he time that I spent living with my guru as an ordained Hindu monk in his cloistered monastery was the greatest blessing in my life. I learned so much and realized I have so much more to learn. He laid the foundation for my unfoldment, knowing that this would be a lifetime of work for me and that he would not be present that entire time to guide me in person. That was, sadly, more than true, for he passed away three years after I joined his monastic order.

Seven years after he died, having spent a decade living as a monk in his monastery, I chose not to renew my vows. I ventured into the world, making New York City my home and choosing to live as a Hindu priest. In Hinduism, priests are considered householders—they get married, work, and earn a living like most householders.

I left the monastery in the second half of 2008, during the height of the global financial crisis, with two sets of robes, a thousand dollars in cash, and a MacBook Pro. The cash and laptop were a generous love offering from the monastery to help me get started in the world. Though my physical possessions were few, I had been empowered by my guru with an array of teachings and tools that he had taught me to understand and apply in the monastery to help me with my spiritual unfoldment.

I knew that these teachings were all I needed to create the next phase of my life. I had seen them work in the monastery and knew that they would work in the world as well. These time-tested ancient teachings were anchored in universal truths. It truly did not matter where I was or what I was doing. They applied across the board to me and to anyone who grasped and understood them.

As a monk I often heard visitors to the monastery say, “It can’t be hard to live a life of purpose and joy when you live in a serene monastery in Hawaii.” I could not argue with that. Monastic life has intense challenges, but it was certainly easier to put the teachings into practice in an environment built to support that. But the experiences and results I had from implementing the teachings in my life left no shadow of doubt in my mind that they would work in the world outside the monastery as well.

I embraced a life of entrepreneurship, adopting the role of adviser to entrepreneurs, athletes, and individuals in all walks of life, helping them to understand and leverage their mind to live a life of purpose and joy. But it only made sense for me to be an adviser if I was able to successfully apply these teachings in my own life. My environment and lifestyle had undergone a very binary change. I had to come up with new ways of applying these teachings in my life as a husband, a father, an entrepreneur, and more—and continually refine how they were implemented as I grew and my clients changed.

Well over a decade now after having left the monastery, I can confidently confirm to you that, yes, these teachings work as well outside the monastery walls as they do within them. I have watched with great joy a child of seven years apply them in her life to rid herself of anxiety. I’ve seen highly successful entrepreneurs and athletes use them to increase their performance and better their lives. Countless testimonials from people around the world sharing how these teachings have transformed their lives further affirmed what I had initially intuited. These teachings work well, just as they always have.

This book shares with you the foundational training that I received from my guru—teachings, insights, and tools that I learned from him, and some that I have developed myself, refined over a decade for life in the world through practical application in my life and in training companies and thousands of individuals worldwide.

If I was dying and I could share only one thing with you, the contents of this book would be it. It is my greatest gift to you. I cannot emphasize enough how life-transforming these teachings and tools are. One must simply have a burning desire to implement them consistently in one’s life for them to bear results.

This book is divided into four parts. Each part is made up of chapters and lessons.

Part 1 is dedicated to the question of why you should lead a focused life. This is critical. Without realizing the purpose for leading a focused life, one may not be motivated to make the teachings and tools in this book a part of one’s life. (The words “concentration” and “focus” are synonymous, and I use them interchangeably throughout the book.) In part 2, we begin learning about our own mind, the most important tool (or technology) we possess—it creates our very reality—and yet the only one that comes without a user’s manual. Understanding the mind is the foundation for building a focused life. Part 3 shares how we can learn to concentrate and to develop our willpower, the two indispensable ingredients for becoming the stewards of our own mind. Part 4 details practical applications of these teachings to overcome life’s most common challenges—such as fear, worry, anxiety, and stress—and to transform your productivity and performance in the worlds of work, the arts, and sports. I also share how applying these teachings will improve your mental health and will help you to be present so that you truly experience your life.

My goal in this book is not to inundate you with tools. I am a firm believer that we do not need many tools in life. Rather, a few tools that are aligned and serve in fulfilling our purpose in life are sufficient. These tools are to be understood well and then consistently applied.

You will not find any magic, shortcuts, or hacks in this book—only a clearly defined, step-by-step, and goal-oriented approach to living a focused life, not as a mental exercise for its own sake, but for what it gives you. That’s why I live a focused life.

The ability to concentrate has opened untold possibilities for me and given me a life that I could not have imagined for myself. I attempt to share with you, within these pages, a sliver of the rewards of a focused life.

Read these teachings carefully. Strive to grasp them. Be unrelenting in your efforts to implement them in your life. These teachings are life-transforming, but only if you put them into practice—and even more, only if you truly desire to transform your life. Without a strong and sincere desire for transformation on your part, all the contents of this book would matter very little.

Your biggest gift to me, should you ever wish to say thank you for these teachings, is to truly understand the contents of this book and master awareness in the mind. It is my wish, as you embark on the study of this book, that you will adopt the attitude that you are at the beginning of the path—you are eager, enthusiastic, open to learning, and know absolutely nothing.