What specific quality or checkpoint can help manage the balance between the Buddha (mindful state) and the Badass (professional drive) when one falls out of that state?

Nick HutchisonFounder and CEO, BookThinkers

Balancing The Buddha and The Badass with Vishen Lakhiani

26 Aug 2020 · 3 min

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3:09

In this interview, Nick Hutchison asks Vishen Lakhiani how to maintain balance between a mindful, spiritual state (the "Buddha") and a high‑performance, future‑oriented mindset (the "Badass") when he finds himself slipping between the two. Vishen emphasizes two free, practical methodologies. First, he recommends daily meditation combined with crystal‑clear goal setting, introducing his 6‑Phase Meditation. The first three phases—compassion, gratitude, forgiveness—cultivate inner peace (the Buddha), while the next three—visualizing a three‑year future, planning day‑to‑day actions aligned with that vision, and connecting with a higher power for support—activate the Badass. He notes that public figures like R&B singer Miguel and NFL Hall‑of‑Famer Tony Gonzalez use this practice. Second, he describes the "3 Most Important Questions" exercise, a 13‑14‑minute protocol that quickly clarifies the future you want to create, reinforcing the Badass aspect. Together, these techniques aim to harmonize present‑moment serenity with ambitious future impact.

Questions this video answers

Vishen advises meditating every day and being crystal clear on your goals. He outlines two free methods: the 6‑Phase Meditation (compassion, gratitude, forgiveness for inner peace; 3‑year visualization, daily planning, and higher‑power connection for future impact) and the 3 Most Important Questions exercise, a short protocol that clarifies the future you want to create.

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personal question here. What happens when you're in that state and you fall out of that state and you're not really sure why? And I'll give you a little bit more context to the question. I've been, I think, balancing both and falling on both ends of the spectrum back and forth for the last couple of years. Like I'll ride in the middle, but then I'll get too involved in my professional work and I'll forget about the Buddha as an example. So is there a specific quality or checkpoint or way that you can help manage the balance between the two?
You, well, one of the biggest things I think, you need to do is to meditate every single day. But the other thing you need to do is to be really clear on your goals. So I put out 2 methodologies into the world which I think are really powerful, and they're completely free. The first is called the 6-Phase Meditation. The 6-Phase Meditation is a powerful form of meditation that orients your Buddha and your badass, and it takes you through 6 phases of fine-tuning your mind. The first phase is compassion, the second phase is gratitude, and the third phase is forgiveness. All of these are around inner peace. That's really what this is about. It's about inner peace and your emotions in the present. That's the Buddha. But the second aspect of you is the badass. The badass is looking at the future. The badass wants to shift the world towards a future outcome. Phase 4, 5, and 6 do that. Phase 4 is about visualizing where you want to be 3 years ahead. Phase 5 is about using a thought process to plan your day-to-day perfectly based on that 3-year vision. And phase 6 is about connecting with a higher power to ask for support on that journey. When you merge these 6 phases together, you have a meditation protocol that's designed to activate the Buddha and the badass. So the 6-phase meditation is free. You can Google it. And what started to happen is that a lot of celebrities have come forward to say they do it. Miguel, the R&B star, mentioned in Billboard magazine that he does this before his concerts. The NFL footballer, Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, mentioned in the New York Times that he does this. So it's just— it's more and more people are now doing it. And so it's a really cool meditation process. And again, it's completely free. Google it and you will find it. Now I said there's a second procedure. The second procedure is called the 3 Most Important Questions. This is a protocol. It takes only about 13 to 14 minutes to do, but it gets you really clear on the future you want to create for yourself. It's 3 questions you answer. Google that, you'll find information on that. Do that exercise. So that exercise is about badassery. It's about knowing what you want to change about the world and your life To truly be a badass. When you combine that with the 6-Phase Meditation, you have 2 different techniques that help you bring the Buddha and the badass into your life.