The Meditating Billionaire. The Mindfulness Secrets by Ray Dalio
Billionaire Ray Dalio has been called the “Steve Jobs of investment.” He is currently one of the most influential people on the planet, with his company managing $160 billion. Dalio described his approach to life and business in his book “Principles,” which instantly became a worldwide bestseller. And in his success story, Ray devotes special attention to meditation, which he believes he owes to which he owes his open view of the world and his creativity.
Below we will tell you what meditation technique helps Dalio in his life’s journey and how to perform one.
The ultimate success story
Ray Dalio is one of the 100 wealthiest men on the planet. He made his first investment at age 12, spending $300 saved on the cheapest stock on the exchange. At 26, he founded the Bridgewater Associates fund in his rented apartment. But the real success came in 2012 when the company became the largest hedge fund in the world and retains this title today. Bridgewater serves pension funds, governments, and central banks worldwide. The International Monetary Fund is also among their clients.
Among his most famous innovations is the division of investment portfolios into alpha and beta. The former are actively managed, riskier, and should yield higher returns. The latter involves passive management and lower risks. Now, this approach is widespread and obvious. But it was Dalio who introduced this method in 1990. This investment strategy gained wide recognition and use in the early 2000s.
“Meditation changed my life. It has influenced my successes the most,” says Ray Dalio. He discovered this way of self-development in 1969, inspired by the example of the Beatles.
According to Dalio, the so-called transcendental meditation gives him more energy than sleep. It increased his concentration, and most importantly, it allowed him to look at situations that arise in life as if “from above” more clearly and objectively. Another bonus was the increased creativity.
What is transcendental meditation about, and why do famous people resort to it?
The founder of Transcendental Meditation is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian guru who opened the technique to the general public. He wrote the book Light of the Himalayan Lighthouse, moved to California, and established his center to teach Transcendental Meditation. By the end of the sixties, the guru had taught more than ten thousand people, among whom were even the Beatles. During his lifetime, Maharishi popularized his teachings and created the whole Transcendental Meditation Movement, also called the Maharishi Movement.
The technique of Transcendental Meditation is simple: you must sit with your eyes closed for 20 minutes twice a day and repeat specific mantras. While other practices are based on observing thoughts or concentrating on the breath, a mantra is a remedy that quietens the mind and brings one into a deep calm.
In his book Principles, Ray Dalio writes that he learned about Transcendental Meditation in his 20s: “Mediation has made me more open and creative, showing me perspective. These practices help slow things down so that I can act calmly even in the face of chaos, like a ninja in a street fight.”
The investor also notes that Transcendental Meditation has helped him reduce his level of aggression and change his thinking for the better. “Before, I was sure that I was always right about everything. Now I ask myself every time — how do I know I’m right?” — he says.
Inside Dalio’s 20-minute meditation sessions
Dalio says the first step is to find a quiet place. Then sit back, close your eyes, and think about your mantra.
In TM, you don’t share your mantra publicly. It’s a patented practice in which you learn your personal mantra during a four-day training course. But a well-known example, according to Dalio, is the “om” syllable.
When you have a mantra, you sit still and recite it repeatedly. Eventually, the recitation supersedes the rest of your thoughts, sending you into a transcendent state.
“You’re peaceful. You’re quiet,” Dalio shared. “You’re not awake, but you don’t sleep either.”
Usually, Dalio spends one 20-minute session as soon as he wakes up in the morning and another right before dinner. He says each one feels like a “20-minute vacation,” which relieves anxiety and relieves him in a state of relaxation, allowing him to make more informed business decisions.
According to Dalio, having two sessions a day is more important than having them at the same time every day. If work commitments disrupt his routine, he adds meditation elsewhere to his schedule to maintain rhythm twice daily.
And the more you do it, he says, the easier you’ll begin to feel during the day when meditation may be necessary: “You might feel that little bit of anxiety or whatever, and you’ll say: [to yourself] ‘Oh, I need to meditate.”
Ideas for a billion come out of silence
For Dalio, there’s another bonus of the practice: “When you immerse yourself in meditation, amazing ideas come to your mind.”
It’s both “amazing and frustrating,” he explains, as the goal of meditation is to put aside your ideas and focus on your mantra. “Sometimes I almost wish I had a pencil and paper by my side,” he says. “I don’t want to lose the idea.”
Dalio’s theory: Great ideas strike you during meditations because you connect to your subconscious, where your creativity flourishes. He compares it to the relaxation you experience when you shower and let your creative ideas flow.
“When you want to be creative, you don’t say I’m going to work hard and think about creativity,” he says.
Although Dalio resists the urge to write down his ideas during meditation sessions, he says he completes them better prepared to make difficult decisions.
“I’ll see things more clearly,” he says.
A magic pill or a valuable tool?
Of course, the fact that successful people practice meditation does not guarantee you the same path.
However, the history of Ray Dalio and his like-minded meditators (like David Lynch or Lady Gaga) proves that meditation is the genuine hygiene of the mind required to sustain and develop one’s activities.
That’s why Dalio also runs Transcendental Meditation courses for his employees at Bridgewater Associates. Meditation has become integral to the corporate culture at his company, moving beyond the odd esoteric trends.
Transcendental meditation is only one of the many approaches to mindfulness practice. In this article, we describe how it works at the neural level.
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