The Smoke Trail S1 E15: Trekking Back To Nepal Roots of Success to Significance with Rob Follows

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 15 – Trekking Back to Nepal: Roots of Success to Significance with Rob Follows

Guest Bio:

Rob Follows is the founder and chairman of STS Capital Partners, a global M&A firm, and a conscious leader dedicated to philanthropy and spiritual growth. A Canadian entrepreneur, Rob sold his marketing services business in 1996, leading to a transformative hiatus at Nepal’s Kopan Monastery, where he learned meditation and purpose-driven living. As a YPO member and mentor, Rob’s journey from corporate success to significance inspires others to balance business with impact, guided by affirmations, meditation, and a commitment to making the world better.

Setting:

Recorded at the Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, where ancient stupas and vibrant maroon-robed monks create a sacred backdrop, this episode hums with the Himalayas’ spiritual energy. Smoke and Rob, partners at STS Capital, share a reflective dialogue amidst the monastery’s serene power, enriched by their recent day spent connecting with welcoming monks, whose warmth and wisdom amplified the experience.

Summary:

Smoke welcomes Rob Follows to the Kopan Monastery, where Rob’s spiritual journey began in 1996 after selling his business. Rob recounts arriving in Nepal with $800, giving it to a dying guru who directed him to Kopan, where he studied meditation under Lama Lhundrup (Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Lhundrup Rigsel). A serendipitous return in 2018 on the 31st day of Lama Lhundrup’s passing sparked a mystical connection, reinforcing Rob’s belief in divine timing. He shares how this experience, coupled with mentorship from business titan Bill Merritts, shaped his philosophy of balancing success with significance. Smoke and Rob discuss practical tools—affirmations to reprogram the subconscious, pre-sleep meditation for theta-state clarity, and vision boards for manifestation—while emphasizing love and intentionality as leadership cornerstones. They explore how clearing emotional “hairballs” through conscious practices fosters health and purpose, drawing on Bruce Lipton’s Biology of Belief. Set against Nepal’s spiritual resonance, where Smoke and Rob engaged with current monks under the guidance of Khenrinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi, the monastery’s abbot, this conversation inspires leaders to align heart and mind for impact.

Learnings:  

• Affirmations Rewire Beliefs: Daily affirmations shift subconscious patterns, fostering positive change.  
• Meditation Enhances Clarity: Pre-sleep or walking meditation accesses theta states for deep insight.  
• Vision Boards Manifest: Visualizing goals aligns energy with outcomes, driving success.  
• Intentionality Shapes Impact: Clear intentions guide purposeful leadership.  
• Love Overcomes Negativity: Bringing love and light clears stuck energies for health and harmony.

Universal Truths:  

• Consciousness is Health: Clearing emotional blockages through awareness restores ease, our natural state.  
• Divine Timing Guides: Synchronicities reflect a universal plan.  
• Love is Transformative: Love dissolves fear and negativity, uniting all.  
• We Are Spiritual Beings: Our mission is to remember our divinity through practice.  
• Intentionality Creates Reality: Focused energy shapes lives and impact.

Examples:  

• Kopan Meditation: Rob’s 1996 training under Lama Lhundrup, from 4 AM to 10 PM, built lifelong meditation habits.  
• Guru Encounter: Giving $800 to a dying guru led Rob to Kopan, showing trust in divine guidance.  
• Lama Lhundrup’s Return: Rob’s 2018 visit on Lama Lhundrup’s 31st death day, mistaken for his reincarnation, highlighted synchronicity.  
• Vision Boards: Rob’s boards from a decade ago manifested goals, as did Smoke’s spiritual and professional boards.  
• Monk Interactions: Smoke and Rob’s recent conversations with Kopan monks, under Geshe Thubten Chonyi’s leadership, deepened their connection to the monastery’s living wisdom.

Smoke Trail Threads:  

• Consciousness (Episodes 1, 9, 11, 13): Rob’s awareness aligns with Smoke’s awakening, Steve Hershberger’s map, Ivan Rados’ health, and Chris Clements’ action.  
• Forgiveness (Episodes 7, 8, 13): Rob’s release of corporate stress ties to Luke Wallin’s enemy forgiveness and Chris Clements’ liberation.  
• Presence (Episodes 2, 3, 8): Rob’s meditation echoes Sarah Fruehling’s breathwork, Jack Maxwell’s living now, and Liv Fisch’s holding space.  
• Love (Episodes 12, 13): Rob’s love and light meditation connects to Elizabeth Funk’s uplifting solutions and Chris Clements’ love over evil.  
• Surrender (Episodes 7, 11, 12)

What is The Smoke Trail?

The Smoke Trail, hosted by Smoke Wallin, is a journey into awakening consciousness, weaving authentic stories and deep discussions with inspiring guests to unlock high performance and perfect health. Each episode delves into spirituality, leadership, and transformation, offering tools to transcend trauma and find your bliss along the way. It’s a reflective space for achieving peak potential and inner peace in a distraction-filled world.

Anitra: 00:00

Welcome to the Smoke Trail hosted by Smoke Wallin. Join Smoke on a unique journey of awakening consciousness, sharing authentic stories and deep discussions with inspiring guests. Explore spirituality, leadership, and transformation, tools to elevate your path.

Smoke: 00:17

Well, Rob, welcome to the Smoke Trail.

Rob: 00:20

I think it's my pleasure, Smoke, to be on the Smoke Trail.

Smoke: 00:24

Well, it's funny. I we talked about this a while ago, and the only way I could get you to do this is to meet you in Nepal Right. And come here to the monastery where you got your spiritual spiritual start in some ways.

Rob: 00:40

Yeah. Many years ago now. Yeah. Yeah. So behind

Smoke: 00:43

So we're at the Kopan.

Rob: 00:44

We are at the Kopan Monastery.

Smoke: 00:46

Monastery in Kathmandu. Right. And what a what a beautiful, beautiful setting. And I know it's changed a bit, but when you were here as a young buck who you know you you had an exit. Yeah I did.

Smoke: 01:01

You had you had a bunch of money. You were taking over the corporate team but they needed a couple months to do some things. So you had a couple months off. You came to Nepal. And somehow one fate brought you to this monastery.

Smoke: 01:15

They did. So tell us that story because I think I think I think people will really appreciate this. This is a young Rob follows.

Rob: 01:21

This is

Smoke: 01:21

pre STS. This is This like you had an exit, you had Yeah. And so what brought you here and how did it go?

Rob: 01:29

Well, I was very, very focused on growing the business. It was a marketing services business. We had a great team and free trade came along and somebody kindly said that was on the negotiating team, leader of it, we're not protecting marketing services. So you're gonna get creamed if you don't sell your business to one of the large, I was in Canada at the time, I'm Canadian, large US Operator. So one thing led to another, I sold the business to Merit Saint Kitt of St.

Rob: 01:59

Louis, Missouri. It was, it ended up being a turnaround, I had a very profitable company but when you put all the divisions together, So Smoke, it was my first turnaround, like big, very, very public turnaround, where we had a two out of 10 customer sat rating. So complete failure. We were losing $4 for every dollar that came through a profit. And our employee sat rating was around two out of 10 too.

Rob: 02:23

I just said we want to just shut it down. They said well what would you what do you think we need to do and so so I back then people weren't using computers yet for for presentation. So I did a like a full scat page of all the issues and all the solutions and I took it to St. Louis and said look you need somebody very experienced to do this in your business and here's the assessment send me to California and I'll learn to surf and deal with, you know, Toyota or something like that. And he said, learning to surf would be great, but, you're now the president.

Rob: 02:54

And I was like, so I had to go back even though I had a big check-in the bank and everybody, you know, wasn't feeling very good about that And put a leadership team together. And once the leadership team came together and it was about to gel, I I knew I needed a break. I'd been on I'd been on, you know, two years of intense Yeah. Know, turnarounds are intense. So there weren't cell phones then.

Rob: 03:14

So I flew I I bought a ticket to Nepal and I thought I've been so scheduled up. I'm gonna not have any schedule at all. And I need to connect with with myself and I need to learn to meditate because my mind was so active and so busy. And so I got to the payphone in the Vancouver Airport and called the first boss I'd ever had, Charlie was his name and I said, Charlie, this is a one way conversation so you need to really listen carefully, okay? So the team is set up, they need a couple months to really gel, we're going over the Christmas holidays, you can't come to Toronto until, you know, March 1 would be best, but you know, certainly not till February and I'm not, and tell me right now, because I'm not, you're not gonna be there, I'm not gonna be there, the team needs to gel and I'm going to Nepal.

Rob: 03:58

If that's a problem, terminate me now because I'm not then I'm not coming home. And he's like, well, I don't know what to say. Well, make your decision. I said, gotta come back. And I said, okay, I'll be back in a couple of months.

Rob: 04:09

And so So you

Smoke: 04:10

had you had this freedom. I did. So you got yourself out of you were stuck in the quagmire of, like, corporate Yeah. Exit and everything else. Yeah.

Smoke: 04:18

So you had this little window here Yeah. Not a little window, a big window Yeah. Which people talk about but dream of.

Rob: 04:24

Yeah.

Smoke: 04:24

Don't usually do.

Rob: 04:25

Yeah. Well, I do believe the

Smoke: 04:28

clouds parted and you headed off to

Rob: 04:30

the Yeah. So I I got to Nepal and I and I I didn't have plans and so and I came from a from a comp there was a billion dollar travel company inside of Merritts and so we would always have people picking us up and rolling out the carpet and giving us the executive suites in the hotels and I just wanted to just be on my own so so I came out of the airport and realized everybody was getting picked up it was all mud outside the airport at that point and it's all paved now in Nepal and and and there was this group of Americans jumping in a van and so smoke I jumped in the van went with the flow and ended up in the old town of Kathmandu where they were all seeing a guru and they said it's your turn they thought I was like a stranger in their group that they didn't know but I was part of the group. I don't know what the group even was but he he the guru was dying in his bed and he said he said why are you here which is classic Buddhist question I've learned over the years because it operates on many levels and I said I'm here to learn to meditate and to I want to find some I want to walk in the Himalaya on my own and really think about my life and the purpose of life and you know why am I here really and so so he said, well, how much money do you have?

Rob: 05:36

And I said, well, I've only got $800. He said, well, I'll take it all for my because I'm dying. I'm gonna leave this legacy of of a of a children's school. I said, fine. I'll get but I need and so he said, this is how you will learn to meditate here.

Rob: 05:50

They're doing a course up in the Kopan Monastery, so you can jump into the course, but if you if you stay out of the course, you'll be better off, and just you can use my name, and he wrote his name down. And so I tried to get to the Kopai Monastery by bicycle, and it just didn't I couldn't find it.

Smoke: 06:06

But but you gave the first guy $800. I did. I gave him all I had. It was all

Rob: 06:10

the cash

Smoke: 06:10

I Like, first of all, that was a lot of money. It was. It's a lot of money to give a stranger. Yeah. And then he directed you.

Smoke: 06:17

He said, go here. Yeah. And and so you're you're working your way up to this top of this mountain. You couldn't ride your bike. Right.

Smoke: 06:22

You got in a taxi.

Rob: 06:23

I finally got a taxi to take me up. They most of them didn't know where the this was not part of Kathmandu back then Yeah. In 1996. And so so I took a taxi up and and he I paid him he maybe pay him before I he left because he I people didn't know if the cars could get up this hill this is the top of a hill as you know now and so so he dropped me off, it was a big wooden door then, and and he drove off.

Smoke: 06:47

Yeah.

Rob: 06:47

And here I am standing outside of the Copan Monastery, I didn't really know what was inside, huge wooden door, so I banged on the door, and they and they eventually let me in, they said, you know, we don't, it's a silent monastery for the most part, you can talk at meals, but you ask the questions and that'll basically, you know, my words define your experience. And they walked off and so I, at one point I said, well how much, by the fourth or fifth day, I said, well how much does it cost they said I don't know you tell us what is it worth and I so this went on for for a long time and so I learned how in the in the dining hall you can have really really high level conversations with the Buddhist monks, but you have to be referred up and they sit in order of seniority. And so being ambitious young guy, smoke guy decided I wanted to get to the senior monks.

Smoke: 07:38

Oh, that's not like you at all.

Rob: 07:41

So I but you have to get referred. So I got referred before I even got into the it's a vegetable soup. They serve every night different veggies in their soup. And I got referred all the way up to the senior table. When I got there, they just started laughing like the Buddhist, Tibetan monks do.

Rob: 07:55

They laugh heartily. And the one that spoke English was Lama Lundrup, and so he he said, why are you here? And I'm like, want to learn to meditate. He said, great, do you have a whole lifetime? And I said, yeah, but how about in a month and a half?

Rob: 08:08

And they laughed and laughed and laughed and then said, okay, well, if you're willing to do it from four in the morning till 10:00 at night, then maybe we can teach you something. And so here's your teacher, he gave me a teacher, he gave me a private room, which I realized was just above the gong, they would ring at 04:30 in the morning.

Smoke: 08:24

So you're definitely up.

Rob: 08:25

I was definitely up yeah and then he became my teacher and, he was very generous and, and as we stand here now his stupa is right behind us.

Smoke: 08:35

Beautiful.

Rob: 08:35

And it's, an honor honoring him as a a learned, Tibetan monk, that contributed greatly to the to the monastery and to all the teachings as

Smoke: 08:46

you know. Getting, so I get electric shocks down through my spine and my head all the way back when Spirit is speaking and I'm getting it right now as you're talking. So, he's he's with I'm

Rob: 08:58

getting goosebumps too. Yeah. So this is the Lama Lama Linguist shows up for me a lot.

Smoke: 09:03

So he passed in something like 2018, you showed up. I did.

Rob: 09:08

Know. That's another another coincidence of which Yeah,

Smoke: 09:11

so on the thirty first day. Right. And and they're like wait a minute.

Rob: 09:14

Yeah, so so I was trying to I want always wanted to go to Bhutan, and although I was in a in a serious relationship, Jenny was quite flexible, and I said, Look, I need to spend a month in Bhutan. It's something I need to do. And so I left the family, and I was flying to Bhutan, and the flights didn't connect and so I was stuck in Kathmandu and they said we'll come back tomorrow, we'll see if the flight will leave for Bhutan then. So I'm standing at the airport thinking well what will I do for twenty four hours? I'm going to Copan and I'll see Lama Lindrup.

Rob: 09:48

So this time the paving went further up the hill and I got in a taxi and there were old monks coming up the hill in their red robes, their maroon robes you see here, the red And they were really old smoke and so I loaded as many as I could in the taxi to the objection of the taxi driver. I paid him more money to help them get up the hill. They said, why are

Smoke: 10:08

you here? You know, and

Rob: 10:09

I said, well, I'm here to see Lama Lindrip. And they went, they went markedly, like, they were in shock and they're like, you're here to see Lama Lindrip. It's the thirty first day from his death. He said his reincarnation is gonna show up here. And I was like, I I'm not his reincarnation.

Rob: 10:23

I'm Rob from from Canada. And they're like, no. No. You don't understand. You are.

Rob: 10:28

Well, have

Smoke: 10:28

we read the bylaws in reincarnation, rule book? Because are you allowed to overlap? Oh, no. I don't understand how that works, but

Rob: 10:36

it's pretty wild. Yeah. So And he appears in my meditations a lot. Yeah. And, is very supportive.

Smoke: 10:41

Yeah. So this is a really important place for you. Yeah.

Rob: 10:44

It's wonderful to be here. And so I'm so glad that we end up here in Nepal together. Yeah. You could come and see my my llama's stupa and and feel the energy.

Smoke: 10:52

I I feel the energy, and we've been having some meditations around the grounds and, up on the up the hill and inside, and it's it's really magical. And the monks have been delightful. We went to the cafe, and they're they're all getting ice cream. You know, we got some coffee.

Rob: 11:07

Well, they remember Lundrip. They're all students of his. And that is really beautiful.

Smoke: 11:12

I think this is a, you know, really interesting time to reflect. So when you think about your life since then. So that was that was a big monumental moment you spent.

Rob: 11:24

Since since being here in '96 to learn meditation.

Smoke: 11:27

Yeah like you spent a month and a half there and then you came back you jumped back in the corporate grind you had a year old.

Rob: 11:33

Well I can share some. Yeah. So one of the things I was just remembering today that Lama Lindrip left me with is you know you don't need to change who you are to become spiritual. Yeah. So Rob, you have a foot in the spiritual world.

Rob: 11:48

You're here, you're you're you're practicing and and you're talking about philanthropy and wanting to make the world a better place and that's a spiritual practice and so so if you're in with the right intention, right? So so you can be and he was naming a couple of Hollywood Actors that have been here can be like these Hollywood Actors that have a foot in the spiritual slash philanthropic, know, impact, make the world, make your world, make our world a better place and in business. And this is in 1996, a long time before people was talking about impact.

Smoke: 12:20

Yeah, way before the smoke trail started.

Rob: 12:22

Right, a few years.

Smoke: 12:23

It's our first season. Yeah, but you know, but that is the spirit

Rob: 12:26

of it.

Smoke: 12:26

Right, So very appropriate.

Rob: 12:28

Right, right, right. And here so you ask about going back and so my mentor at the time was the 50 wealthiest guy in The U. S. Who'd bought our firm his name is Bill Merritts and and Bill had said if you ask me a great question I'll spend five minutes with you because I asked if he'd be my mentor you know because he had grown the business from 50,000,000 to 3,000,000,000 and he said well yes because he wanted me to stay as an executive but the questions are all up to you if it's a great question I'll spend five minutes with you, if it's a brilliant question I'll spend an hour with you, if it's a world class question I'll spend all day with you so you'll decide how much time we spend together. So I thought this is going to be a good question for Bill, So I, you know, I jumped on a plane after I got home and the leadership team was doing great down to headquarters.

Rob: 13:11

I'm having lunch with Bill Merritts and I said, Bill, you know, here's my llama and he said, Rob, before you tell me anything about what your llama or anything else, I think that you need to have a foot. It was really quite shocking to me. You need to keep a foot in the business world and be like me where I have another foot in the charitable and and and person in what we'd call now personal development world. And so and so my lama on the on the spiritual, the learning side told me the same thing that my that my business mentor did Yeah. In the same month.

Rob: 13:46

And so that was a pretty clear

Smoke: 13:48

message from the universe.

Rob: 13:49

Yeah. Since then I have kept a foot in the in the philanthropic slash making our world a better place, what's the purpose of our life, our spiritual you know consciousness awareness development and and where I can be humbly helping others on the path and then also in the business world, hence success to significance through selling too.

Smoke: 14:10

So we have a lot of mutual friends in YPO. You and I were friends for well over a decade before I came and joined you and became

Rob: 14:18

a partner. Right.

Smoke: 14:19

And one of the things that people ask me is, well, is Rob for real?

Rob: 14:23

I know.

Smoke: 14:24

And and I and I said, honestly, because we we hit it off from day one. Right. I was like, does he really believe all that stuff? And I'm not I wasn't sure. Yeah.

Smoke: 14:33

Was hard to say, you know. Yeah. We all have our

Rob: 14:35

own stuff though because I don't know what you're referring to.

Smoke: 14:37

Like, just that you wanna do good and do well. Yes. Do well and do good. Yes. That that that it is that genuine.

Smoke: 14:43

Yes. That it is that heartfelt. Yes. And I'm here to tell you that, yeah, it actually is real. Yeah.

Smoke: 14:50

It is that good.

Rob: 14:51

Yeah.

Smoke: 14:52

And, but from the inside. Yeah. Like, as your partner, as someone who has walked the walk with you

Rob: 14:58

Mhmm.

Smoke: 14:58

Sees you when you're when you're tired, sees you when you're frustrated. Yeah. Sees the ups and downs, and knows when things are going well, not going well

Rob: 15:07

Mhmm.

Smoke: 15:07

That this is the real you. So that's a beautiful thing. It's beautiful thing. It's it's it's a I mean, I'm not it's not a commercial. This is just us talking.

Smoke: 15:15

Yeah. And that's a beautiful thing. You you had your mentor and your your spiritual

Rob: 15:20

Well, my

Smoke: 15:21

leader Mhmm. Teacher tell you the same thing. Fast forward over the years, you've done that. You've manifested it.

Rob: 15:28

Working on it. Yeah.

Smoke: 15:29

Yeah. Well, you're doing it. You're it's a constant in motion. Yeah. Nothing's nothing's done.

Smoke: 15:33

Nothing's not done. It's just in motion. Right?

Rob: 15:36

Mhmm.

Smoke: 15:36

I mean, success due significance is a clever little logo, but it's real. It is very real. And it's it's it's something that, you know, is part of the DNA of SDS, which is really cool.

Rob: 15:45

Well I'm thankful as well that it inspires others you know and plagiarism is a great you know is a great compliment and so to actually influence others to say that well we're doing philanthropic work too well fantastic Good. Good. And so I'm Excellent. Yeah. More the better.

Rob: 16:00

Exactly.

Smoke: 16:01

We want we want more.

Rob: 16:02

Yeah. Exactly. Yeah.

Smoke: 16:03

So let's talk about Rob. Sure. So when you reflect, if you look in the mirror today Mhmm. I know you you have spiritual practice which is important to you. Mhmm.

Smoke: 16:13

You and I talk a lot about it. Mhmm. We don't we don't have to get into Right. All of it.

Rob: 16:17

As you what

Smoke: 16:18

I would what I do appreciate is it's a dedicated you you're really dedicated to it. Mhmm. You do a meditation every day. Mhmm. What are some of the practices, the raw practices that you do today?

Smoke: 16:28

Like, it's part of your routine. Mhmm. Just like kind of people might not know about.

Rob: 16:31

Mhmm. That might be maybe helpful for others maybe to try.

Smoke: 16:35

It might be helpful or just everyone has everyone has to pick their own what works for them.

Rob: 16:40

Yep.

Smoke: 16:40

Right? Like, I have my thing. You've but but we can learn from others what's working for you. Yeah. So what what is working

Rob: 16:47

for Well, thank you for the question. So intentionally, being clear on on on outcomes both in your life that that that you wanna create in in relationships and outcomes of, you know, things you're investing energy in, and affirmations of what you want to become. The clarity around that which I do write about in the book that is coming out now. Yeah.

Smoke: 17:11

What is Yeah. We'll do another episode when we have the book in Okay. And we could talk you know, go into detail because that's that's exciting.

Rob: 17:18

I look forward to that. Yeah. So I do read my affirmations. I mean, you know, to be really humble, there's an affirmations for everything if people aren't clear on it. So to be really quick on affirmations, if you see something in yourself that you wanna reverse, like I wanna be, I'm say stressed out or I'm anxious, I wanna be the opposite of that.

Rob: 17:39

You can create an affirmation and and if you feel it and see it and and really believe it, then you will actually change and become that affirmation. Also, if you see something in the world and someone else then that's something that you can actually become. So affirmations, I do keep them with me all the time when I'm traveling on a long trip right now and affirmations are something that I highly recommend. I was teaching a young guy in London on the weekend, with his mother there because he had so many limitations and he was just calling them out. If you listen to yourself or you listen to your friends, you'll hear their limitations coming from their subconscious.

Rob: 18:15

Yes. And you can and you can, you can replace those with affirmations. So that's one thing

Smoke: 18:21

that I do. Another thing that I do Well, just pause there.

Rob: 18:23

Sure.

Smoke: 18:23

Because I I wanna reinforce that because I Sure. Believe it fully. Mhmm. And our subconscious, also known as our karmic self.

Rob: 18:34

Mhmm.

Smoke: 18:34

Like there's different ways of thinking about But doesn't know the difference between joking and not joking.

Rob: 18:40

Mhmm. Right.

Smoke: 18:41

Real things not real things.

Rob: 18:43

Right.

Smoke: 18:43

So what just in my words, what you do with those affirmations is you're you're telling your subconscious and the more you feel it, the more you you really feel the emotion. You're communicating to your subconscious, to your karmic body. Mhmm. These are real. This is what you want.

Smoke: 18:59

This is where this is who you are. Right. And when you that you give negative self talk Mhmm. Or watch a crappy Mhmm. Entertainment Right.

Smoke: 19:08

Play a violent video game Right. Right. Any number of things that are they're all speaking to your subconscious. Right. And your subconscious is sucking it in.

Smoke: 19:15

It's bringing it in. Right. So, you you hit on what literally in the last episode with Z that just went live.

Rob: 19:22

Oh, really?

Smoke: 19:22

We talk about this a bit.

Rob: 19:23

Oh, great.

Smoke: 19:24

How did that so that's a really beautiful practice, and it and it really works. It does. This is not like hocus pocus. No. It's not it's not imaginary.

Rob: 19:31

Can I quote a book on that? Yeah. Yeah. So last August, Jenny and I spent some really good quality time with Bruce Lipton.

Smoke: 19:38

Yeah, I'm a big fan.

Rob: 19:40

Oh right, he's amazing and his wife is too. So he wrote a book for those that are interested called The Biology of Belief.

Smoke: 19:46

Yes.

Rob: 19:46

Where he actually as a doctor maps how this works and it does work. Yeah. He actually in the science has found a way to prove that. And it's, I mean imagine the biology of belief where you can actually change your biology and become healthy based on your belief system.

Smoke: 20:05

Yeah. So I interrupted you. It but I just wanted to put the emphasis on that first practice that you mentioned Mhmm. Which is affirmations Mhmm. Work.

Smoke: 20:12

Mhmm. And you do them you did them you to this day Mhmm. Very successful, Rob. Mhmm. People might see you as, oh, this chairman of the board.

Smoke: 20:19

He's got this great company that's firing and all similar as it is. Yeah. And he's really accomplished and he's got his heads all straight and he's doing affirmations Mhmm. Today To improve myself. To continue.

Smoke: 20:32

Right? Because it never stops. Yeah. You also have you also have to counter the negative stuff that's coming at you. Mhmm.

Smoke: 20:36

Because it's you have to counter negate that stuff.

Rob: 20:39

Those are constant affirmations that are very I actually went through my affirmations and circled them in red that were more spiritually oriented. They're kind of they're kind of forever affirmations, you know, and so and so, there's some very powerful. And so the other practice that I was going to, mention is meditation, different types of meditation. But the one I think that is is easy for people perhaps to to try, smoke is, in that space, before you go to sleep and in the space, before when you're waking up. Yeah.

Rob: 21:10

And so I often wake up if I'm supposed to get out of bed at 06:00, at 05:00, or at 07:00, depending where I am, what time's at 06:00, such that I such that I can spend time in that space meditating, but not becoming fully awake. And that can be that those meditations can go deep because of the space that you're, you know, your brain waves.

Smoke: 21:32

Because you're in basically, we want we're we're trying to do with the meditation or try and what you're in in that moment is where you are as a child which is theta state, which is where you're you have a direct connect to your subconscious. It's absorbing everything. Mhmm. And so our ego minds as adults who live in the modern world are so distracted that it's really hard to get into a theta state. Mhmm.

Smoke: 21:55

When they do studies of monks. Mhmm. You know, these guys, they they look at their brains under under you know modern equipment, modern technology. They see an incredible level of steady state which is that moment. So in that pre sleep, that bit of time there where you're just dozing, you're about to dose or the early morning you're probably closer to that data state.

Rob: 22:19

Right absolutely and it's I think because dropping into meditation in the middle of the day takes a lot of practice. Yeah. And it's and it's really hard especially for those that are in really productive three d you know worlds and business and so and so I would encourage people if they're interested in meditating to try it in those times because it maybe can help. The other thing that I do on the beach in Barbados is at sunrise is a walking meditation because you can close your eyes walking on a beach and you can open up your eyes as well and, you know, see more beauty. Yeah.

Rob: 22:51

So some people I know do other types of meditations. But anyway

Smoke: 22:56

Yeah. No. I think those are those are beautiful. And that the walking one probably a little closer to what I was talking about earlier, which is being in a contemplative state. Mhmm.

Smoke: 23:05

Right? So we think of meditation and what turns off some people and, you know, who haven't done it. Mhmm. Certainly me for many years. Yeah.

Smoke: 23:12

Is this idea of like, oh, what do I do? My thoughts are coming up and Yeah. It's so uncomfortable at first. Mhmm. And then what till you get over that.

Rob: 23:20

It takes time. Takes a while. Yeah.

Smoke: 23:22

But being in a contemplative state Mhmm. Might feel less daunting. Mhmm. Right? And that's being present, open, and awake.

Smoke: 23:30

Mhmm. So what does that mean? Present, open, and awake. It's just being present. Mhmm.

Smoke: 23:34

Also, kind of open, aware of I hear the birds, I hear the wind, I hear the planes every once in a while Mhmm. In Kathmandu, Besi Airport. And also, I'm aware of my energy in my body. Mhmm. Mhmm.

Smoke: 23:46

And I'm aware of our conversation. That's kind of I'm present, open, and awake, all that all that at once.

Rob: 23:50

Mhmm.

Smoke: 23:51

When we get to that, it's like, wow, you're you're you basically have high mind, heart coherence. Coherence.

Rob: 23:56

Right. Yeah. Yep. It's beautiful it's a beautiful way of being. It is.

Rob: 24:00

It is. So affirmations are actually about being, whereas Yeah. Goals are about doing. Yeah. So having the awareness of and and, you know, thinking about splitting those lists is something that is in my book again is, you know, if you had all the time on energy in the world, for instance, what would you do?

Rob: 24:15

You could make a list of dreams that you wanna fulfill. But the being becomes more more challenging, more more fulfilling as well in time.

Smoke: 24:22

Well, I love what you challenge all of us to do and you challenge me to do is the vision boards.

Rob: 24:27

Mhmm. Yeah.

Smoke: 24:28

You know, and I I went to town on it. Like, you you you were like, you gotta do this. I'm like, okay. Alright. So I did a spiritual one.

Smoke: 24:35

I did a professional one. And I did a, like, rest of life one, family and everything else. And so I had these three vision boards. Yeah. And And a lot of that stuff's come true.

Smoke: 24:44

Yeah. And now I have to re up it and just kind of refresh it and keep it in front of center of mind. But it's really powerful.

Rob: 24:50

It it is very, very powerful. Yeah. And one of the reasons Bruce looked at it, quote him and give him credit for simplifying this, is that your your sub your he uses the analogy of a hard of reprogramming a hard disk. And so your subconscious doesn't won't your your voice by itself doesn't doesn't get through, as you were saying earlier. Deeply anchored feelings do, but visions actual pictures do.

Rob: 25:16

Yeah. And so if you can take your affirmations, your goals, and turn them into pictures, then have it beside your bed or in your or wherever so you look at every those things will manifest.

Smoke: 25:25

Yeah.

Rob: 25:25

We have old boards, Jenny and I, that were done ten or fifteen years ago and every single thing on the board is real.

Smoke: 25:31

Yeah. Well, and it's also I like to where we put our energy is what happens. Right? So I like to focus on these positive things but I also like to point out cause lots of us have children or you know grand, I mean in one case I have a grandchild. You've got young, you've got kids at different ages.

Smoke: 25:48

Lots people listening to this are leaders who also have the raising of families. Right. And the images that they see on violent movies, violent television Yeah. The crap that's out there.

Rob: 25:59

It's horrible.

Smoke: 25:59

Honestly like I'm no prude. None. Believe me. I you know, I've lived a full life. Yeah.

Smoke: 26:05

I know that that stuff affects you Yeah. Very negatively. Mhmm. So what I would say to anyone who is thinking about this Mhmm. Who's gotten this far with us, they're obviously they care about stuff.

Smoke: 26:16

Yeah. You really gotta cut that stuff out. Absolutely. Cut it cut it

Rob: 26:20

away down.

Smoke: 26:20

Replace with positive stuff. You

Rob: 26:22

can even do that in a simple breathing meditation and bring love and light in to the top of your yourself. Let it fill all of your all of your cells with positive energy, push all any negative energy. Sometimes people have things happen come into them overnight and you can push all that out. You can feel Yeah. When you're when you're when you're in positive energy flow and when you've got you know some stuck energies.

Rob: 26:44

And so a very simple meditation is pull love and light in the top of your of your head and push it all the way down to the center of the earth, convert it, anything that was negative in a positive, bring it back up. Yeah. And Beautiful. And and

Smoke: 26:56

And so we were sitting up there on the up high and you had you were like, I gotta tell you this. Our our mutual friend who's passed unfortunately, David Spencer said you got to say hey I'm here some other. So we don't have to talk about it but I wanted I have to bring it up because it's you know he was a special guy and I got in I came into Nepal with him. We did a project here because of him. Yes.

Smoke: 27:24

And We're celebrating. Yeah. We're celebrating. Yeah. With so anyway, he was a very important part of of that chapter.

Smoke: 27:31

Yes. And, and he touched a lot of people. And, you know, he didn't he lost his fight with cancer, you know, last year. But he is certainly alive and well and and he's just said hello.

Rob: 27:41

So he didn't say hello in the in the trees at the top of the hill there. Yeah. Yeah.

Smoke: 27:46

So we do stuff like that too. We do we like we spend a lot of time doing business, selling companies, helping people maximize their exits, and we're connected with Well you just have to be

Rob: 27:55

aware aware and as you are open and aware you can't judge things happen and but with clear positive intention lots of beautiful things happen.

Smoke: 28:04

Yeah. Intentionality is really where it's at. Right? I mean, anything we do and you could do the simplest thing, whether it's, you know, we came up here just to visit. You you asked me what it I wrote down my intentions Mhmm.

Smoke: 28:14

Which was understand, communicate, you know, connect. Mhmm. And I just wrote love. Just what what do I wanna do here? I just wanted to just experience it, meet some monks.

Smoke: 28:26

We we talked a few monks. We did talk to You bet you Bob's exchanging business cards with monks. No. Yeah.

Rob: 28:33

Yeah. Well, yeah. They they they have iPhones now. So yeah. And we're on WhatsApp.

Rob: 28:38

Remember the one guy said he's on WhatsApp? Yeah. So I do have a message for the those that are listening. Yeah. In one of my very deep meditations, I ended up in oneness and I was very, very, thankful for that.

Rob: 28:50

But the message that I was to bring back, for everybody is God loves you and God is smiling. Yeah. There's no negatives there. Yeah.

Smoke: 28:58

That's beautiful. Yeah.

Rob: 29:00

Accepting that totally and openly without any I'm I'm not a religious guy. It's No. No. Just, openness.

Smoke: 29:07

Yeah. It's look. We're we're all we are spiritual beings who have amnesia, and our mission on this realm is to remember.

Rob: 29:16

Mhmm.

Smoke: 29:16

And that's remembering because we are all part of divinity. And so, you know, you don't have to be religious to get there. In fact, sometimes the religion gets in the way. Absolutely. Yeah.

Smoke: 29:25

Yeah. It's I was saying on the way over, I I think this is worth just mentioning. The we have this beautiful opportunity in today's day and age. Mhmm. And we're our this audience is wide ranging, but I think skews toward the YPO set.

Smoke: 29:42

This the leaders, the business people who are maybe they're spiritual curious. Maybe they're on a journey and they just wanna Mhmm. Explore together. Maybe they're they've thought about it, but we're giving them permission by having these conversations. So whatever.

Smoke: 29:57

But either way, like, it's as you as you as you open up your perception to this, you drop your judgment. Mhmm. You know, we've got this incredible opportunity in this day and age Mhmm. To look at and learn from all these amazing traditions. So here, we've got these, you know, beautiful Tibetan Mhmm.

Smoke: 30:17

Traditions, and they've got their system and methodology. I was just in Thailand yesterday, And they're also very Buddhist oriented, but they they come from the the branch that came through Sri Lanka Mhmm. From India.

Rob: 30:31

The orange The orange robes.

Smoke: 30:33

Yeah. And it's probably the the most, possibly the most pure, most closest to what the original Buddha was teaching. It's it's a very ancient strain. Mhmm. A lot less changes.

Smoke: 30:44

I've spent a lot of time on the Indian, the Bhagavad Gita, the Panaschads, and you know, a lot a lot of that practice that is really beautiful. And then you've got the Christian mystics who are doing the same thing in their way. Right. In a in a different way.

Rob: 30:59

And more. There's more traditions as well. Right? Sure. There's a lot more.

Rob: 31:02

Yeah.

Smoke: 31:02

There's a lot more. But my point is that we have it at our fingertips because of today's day Mhmm. Because of technology, because of travel Mhmm. That we can actually look at, appreciate, learn from Mhmm. All these traditions and kind of glean the best of each.

Smoke: 31:18

Now, that's not for everyone. Like, some people, it's like pick a system and stay in the system. It help it works for them because it's Mhmm. There's a lot of rules and guardrails that help them. Mhmm.

Smoke: 31:27

For other people like myself, I think, you know, it's it's the greatest time ever to be on this path because we have access to everybody's what everybody did right, wrong, or whatever, what worked Right. We can incorporate it into our practices. So I think it's fun. I'm having good time with

Rob: 31:43

it. I'm glad you're having a

Smoke: 31:44

good time. Lots of love

Rob: 31:45

to you, Smoke.

Smoke: 31:46

Right. Well, thanks for being a part of this, Rob. We'll we will continue these conversations. Yeah. Look forward

Rob: 31:52

to to manifesting lots of fabulous fabulous wealth in all its forms.

Smoke: 31:56

Yep.

Rob: 31:57

Not financial, but spiritual and emotional and experiential and and and helping make the world a better place together, Simone. Yes. Bless you. Thanks.