DISCLAIMER: THERE ISN'T ANYTHING MUCH WRITTEN IN THIS THAT YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW. INSTEAD OF WASTING THE NEXT 15 MINS OF YOUR LIFE, JUST GO ON WITH IT. WELL IN CASE YOU WANT TO WASTE IT ANYWAY, DO NOT READ ANYTHING IN BRACKETS OR IN RED TEXT, THAT'S A BIT OUT OF CONTEXT USUALLY MY MIND OFF RAMPING. IT WILL SAVE YOU SOME TIME TO DO MORE IMPORTANT THINGS. (SOMETIMES IT'S GENUINE LINKS TO ARTICLES WITH MORE INFO SO READ AND CLICK IT).
Now, before you go all "Oh great, another self-help guru telling me to ‘just be enlightened’," hear me out I am not a Guru, no I'm just like you experiencing some sort of mid-life crisis trying to figure a lot of things out that don't really make sense in this adulting thing called life or this life thing called adulting it's just so confusing so bear with me.
We’ve all had those moments where something just clicks! Where the chaos of life takes a backseat, and for a split second, we get it. It’s like when you’ve been staring at a maths problem for hours, and suddenly, the numbers start making sense (only to slip away five minutes later). That’s kensho, brief, powerful, and fleeting. And then there’s satori, where the insight sticks, where it doesn’t just feel like a revelation but becomes part of you. Where you don't just get it but you feel it!
The problem is, most of us think that growth has to come from pain. We’ve been conditioned to believe that the only way to change is through suffering. Lost a job? Boom, now you have the "wake-up call" you needed. Now you are an Entrepreneur like us, congratulations! Heartbreak? Guess what, here’s your ticket to self-discovery. It’s like we’ve collectively agreed that transformation is only valid if it comes wrapped in a wonderful, shiny and nice red suffering plastic. And yes, sure, adversity can break us open, you can count on that! But why do we wait for tragedy to grow when we could evolve in moments of joy?
In his book The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle talks about how enlightenment isn’t about waiting for some cosmic event to shake us into action—it’s about presence. He argues that we cling to suffering because it feels more real than peace. It’s why we find it easier to recall moments of pain over moments of happiness. Neuroscience backs this up—our brains are wired to hold onto negative experiences more strongly than positive ones, a phenomenon called the "negativity bias" (Baumeister et al., 2001). So naturally, when we think of transformation, we associate it with struggle.
But what if we chose to learn in moments of peace instead of waiting for disaster? Think about it. How often have you been sitting with a coffee, watching the sun rise, and felt a quiet, unshakable clarity? Or that time when you were laughing uncontrollably with friends and, for a second, everything made sense? That’s a kensho moment, those tiny flashes of insight that whisper, this is who you really are. The trick is to lean into those instead of brushing them off as just "good vibes."
King Solomon speaks of wisdom in stillness. Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Not "struggle more, and then I’ll show you the way." Just be still. It’s in the stillness, in the unforced moments, that we often hear the clearest truths.
So how do we turn a kensho moment into a satori state? How do we move from fleeting insight to lasting change without waiting for a life crisis to force our hand? Well we could start by doing a few things;
1. Pay attention to the good
If you can dissect pain to learn from it, why not do the same with joy? When something good happens, don’t just enjoy it, study it. Why did it feel so right? What does it tell you about yourself? If you can learn from suffering, you can learn from bliss too. (Okay, I Lied sorry, I am a Guru !).
2. Repetition, repetition, repetition
James Clear in Atomic Habits talks about how small, consistent actions shape who we become. If a moment of clarity told you that journaling, meditating, or running makes you feel more aligned then do it champ, do it again. And again. Until it’s no longer something you do, but something you are. (Of course that's a bit too far fetched, knowing how quickly we dump good habits, but it's a nice thing to say).
3. Stop self-sabotaging
You know that thing where something starts going well, and then you suddenly convince yourself you don’t deserve it? That’s called 'cognitive dissonance'. Your brain wants to stick to the self-image it’s built over years, and when something challenges that, it resists. Charles Duhigg in The Power of Habit explains how our habits are deeply tied to our identity. So if you’ve always believed you’re "not the type" to be disciplined, successful, or happy, your mind will fight to keep that narrative alive, even if it hurts you. Challenge it. Call yourself out.
4. Create space for stillness
You can’t force insight, but you can make room for it. Every philosopher worth quoting, from Aristotle (“We are what we repeatedly do”) to Seneca (“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it”) has talked about the importance of reflection. Satori doesn’t happen when you’re doom-scrolling Instagram at 2 AM. It happens in the spaces you create for it. In 3AM self-introspections.
5. Surround yourself with people who see your future self
We all have people in our lives who reinforce our old selves. But growth thrives in environments where people see you not just for who you are, but for who you’re becoming. Find those people. Spend time with them. Let them hold you accountable. Spend time with me, I know your potential Chief (hysterical comic jokerish laugh).
So here’s the deal:
You don’t have to wait for rock bottom to change. You don’t need to be broken open by pain to grow. You can evolve in laughter, in peace, in quiet moments of realisation. Growth isn’t just about survival, it’s about thriving. The next time you have a moment of clarity, don’t let it slip away. Hold onto it. Build on it. Turn your kensho into satori. And grow in Bliss.
Because this? This is what we do now.
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