“I’m Like a Ninja in a Street Fight”: Ray Dalio - On the Impact of Meditation
American billionaire Ray Dalio is called the “Steve Jobs of investing”. He believes that the practice of transcendental meditation owes much of its success: it helps to come up with new ideas and remain calm in crisis situations.
Meditation is the path to success
An important place in the life of the American billionaire and founder of the investment company Bridgewater Associates, Ray Dalio, is occupied by transcendental meditation: the technique consists in repeating a mantra with closed eyes in a comfortable position for 15–20 minutes. It allows the entrepreneur to maintain clarity of mind and composure in any circumstances. “I owe a lot of my success in life to meditation, which helps me calm down, stay open to new things, think more clearly and outside the box,” says Dalio.
The 73-year-old businessman, known as the “Steve Jobs of investing,” was introduced to the practice in 1968 by The Beatles. “When The Beatles went to India in 1968 to study transcendental meditation, I, too, became curious. I started to practice meditation and I do it to this day,” admits Dalio.
He recalls that his college years were during the “revolution of the young”, free love and the rejection of authority. “The experience had a lasting impact on me and others of my generation. For example, Steve Jobs, whom I admire immensely. Like me, he practiced meditation and did not want anyone to teach him anything: he loved to visualize and create amazing new things", recalls Dalio.
Twice a day - in the morning before breakfast and before dinner - the businessman closes his eyes and repeats a short mantra in his head for 20 minutes. According to him, the main thing in this practice is to find a quiet place. Then you need to sit comfortably, close your eyes and think about your mantra. “When you dive into meditation, amazing ideas come to mind. It’s both amazing and disappointing. Sometimes I wish I had a pencil and paper by my side. I don’t want to lose the idea,” explains the billionaire, since the purpose of meditation is, on the contrary, to put aside your ideas and focus on the mantra. The billionaire warns that he never undertakes the immediate implementation of ideas that arose during meditation, he never begins to act immediately. He is accustomed to analyzing all the information and approach the matter rationally. “In addition to helping me figure out what thoughts are really valuable and why I react to them in one way or another, this habit also helps establish further communication between my conscious and subconscious mind. It is useful to record the results of this process in writing,” says Dalio.
Dalio credits Transcendental Meditation as helping him “increase open-mindedness, gain perspective, maintain composure, and develop outside-the-box thinking.” “Through this practice, I am able to act calmly even in total chaos, like a ninja in a street fight. I am not suggesting that you need to meditate to get to this level of thinking. I share with you what has helped me and many other people, and I recommend that you seriously study this issue", says the billionaire.
Meditation is a process of opening. Dalio believes that many people rely only on consciousness and do not see the benefits of connecting with the unconscious. “They believe that in order to achieve more, you need to load your mind more and work harder. Unfortunately, this often leads to the opposite result. It may sound counterintuitive, but sometimes the best way to make progress is to clear your head,” says the billionaire. It is in a relaxed state that the most interesting ideas come.
The investor also notes that transcendental meditation helped him reduce the level of aggression and change his thinking for the better. “Before, I was sure that I was always right in everything. Now I ask myself every time - how do I know that I’m right? he says.
Dalio studied this issue from a scientific point of view. He says that scientists have long believed that after a certain age, most human neural connections lose the ability to change. “However, according to recent research, a variety of exercises – from physical education to meditation – can lead to physical and psychological changes in the brain that affect a person’s ability to think and form memories,” he says. He also cites data from scientists at the University of Wisconsin. They studied the brain activity of Buddhist monks who spent a total of more than 10,000 hours meditating. Well, their brains generate much higher levels of gamma waves, which are usually associated with perception and problem-solving.
Pain as a way to become stronger
Dalio recalls that the fundamental law of nature says that in order to become stronger, you need to go beyond the usual boundaries, and this can hurt - both literally and figuratively. However, most people instinctively avoid it. This is true when it comes to the body (for example, playing sports for physical beauty), about the mind (for example, disorders, mental struggles, mental disorders, feelings of shame), and especially when people face the harsh reality of their own imperfection.
But Dalio advises going towards discomfort, not avoiding it. “If you do not try to make life easier for yourself, but get used to constantly acting, experiencing a certain pain, your development will go faster. Accept it,” he urges.
Dalio is convinced that this will help to identify their weaknesses, accept them and work with them. In addition, a person will begin to prefer that others be honest with him, and not hide negative thoughts. It is through pain that you can learn to be yourself, and not pretend to be strong.
Dalio pays great attention to the analysis of “pain points”. According to him, most people are not able to analyze in a crisis, and when the crisis is over, they turn to other things and eventually miss the chance to analyze what happened, which would help them learn valuable lessons. Especially in order for people to analyze their experience, Dalio came up with the Pain Button application (“Alarm button”). The application helps a person who has experienced negative emotions decide what he will do in order to avoid a repetition of the situation in the future. In addition, the application shows how often the user finds himself in situations that cause him negative emotions, the reasons for the occurrence of such emotions and the effectiveness of subsequent actions. Thus, a person receives a description of an unpleasant situation and a plan for improvement,
No daily routine
Daily meditation is the only strict rule that Dalio adheres to. Otherwise, he does not consider it necessary to severely limit himself or tie his life to a rigid schedule. “I am going with the flow. I usually wake up around 6 am, meditate. I eat breakfast. Then I dive into different things,” he says. Work continues until about 7 pm, then Dalio has dinner.
The investor prefers to spend his free time outdoors. “I can go for a walk. I can go kayaking or cycling. I need to be in nature. I love being close to water. I usually go to bed around 11pm. But everything changes depending on the circumstances. I don’t have any routine,” he admits.
Sources: CNBC, Ray Dalio’s Principles, Business Insider.