these false assumptions and these limiting beliefs and these biases. And the job of every leader is simply this: to go deep within ourselves to clear out those filters and to see the truth. And meditation is one of the most powerful practices, if not the most powerful practices, that I know of to find the truth. Or another way to put it is this: The job of the leader is to deepen themselves, and meditation allows you to deepen yourself so you can access that wellspring of energy, creativity, passion, power, brilliance that each one of us has. And I know of no other tool that can do that for us.

That's something phenomenal. So really, what I take away from what you're just saying is, as a business leader, if I can get it right with myself personally, I'm going to get it right for myself in the business. But more importantly, for those that I'm working with, and helping them flourish and succeed and achieve their own personal goals. Would that be a fair statement?

I think it's a very fair statement. One point I want to make is this: The doorway to success swings inward, not outward. And so what meditation allows you to do is to go into yourself so you can be more successful on the outside. And you're absolutely right. You hit the nail on the head. If you're learning to meditate and you get to a place where meditation is automatic because you've stayed with the practice for, let's say, two, three, four weeks, so it's a part of your daily schedule, you will be so much better on your sales calls. I mean, this is very practical. I'm a lawyer by my background. My clients are Fortune 500 companies, and they are looking for results. It doesn't matter what the tool is, as long as it creates some extraordinary results in terms of, you know, new clients, in terms of building loyalty, in terms of market share, in terms of innovation. And meditation is a tool that will definitely deliver that result. And you're absolutely right, it'll make you better on your sales calls, it'll make you more effective in terms of your time, it'll ease your stress levels, it will basically allow you to be the best as you can possibly be, which is what every person in business is really looking for in this day and age.

Robin, there's no denying what you're saying. And really, my, my impression is, you've taken the meditation principles that are out there, and really, for the general public who's getting the average meditation, it's really not geared towards the business leader. But what I personally experienced, and from what I'm hearing, it sounds as though you've taken meditation specifically for the business leader and combined that with your own proven tools to give, really, an optimized system.

You're absolutely right. The meditations that I'm going to share have proven themselves in profound ways. What I've basically done is I've created a number of meditations that will allow you to access your highest potential. And there's three meditations we're going to go through. The first one is about connecting to your highest vision. So I find that if on a daily basis, you can keep coming back to your best life, what it's going to look like, what your highest ideals are going to feel like, you will basically create an internal template. And then you'll almost be like an architect. What you do is you create this vision on the inside of your life, and each day you go out and you build it in your outer world. I mean, as a matter of fact, about a week ago, I received an email from one of the people in our life coaching program. He said, "Dentist," and he said that as a result of this single meditation, his life has been transformed. So what I'm sharing is a meditation that I know will work for people.

The second meditation I'm going to go through is a very practical one. And what it does is it'll set you up each day for success. It focuses on the one best thing that you can do today to create an extraordinary day. And the final meditation is a stress mastery meditation. In business today, stress is one of the biggest things. I hear it over and over from my clients. What stress does is shuts us down, blocks us from our creativity, it stifles our passion, and it really makes things not as fun as they should be. I mean, business should be fun. The company that plays together is a company that stays together, and passion is contagious. I don't know if you know, the latest scientific research says that the electromagnetic field created by the human heart is 5,000 times more powerful than the electromagnetic field created by the human mind. What that research is also saying is this: people can actually feel that field 5 to 10 feet away from you. Which is a profound point. It means that your passion is contagious. If your heart is not wide open, if you really don't care about your clients, if you really don't believe in the products and services that you're offering to the marketplace, no matter what you say to people, no matter what you vocalize, people are going to feel it at an invisible level. And it makes me think of that quote: "Who you are speaks far more loudly than anything you could ever say." And so what I'm really getting at is this: When we reduce our stress, we manage our stress, we can be at our best selves, and we can present our authentic selves to the world, which is really what connects to our clients, our customers, and what really creates extraordinary success in our business lives.

Robin, you've worked with some of the best business superstars that are out there. Can you share with me a little bit the results that they've achieved when working specifically with your meditation techniques?

Things that I keep on seeing over and over in terms of specific results, Jeffrey, is a sense that these people are connecting at a much more human level with their clients. We know that one of the primary drivers of success in business is relationships. In other words, if we can build a strong foundation of trust with the people that we have the privilege to do business with, they will keep coming back to us over and over to buy our products and services. As a matter of fact, I often say to people, "Stop focusing on selling and start focusing on building the human connections, and then your products and services will sell themselves automatically." So one of the consistent results that I keep on hearing about from my clients in terms of the value of meditation is it deepens the connections and it helps them build relationships.

One of the other things I hear of over and over again is that meditation promotes greater creativity and inventiveness. Meditation allows people to have better ideas, which is important for any person who's in business in this day and age. How do you be distinctive? How do you be unique in a crowded marketplace? We live in a world, as you know, especially from your work with Emet, we live in a world where there's never been so much choice. And so what customers want in this day and age is an organization that connects with them, that listens to them, that delivers unique value, and is distinctive in the marketplace.

Another thing that meditation will do is it will help you be happier. And someone who's happy on the job is going to be someone who's effective on the job. I'll tell you more about some of the results I saw in my own life. First of all, meditation made me more vital. I just found I had more energy. I felt I could work more effectively. I had more stamina. I had more inner strength. I had more inner toughness. And in the world of dazzling change, what we all need is a greater sense of heartiness, a greater sense of resilience. And meditation definitely gave me that.

Second thing is, in the East, they have this concept of the "monkey mind," and I'm sure you're familiar with it because most of my clients complain about it all the time. And it's this whole operation of our mind where the mind never slows down. It's always running. We're always thinking about something. A lot of us worry too much, or a lot of us are wondering about the next sales call, "Will we make the sale? Will we be rejected?" Or what about all the change that we're facing? And so what meditation will allow anyone to do is to cure the monkey mind, and it'll allow you to be fully engaged in the present moment. So rather than thinking about the past, rather than thinking about the future, you will be thinking about only what's in front of you. Which is a very powerful thing, because really, the secret of happiness is this: Live in the now. Don't live in the past. Understand that all you really own in this very moment is this very moment. And if we can have a tool that'll harness our awareness so that we're fully engaged with whatever we're doing, whether it's being in front of a client, whether it's giving a presentation, whether it's reading a cutting-edge article that's going to take our business to a whole new level, if we can take the fullness of our potential and the fullness of our mental energy and focus it only on what we're doing in the present moment, we will create elite performance in our professional lives.

And Robin, as we start to wrap this up, one final question for you. As I go through the meditation and I continue to read all the books that you're bringing out, I continually refine my skills and take myself to the next level. But what do I need to do to keep on top of all your latest developments, all of your research, all your insights, and more importantly, your wonderful tidbits of wisdom that you continually put out there?

Thanks for asking, Jeffrey. I would say the best resource that I can offer is RobinSharma.com. There you can sign up for our leadership report, you can explore a whole series of articles, and you can learn more about our services. For example, one of the most exciting things that I can mention is the Monthly Coach. That's our book in CD, the month club. And what I've basically done is, people often ask me at my seminars, for example, "Robin, what books have you read that have transformed your own life?" And, you know, I'm a passionate reader, and I love to share that. And so what I've done is I've assembled the best books that I know of on personal and professional leadership, books that have almost a magical quality about them. Time and time again, they've caused deep and profound change in people's lives. And what I do is, each month, I take one of those books, and I will send it out to the participant, along with a CD recording which summarizes the book's wisdom, and then offers specific strategies on how to integrate that knowledge into the person's life, so it creates real results.

Robin, the Monthly Coach, I think, is just a phenomenal idea. But one thing about myself, that I can speak for in particular, sometimes I need a little bit more discipline. That while reading a book may be good, I need a little bit of a push, maybe some more of that personal attention, just to help keep me on track. And sometimes, when things get busy, that encouragement and that anchor to help keep me out there. Is there something that your executive coaching would address? Can you talk to me a little bit about that?

That's exactly what the executive coaching is all about, Jeffrey. It's about providing weekly guidance and support and inspiration and mentorship for any leader who's ready to take their life to the highest level. It's all about letting your leadership capacity shine through. So clients have two choices: either they can work with me over the course of a year, or they have the opportunity to work with one of our world-class master coaches. And again, the service is delivered via teleconference on a weekly basis. And what it allows you to do is, over an extended period of time, build deep changes which last and create significant results, personally, professionally, internally.

Robin, as I get ready for the meditation, is there anything I should be doing to prepare for it ahead of time?

First of all, Jeffrey, you're going to need a pen and a piece of paper in front of you. The second thing is, just to know that the first meditation is going to be roughly 15 to 20 minutes, and that's the one that's going to lock you into your ideal life. Very powerful meditation. The second meditation is going to last for about 15 minutes, and this is the one I mentioned earlier about creating your extraordinary day. This meditation is going to allow you to create a template so every day you go out there, you're going to live the best day possible. And the final meditation, which I mentioned, is about stress management, is going to take between 5 and 10 minutes.

Well, and by the way, Robin, when should I be doing the meditation? What time during the day? How often? How many times a day?

Jeffrey, I know there are people who do it in the morning, and people who do it at night. What works best for me is to do it first thing in the morning. It's almost like you're launching the rocket. You know, you connect with your meditation first thing in the morning while the rest of the world is asleep, and then it sets you up for success during your day. I've tried to meditate at night, and you know what happens to me? I fall asleep. And so I just find first thing in the morning, while the world is still, to take the time to meditate is a wonderful way to begin the day.

And Robin, I know in some of your books you talk about the 5:00 Club. Are you waking up at 5:00 AM to do your meditation?

That's what works best for me. I mean, in *The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari*, I do talk about the 5:00 Club. And really, for anyone who's truly interested in exceptional performance, not only professionally but personally, one of the single best gifts you can give yourself is to discipline yourself to get up early on a daily basis.

Rob, that sounds fantastic. I know we're about to go into the meditation. I personally want to thank you for taking your time today to share with us your insights, your personal experiences, and also your tool for meditation. I know personally, I'm looking very much forward to it.

Jeffrey, it's been a joy.

[Music]

**Meditation Number One: The Doorway to Your Dreams**

Sit in a comfortable place and close your eyes. Notice you're breathing and begin to breathe more deeply. Inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Notice your body start to relax. Notice yourself moving from your head into your body, into your heart. Feel waves of relaxation begin to pulsate down your body from your head to your [Music] toes. Now notice that there's a weight in your feet. Your feet are feeling heavy, and this heaviness slowly moves from your feet up through your ankles, up through your [Music] calves, up through your thighs. You're starting to relax even more. Any tension that you may be carrying melts away. This heaviness moves into your stomach muscles. Those muscles begin to relax. Your chest begins to relax. Your arms feel [Music] heavier. This heaviness moves down to your fingers. Your back begins to relax, and you feel more serene. The muscles in your neck are [Music] relaxing. This heaviness moves up the back of your head, over the top of your head, and down your forehead. And any tension you've held in your forehead melts away. You feel the weight of your eyeballs. Any tension and stress around your jaw drops away, and you feel entirely peaceful.

And now, in your mind's eye, envision yourself standing in the middle of a beautiful mountain meadow. You have all the time in the world. You're on an endless vacation. There's not a cloud in the sky. All you have on is a T-shirt and a comfortable pair of [Music] shorts. Fresh, cool mountain air strikes your nostrils, and the rays of sunlight warm your face. It's a beautiful time to be alive, and you feel blessed to be alive to your life. You start walking through the mountain meadow, feeling the grass touching your [Music] feet. You feel relaxed. You feel happy. Feel deeply at peace, drinking in the beauty of this marvelous place. As you walk, you notice on the edge of the meadow is a forest, and you walk into this forest and begin to walk down the path, enjoying the smells of cedar and pine, and noticing the small flowers that are growing along this beautiful path. You keep on walking, not a care in the world, just enjoying the [Music] moment.

After a few minutes of walking, you notice a waterfall. It's not a big waterfall; it's a small waterfall, but you walk down towards it, down a rocky path pathway, and you stand next to this [Music] waterfall. And then you walk under the waterfall, and the water washes all your worries and your cares away. Any stress that you might be facing, any fears that you might be feeling, any concerns from the past are all washed away by this pure mountain water. This puts you into an even deeper state of relaxation and serenity. You then climb back up the rocky pathway and get back onto the path in the forest. And as you walk down the path, you notice the different trees, you notice the different smells, and you notice the different sensations that are going on in your body.

After a while, you notice that at the end of the path is a doorway, and underneath this doorway are beams of light which are radiating from it. Being the courageous person that you are, being the adventurer that you are, you walk confidently towards this doorway. And feeling bold, you open up the doorway and are surrounded by the most beautiful light that you have ever experienced in your life. This light makes you feel powerful. This light makes you feel confident. This light makes you feel strong. This light makes you feel fully alive. You also notice that you start to move above the ground. You start to go higher and higher. Soon you're well above the treetops. Continue to go higher. Pretty soon, you find yourself moving through the [Music] clouds. You're feeling relaxed. You're feeling happy. You're feeling strong.

After a while, you look down, and you see the city where you live. As you look closer, you see the community in which you live. And as you look even more closely, you see the street on which you live, and then the house where you [Music] reside. And as you look in the house, you see a figure. You see a person. And this person is you. But this is not the way you will look as you now are. This is how you will look one year from now, when you have created your best life and grown into the leader and the elite performer that you truly are. Look at this person in your mind's eye. Look at your life when it reaches its ideal. And really connect with the picture that you [Music] see. What will you be doing? How will you be [Music] feeling? What kinds of thoughts will you be [Music] thinking? What kinds of people will you be surrounding yourself with? Who will you be surrounding yourself with? See their faces. How will you be showing up in the world one year from now, when you've created your best life and are living by your highest standards and living passionately? In greatly, what work will you be [Laughter] [Music] doing? Now see the levels of vitality you'll be living under. What will your health look like? What will your physical dimension look like? On a material level, what kinds of things will you have when your dream comes [Laughter] [Music] true? Lock into this image of your best self. Connect with it deeply. Notice the color, notice the textures, notice how you feel about what you are currently seeing. And know that if this was not a part of your potential, you would not be able to envision what you're [Music] seeing. This is your dream, and because you can see it, you can have [Music] [Music] it.

Now, envision yourself going back towards the forest, back towards the [Music] doorway. Go through the doorway, back into the [Music] woods, back on the path. And then gently take yourself back into the meadow where you [Music] started. And whenever you're ready, wiggle your toes, wiggle your fingers. [Music] Come back into the room, and then gently and peacefully open your eyes.

And now, what I'd like you to do is pick up your pen and, in what I call a stream of consciousness mode, write out on the piece of paper exactly what you just saw, as quickly as you possibly can, without editing it and without lifting your pen off the page. This is a very powerful and important exercise. Go ahead now. You've now just created a template for your best life. And the act of articulating your future vision in written form has a very powerful effect. What I'd encourage you to do is to keep doing this meditation every few days and keep writing out what you see. And you'll notice that every few days, little distinctions occur and new changes form. And what you're really doing is you're creating the blueprint of your best life. I constantly use this meditation in my own life, and I found it to be one of the most powerful visualizations I've ever done.

**Meditation Number Two: Connecting with Your Lifeguide**

Find a comfortable place for you to sit down and close your eyes. Feel waves of relaxation moving down your body from your head to your toes, from your head to your toes. Notice a sense of heaviness moving from your [Music] toes up through your legs into your stomach region, and feel any tension begin to melt away. Deepen your breathing. In through your nose, out through your mouth. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Any stress that you might have felt is leaving you, and your muscles and your mind grow [Music] relaxed. This feeling of serenity and inner peace moves up through your chest, and it washes down your arms and out through the tips of your fingers. The calmness moves up through the back of your [Music] neck, along the back of your head, and over the top of your head. Your forehead relaxes [Music], and your jaw relaxes, and all tension melts [Music] away. Your body is your pharmacy, and you have created this state of peace that you currently feel.

Now, in your mind's eye, envision yourself at the base camp of a mountain. This is a glorious mountain. See its snow-capped peaks. Marvel in its magnificence. You're standing next to a tent at the base camp, and you can look down the beautiful green valley [Music] below. You hear children playing, and you breathe in the crisp, cool mountain air. You feel happy to be alive and blessed to be in this beautiful scene. You start to walk up one of the footpaths. You see small flowers along the path. You look down at the community in the valley. You see the small houses, and you keep on walking, feeling enormously relaxed, with a still mind and an open [Music] heart. Walk higher up the path and higher, and soon you leave the base camp far [Music] behind, and the village in the valley below is hard to [Music] see. You continue up the path, feeling relaxed and alive. The path gets rockier, the path gets steeper, but you continue, confident in the direction in which you are moving. [Music]

After a while, you notice there's a cave in front of you, and you become curious, so you walk into this cave. And at the end of the cave, you see a light. It's, it's the light of a fire. As you walk towards this light, you see that there's an individual sitting next to the fire. You can't see the individual's face, but you can see the shape. As you get closer, as you come to stand next to this individual, your natural wisdom tells you this is a mentor, your lifeguard, who knows what's best for you. This is a mentor who you can consult when you need answers to any important questions. This is your coach. Coach, walk around the fire and look at the face of your lifeguard. Introduce [Music] yourself. And now, look at your lifeguard and ask the following question: "What is the single best thing I can do today to make this day an extraordinary one?" And then listen to the answer that your lifeguard offers to [Music] you. Thank your lifeguard for the wisdom that has just come to you, and know that anytime you have a question or a concern, you have a lifeguard that you can consult, and you can access your best wisdom anytime you [Music] want. Say goodbye to your lifeguard, knowing that you will return sometime in the near future, and leave the [Music] cave. Feel your [Music] confidence. Feel your energy. Feel your inner peace. Connect with your best self, and walk down the mountain path. Soon, the valley becomes clear. Hear the children laughing and playing once again. As you continue down the path, you see the base camp, and you return to the place where you first [Music] started.

And whenever you're ready, wiggle your toes, and wiggle your [Music] fingers. Take a few deep [Music] breaths, and open your eyes.

And now, in stream of consciousness format, in other words, don't take the pen off the page, and silence your inner critic, write down what your lifeguard told you is the single best thing that you can do today to make this day an extraordinary one. Write it down on the piece of paper in front of you.

**Visualization Three: From Struggle and Stress to Extraordinary Success**

Find a comfortable place, sit down, and close your eyes. Move into your deep breathing. Breathing in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your [Music] mouth. Inhale inner peace, exhale stress and worry. Inhale tranquility, exhale stress and [Music] worry. Inhale serenity, let go of all stress and [Music] worry. See any tension and stress you might be carrying wash [Music] away, and feel waves of relaxation pulsate from your head to your [Music] toes.

And now, in your mind's eye, envision yourself relaxing on a stunningly beautiful Caribbean beach. The sand is white, and the water of the ocean is an emerald [Music] blue. You're on your best vacation. You've achieved your [Music] dreams. There's not a cloud in the sky on this magnificent day, and a gentle breeze runs across your [Music] face. You smell the fragrances of jasmine, and the smell of the sea relaxes you even more deeply. You feel grateful to be alive. The sunlight warms your body, and every muscle [Music] relaxes. You don't have a care in the world, and you just listen to the steady pulse of the waves running up and down the shore. You look out in the distance, and you see a beautiful sailboat moving across the horizon, and you enjoy the natural beauty and wonder of all that's around you, drinking deeply from this scene. [Music] Drinking deeply from this [Music] experience.

And now, you get up from where you were laying on the beach, and you walk to the edge of the shore, and you pick up a stick that was laying on the sand, and you write out a worry list in the sand. You write out the things that you are concerned about. You write out your frustrations. You write out the things that are bothering [Music] you. You write out the things that are draining your energy and keeping you from the inner peace that you deserve. See the words written in the [Music] sand. Now that your worry list is complete, let everything that is worrying you and causing you [Music] stress pour out from your mind onto the [Music] sand. And now, you see a wave from the ocean wash up onto the sand and wash away this worry list. And as the wave moves back out towards the horizon, you watch your worries and your troubles and your frustrations and your fears wash away with it, and you feel cleansed, and you feel free, and you feel [Music] relaxed. [Music]

And now, you start walking down the beach. You're the only person on the [Music] beach, and you're feeling the sand on your feet, and you're feeling the ocean spray on your face. And you walk past the palm trees, and at the very end of this beach, you see three steps. And you walk up the first step, and then you walk up the second step, and then you walk up the third step. And you are surprised to see a small pool of water. And you've heard from the inhabitants of this island that this pool has special qualities and special [Music] powers. You've heard that this pool is almost like the Fountain of Youth. It can restore you, it can regenerate you, it can renew you, and you know it will. And so you dip your foot into this pool, and then you wade into the pool, and you start to feel its powers working on you. And you really feel this in your body. You start to feel your energy coming back to [Music] life. You are connecting with your best and highest [Music] vitality. Your skin starts to [Music] tingle. You start to feel happy, almost like a playful [Music] child. You start to feel passionate. A soft smile comes to your face, and you connect with your best self, knowing that this day is going to be an extraordinary one. [Music]

After this experience, you get out of the pool, and you sit on the top step, and the sun dries your body, and you feel gratitude for your [Music] life. You then walk back down the beach and arrive at the place where you first started, and you sit there looking at the ocean, drinking in this beautiful scene, and realizing that your life is a special life. You are an elite performer, and you are an extraordinary [Music] person.

And when you're ready, wiggle your toes, wiggle your fingers, and gently open your eyes.

I'd like to thank you finally for making the time to listen to this recording of meditation for elite performers. I truly believe this tool can make a magnificent difference in the way you conduct your life, not only at a professional level but at a personal level. And I honor you for taking the step to listen to it, to embrace the knowledge that you've heard, and to integrate the practice into your life each day and every day. You deserve to live your best life. And as the Chinese say so wisely, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but the second best time is today." And there's no better time like the present moment to create and then to live your ideal life.

In closing, I'd love to hear about the success you experience as a result of this recording. You can share your results at RobinSharma.com, where you'll find an ongoing conversation amongst the members of our leadership community. I'd also love it if you could email me at wisdom@RobinSharma.com. See me as your coach, dedicated to creating success for you and helping you create an extraordinary life. I wish you great success. I wish you a great life. And most importantly, I wish you great leadership. Thank [Music] you.