The Enlightenment Mantra

The other day, I hopped on a call with a man named Jonathan Robinson, who was to become a quick new friend.

Our conversation began with both of our business endeavors, the launch of his new book Ecstasy as Medicine , and my sharing about OptiMatch .

The conversation quickly veered towards spirituality and consciousness. Jonathan shared with me a bit about his work with Mother Teresa and Oprah in his first book The Enlightenment Project and then went on to share about various tools he learned from Dr. Jeffrey Miller for achieving enlightenment.

One valuable tool he shared was allocating daily time to appreciate 30+ people in your life, dedicating one minute of thoughtful reflection to each person.

The story that truly captivated my attention, however, was the concept he referred to as "The Enlightenment Mantra."

He shared, I once had a friend who returned from time in India and was lit up about life and the world. I had known him for a while and he was already a very spiritual guy, so I was very curious about what could have inspired him to become even more spiritual.

Jonathan's friend relayed that he found a guru in India who revealed to him the “Enlightenment Mantra.”

Jonathan's interest was definitely piqued and he wanted to know how he could learn said mantra.

His friend lamented that the only way to learn it was to go and see the guru physically in India. Jonathan, never being one to steer away from an adventure, decided to embark on the 20,000-mile journey to seek out this guru.

He took planes, and trains and eventually found himself in the remote village with this guru. Breathlessly, he waited for what he was sure was going to be a life-changing moment where the guru revealed to him the meaning of life through a mantra.

"Sir," Jonathan begins, "I have come from far away to learn what this magical mantra is that you have shared with my friend that changed his life and helped him to reach enlightenment."

"Ah, yes..." says the guru. "Many people have come from far and wide to learn this mantra. I will share it with you."

Rapt with attention, Jonathan waits.

"Thank you. That is all." Says the guru.

"WHAT!!! @%$!?" Exclaims Jonathan. "That is all!"

"No" the guru responds… “’That is all’ is not part of the mantra. ‘Thank you’ is the mantra."

Frustrated and exhausted having traveled 20,000 miles and many days to arrive in India only to discover the secret mantra to enlightenment was ‘Thank you’, Jonathan reflected on his options.

He could either be bitter and resentful or apply it and see how it worked. He decided to go for the latter. He began reciting "thank you, thank you, thank you" daily and quickly discovered that was the secret to enlightening his every moment, of every day just by embodying the spirit of gratitude.

On this day when in the United States we practice giving thanks, I ask us to each reflect on what would life be like if we treated every day as if it were Thanksgiving.

What’s available to you… when you are always thankful?