A Master Class in Resilience | George Mumford
George Mumford, a legendary meditation teacher who worked with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, shares how to develop resilience through meditation, discussing his "Three C's," "Four A's," and "Five Superpowers" to navigate life's challenges, including personal loss and global tumult.
Deep Dive Analysis
11 Topic Outline
George Mumford's Personal Journey Through Loss and Peace
Interpreting Kobe Bryant's Death and Generating Hope
Overcoming the Illusion of Separateness and Embracing Interconnectedness
Cultivating Compassion for Perpetrators and Understanding Human Potential
Death Awareness Meditation (Maranasati) and Impermanence
The Three C's of Resilience: Challenge, Control, Commitment
The Five Superpowers: Faith, Diligence, Mindfulness, Concentration, Wisdom
Shifting from Survival Mode to Growth Mode
Dealing with Adversity as a Team Effort and Social Support
The Importance of Self-Observation and Examining Life
Announcing George Mumford's Online Course and Resources
8 Key Concepts
Holding Hurt and Generating Hope
This is George Mumford's approach to dealing with adversity, where one acknowledges pain and sadness while actively choosing empowering interpretations and finding inspiration to move forward. It involves feeling things fully but interpreting them in a way that provides power and inspiration.
Illusion of Separateness
This refers to the mistaken belief that individuals are atomized, isolated egos, rather than deeply interconnected beings. Overcoming this illusion allows one to see the shared humanity in others, fostering compassion and understanding that 'I and the other are one' in suffering and experience.
Death Awareness Meditation (Maranasati)
A practice of reflecting on the impermanence of life, aging, illness, and death to cultivate acceptance. This practice helps to prepare one for inevitable losses, live more fully in the present moment, and reduce suffering that arises from resisting the natural cycles of change.
The Three C's of Resilience
A framework for responding to stressors, learned in a stress management program. It involves seeing threats as Challenges, exercising Control over one's reaction and response, and having Commitment to personal growth and development as a learning experience.
Five Superpowers (Five Powers)
These are core qualities that act as a 'powerhouse' for personal strength and resilience: faith (or trust), diligence (or effort), mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. When cultivated and balanced, these qualities provide access to more power to be present, persistent, and focused.
Survival Mode vs. Growth Mode
This concept, described on a cellular level, states that a cell (or person) is either in survival mode (coming from scarcity and fear) or growth mode (coming from abundance and possibility). Shifting into growth mode is essential for positive change and resilience, as a cell cannot be in both simultaneously.
Right Effort
This refers to an enthusiastic, steady, continuous, and balanced application of energy in any activity. It emphasizes avoiding both excessive force (which is not sustainable) and laxity (which yields no results), ensuring that effort is applied skillfully and effectively.
Appropriate Attention
This is a core aspect of mindfulness, involving paying attention to what one pays attention to. It means directing one's focus to the present moment and discerning whether one's thoughts, words, and behaviors are skillful or unskillful in alleviating suffering and fostering well-being.
7 Questions Answered
One can feel great by learning to 'hold the hurt and generate the hope,' which involves acknowledging pain and sadness while choosing empowering interpretations and focusing on the positive impact and opportunities for growth.
By becoming comfortable with one's own inner struggles and realizing that others share similar 'dumpster fires' of sadness and hurt, one can see the common humanity and interconnectedness, moving beyond the idea of atomized, separate egos.
Yes, one can, by understanding that such acts often stem from fear, ignorance, or a belief system that dehumanizes others. Recognizing that everyone carries the seeds of both 'fear wolf' and 'love wolf' allows for compassion, while still condemning the actions.
Death awareness meditation (Maranasati) involves reflecting on the impermanence of life, aging, illness, and death to accept these natural processes. This practice helps one live more fully in the present, appreciate the current moment, and reduce suffering caused by resisting the inevitable.
Resilience can be cultivated through the 'Three C's': viewing crises as Challenges, exercising Control over one's reactions, and having Commitment to personal growth. Additionally, developing the 'Five Superpowers' (faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom) and shifting from a 'survival mode' to a 'growth mode' mindset are crucial.
It is not easy initially, but it becomes easier with practice, like any habit. Consistently interpreting situations as challenges rather than curses helps shift one from a 'survival mode' (scarcity, fear) to a 'growth mode' (abundance, possibility), which is a trainable habit of mind.
Dealing with adversity is a team effort because humans thrive with social support and community. Drawing on a network of relationships, whether with living friends or the teachings of past wisdom figures, provides guidance, encouragement, and a sense of not being alone in one's struggles.
20 Actionable Insights
1. Practice the Three C’s for Resilience
Develop resilience by: 1) Viewing every Challenge as an opportunity, 2) Exercising Control over your reactions and responses by creating space between stimulus and response, and 3) Maintaining Commitment to your personal growth and development, interpreting experiences in an empowering way.
2. Apply the Four A’s for Resilience
When facing challenges, practice: 1) Awareness of what is happening, 2) Acceptance of the situation (even if you don’t like it), 3) Action (compassionate action), and 4) Assessment to learn lessons and improve future responses.
3. Cultivate the Five Superpowers
Strengthen your inner “power plant” by cultivating and balancing the five spiritual powers: Faith (or trust), Diligence (or effort), Mindfulness, Concentration, and Wisdom. These qualities provide access to greater presence, persistence, focus, and understanding.
4. Practice Death Awareness (Maranasati)
Regularly reflect on impermanence and the inevitability of death. This practice helps you accept life’s natural cycles, be fully present with loved ones, and live without regret, fostering a sense of freedom and ease by making peace with “what is.”
5. Hold Hurt, Generate Hope
Feel and acknowledge pain, but choose to interpret events in an empowering and inspiring way, focusing on positive impact and bringing love, holiness, and compassion to any situation to transform it.
6. Cultivate Self-Love and Compassion for All
Love yourself and see yourself in others to foster compassion. Recognize that heinous acts often stem from fear, and everyone has the capacity for both “fear wolf” and “love wolf”; choose to feed the love wolf by directing attention to kindness and generosity.
7. Serve Others to Find Yourself
Engage in service to others to shift focus away from personal troubles. This practice, learned in 12-step recovery, helps one “find yourself” and naturally brings back what you give, such as love and kindness.
8. Build a Strong Social Support System
Actively cultivate a network of relationships and community (Sangha) to provide social support. Don’t try to face adversity alone; seek guidance from living mentors, historical figures, and engage in “suitable conversation” with friends to apply teachings and investigate experiences.
9. Transform Your Mind Through Self-Introspection
Recognize that all habits of mind are trainable. Engage in spiritual practice or self-introspection to observe and evaluate your habit patterns, identifying what works and what doesn’t, then consciously choose to transform your mind to be more present, loving, and focused on alleviating suffering.
10. Practice Continuous Mindfulness
Extend meditation beyond formal sitting; practice mindfulness from waking to sleeping by regularly checking in with your mind, asking “What am I doing? How’s my mind? Am I here?” to stay present and focused.
11. Apply Right Effort
When engaging in any activity, apply “right effort” which is an enthusiastic, steady, continuous, and balanced application of energy, avoiding both forceful exertion and laxity, to achieve desired results.
12. Cultivate Self-Understanding and Wisdom
Seek to understand fundamental principles and your own nature, recognizing you are “wired for success, altruism, freedom of choice, compassion, love,” as well as fear and doubt. This wisdom helps you leverage your strengths and manage your challenges.
13. Practice Appropriate Attention
Consciously direct your attention to what you are paying attention to. Cultivate “appropriate attention” which keeps you in the present moment, focused on your current activity, and aware of whether your actions are skillful or unskillful.
14. Balance Your Inner Powers
Use mindfulness to balance the five spiritual powers (faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom). For example, balance faith with insight to avoid being Pollyannaish or cynical, and balance effort with poise to avoid being forceful or sluggish. Complement this with practices like sitting meditation and loving-kindness.
15. Practice Relaxed Receptivity and Adaptation
Cultivate a relaxed receptivity to observe your immediate experience without grasping or aversion. Use this self-observance to gather immediate feedback, adapt your actions, and make necessary changes to stay on track and perform effectively.
16. Cultivate Equanimity
Develop equanimity, a state of neutrality with purpose, where you observe pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral experiences without being swayed by craving or aversion. This involves understanding what’s happening without indifference.
17. Forgive and Let Go of the Past
Forgive yourself for past regrets, understanding that “when you know better, you do better.” Recognize that clinging to the past prevents new beginnings; instead, embrace change and actively create something better in the present.
18. Cultivate Interconnectedness
Recognize that “I and the other are one.” See others as human beings, just like yourself, beyond labels. Understand that if others suffer, you suffer, fostering compassion and helping overcome the illusion of separateness.
19. Live an Examined Life
Regularly examine your thoughts, words, and behavior to ensure they align with who you aspire to be. When discrepancies arise, actively work to change them, as an examined life is essential for growth and authenticity.
20. Embrace Joy Now
Actively seek and embrace joy in the present moment, fostering fun, interconnectedness, and a joyful approach to life, guided by the motto “joy now or never.”
10 Key Quotes
I'm able, as I like to say, hold the hurt and generate the hope.
George Mumford
I hope his family's not with him. And then I found out his daughter and seven other souls were in a helicopter.
George Mumford
On the simplest, simplest possible level, it's a profound making of lemonade out of lemons.
Dan Harris
We can do what no angel can do. And what that is, is we can hallow things or we can make things holy.
George Mumford
If I go and serve others, I'll forget about me. This is what I learned in 12 step recovery. Help another person, get out of your stuff and help somebody else. And then you'll find yourself because that other person is in you.
George Mumford
Suffering is acting like what's happening shouldn't be happening, but the conditions are right for everything to happen.
George Mumford
When you know better, you do better.
George Mumford
The space between stimulus and responses is where we have freedom and power to choose.
George Mumford
If the mind is right, everything else is going to be right.
George Mumford
People are complicated. That's profound. That is profound. Because it's true. It's really true. It includes me. I'm complicated.
George Mumford
1 Protocols
The Four A's for Responding to Adversity
George Mumford- Awareness: Recognize what is happening.
- Acceptance: Make peace with the situation, even if you don't like it.
- Action: Take compassionate action.
- Assessment: Learn lessons, evaluate what worked/didn't work, and identify what to practice for a better response.