George Stephanopoulos, ABC News Chief Anchor
George Stephanopoulos, co-anchor of Good Morning America and host of This Week, discusses his 20-year journey with Transcendental Meditation, detailing its benefits for anxiety, sleep, and presence. He also shares insights on navigating political journalism in a post-fact era and dealing with public criticism.
Deep Dive Analysis
14 Topic Outline
Introduction to George Stephanopoulos and Meditation Background
George Stephanopoulos's First Attempt at Transcendental Meditation
Jerry Seinfeld's Influence and Re-engagement with TM
Explanation of Transcendental Meditation (TM) Practice
Benefits of TM: Rest, Clarity, and Presence
Meditation's Impact on Anxiety and Sleep
Meditation as a Tool for Responding vs. Reacting
Happiness as a Skill and Virtuous Habits
Reflections on Lincoln's Inaugural Speeches and Trump's Inauguration
Challenges and Changes in Journalism Post-Campaign
Dealing with Public Criticism and the 'Utopian' View of Meditation
Societal Impact and Historical Context of TM
George Stephanopoulos's Inauguration Day Experience
President Obama's Exit and Trump's State of Mind
3 Key Concepts
Transcendental Meditation (TM)
TM is a meditation practice where one silently repeats a given mantra (a sound) for 20 minutes, twice a day. The core tenet is to accept that the mind will always be racing, and when it happens, one accepts it and gently brings the mind back to the mantra, leading to feelings of rest, clarity, and groundedness.
Respond vs. React
This concept describes how meditation creates a 'buffer' between external annoyances or stimuli and one's internal processing, allowing an individual to take a beat before reacting. This training helps in making conscious choices on how to respond rather than being automatically yanked around by impulses or emotions.
Happiness as a Skill
The idea that happiness is not solely contingent upon external factors but can be actively cultivated and improved through mental exercise. Just as one can train their body in a gym, the mind can be trained through practices like meditation to achieve a higher ceiling of well-being.
6 Questions Answered
George Stephanopoulos first considered meditation in the early 1990s while in the Clinton White House but couldn't sustain the practice. About five years prior to the interview, Jerry Seinfeld convinced him to try Transcendental Meditation again, and he learned it through the David Lynch Foundation.
He feels more rested, confident, and grounded, finds it easier to be present and clear, and it has helped him manage anxiety and improve sleep quality by reducing worry about how much time he has left to sleep. It also fosters patience and the ability to respond rather than react.
Meditation trains the mind to be present in the moment, which is crucial for live broadcasting. This allows for more spontaneous and genuine reactions to co-anchors and breaking news, preventing the mind from constantly thinking many moves ahead.
He filters out almost all of it, avoiding social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook comments. He relies on others to inform him if a mistake has been made or if criticism is so egregious that it requires his attention.
He is 'deeply anti-utopian,' believing that meditation provides tools to deal with human imperfections rather than making anyone perfect. While it can make individual lives better and have ripple effects, he doesn't see it as a solution for all societal problems.
The campaign forced journalists to reevaluate their methods, as conventional coverage sometimes failed. It highlighted the need for more time to clarify facts, press for details, and sometimes step outside the traditional 'balanced journalism' approach when objective facts are at stake.
13 Actionable Insights
1. Daily Transcendental Meditation
Engage in Transcendental Meditation by silently repeating a given mantra for 20 minutes, twice a day, as this practice can lead to noticeable benefits quickly. George Stephanopoulos found immediate benefits and hasn’t missed a day since learning it, experiencing rest, confidence, and groundedness.
2. Accept Mind’s Racing Thoughts
During meditation, accept that your mind will race with thoughts. When it happens, acknowledge it without stress and gently bring your focus back to your mantra or breath, because this acceptance is a core tenet of effective meditation, ensuring that even on imperfect days, the practice still yields benefits like mental clarity and rest.
3. Respond, Don’t React
Cultivate the ability to pause and choose your response to situations rather than reacting impulsively, especially to annoying or challenging events. Meditation trains the mind to create a buffer between you and external stimuli, allowing for more deliberate and less ego-driven actions, improving patience and control over your life.
4. Happiness is a Skill
Approach happiness not as something contingent on external factors, but as a skill that can be developed and strengthened through mental exercise, similar to physical fitness. Science suggests that the mind can be trained like a body, allowing you to become the ‘fittest version of you’ mentally, with a high ceiling for improvement.
5. Practice Virtuous Habits
Actively practice virtuous habits and behaviors, even if you don’t initially feel virtuous, to gradually internalize them and improve your character. As Aristotle taught, consistent practice of virtuous habits can lead to becoming virtuous, and seeing how good actions feel can reinforce positive behavior.
6. Meditate for Better Sleep
If you struggle with insomnia, particularly waking up worried about sleep time, practice meditation first thing in the morning. George Stephanopoulos found that meditating at 2:30 AM provided better quality rest than the last hour of sleep, reducing panic upon waking and creating a sense of ‘bonus’ rest.
7. Filter Public Criticism
Actively filter out the vast majority of public criticism, such as comments on social media, Twitter, or other online platforms. George Stephanopoulos, as a long-time public figure, found this strategy essential for managing stress and focusing on his job and life, only addressing criticism when it’s egregious and requires action.
8. Separate Practice from Origins
When engaging in practices like meditation or yoga, focus on the practical benefits and the practice itself, rather than getting caught up in the metaphysical or controversial origins of the tradition or its founders. Both George Stephanopoulos and Dan Harris find it effective to ignore the ‘out there’ aspects or problematic figures associated with TM or Bikram yoga, emphasizing that the practice’s usefulness stands on its own.
9. Don’t Evangelize Meditation
Avoid lecturing or unsolicited advice about meditation to others, even close family members, unless they explicitly ask about it. This approach prevents sounding ‘Pollyannish’ or ‘culty’ and respects individual autonomy, allowing others to discover the practice on their own terms.
10. Journalism: State Objective Facts
In journalism, be willing to explicitly state objective facts, even if it means stepping outside the convention of simply presenting two opposing viewpoints as equally valid. The conventional approach can fail when one side presents information ‘at odds with the facts,’ requiring journalists to take more time to clarify what is actually happening and identify objective truths.
11. Journalism: Clarify Facts Thoroughly
When covering complex or contentious issues, dedicate more time to thoroughly clarify facts, explain why satisfactory answers aren’t being given, and tease out the potential effects on the audience. The conventional, time-constrained broadcast format can fail to adequately address situations where politicians ‘bull through’ facts, necessitating a deeper commitment to factual reporting.
12. Journalism: Uphold Factual Reporting
In an era where trust in media is low and people seek information bolstering existing beliefs, journalists should focus on ‘upping their game’ by reporting facts as evenly and accurately as possible, accepting inevitable blowback. While journalists cannot change societal trends like a ‘post-fact era,’ their primary role remains to report facts, and doing so with excellence is the most effective response.
13. Adjust Sleep for Long Days
On days anticipating an unusually long and demanding work schedule, consider sleeping in an hour later than your normal routine. This minor adjustment can help prepare for the extended hours ahead, as demonstrated by George Stephanopoulos’s strategy for Inauguration Day.
5 Key Quotes
The most important thing about acting is sincerity. If you can fake that, you got it made.
George Stephanopoulos
It almost feels like there's a little bit more of a buffer between, even as I'm more present on things I want to be present on, there's more of a buffer between me and the things that are annoying in the world.
George Stephanopoulos
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion.
Dan Harris
I don't think meditation can make you anywhere close to a perfect human being. It just gives you some tools to deal with your imperfections.
George Stephanopoulos
I like the, I think the best part of our jobs is dealing with real news happening in real time, covering special events.
George Stephanopoulos
1 Protocols
Transcendental Meditation (TM) Practice
George Stephanopoulos- Be given a mantra (a sound).
- Repeat the mantra silently to yourself.
- Focus on the mantra for 20 minutes.
- Accept that your mind will always be racing and thoughts will come.
- When thoughts arise, gently bring your mind back to the mantra.
- Practice this routine twice a day.