I was initially wary of attending “The Best Year of Your Life” summit, which took place from 14—21 January (and is now accessible for a fee on the Wisdom for Life website). The current obsession around self-improvement, positive thinking, and goal-setting can lead to exhaustion and, when applied in the extreme, is even detrimental. The prospect of sitting through seven days of talks around habit-changing and personal growth was somewhat off-putting.
But I was also curious about the summit because, among the 50 featured presenters were a handful of experts at the intersection of mindfulness, Buddhism, and neurology. Perhaps they could offer alternative wisdom on how we could make the most of 2025.
As it turns out, I was very pleasantly surprised. Many of the mindfulness speakers shared my misgivings, and acknowledged that our culture’s emphasis on individual success is an unhealthy state of affairs. Daoist priest and best-selling author Dr. Pedram Shojai was critical of the wellness industry, pointing out that the market economy depends on consumers being in a perpetual sense of dissatisfaction. He denounced the pervasive messaging that humans are incomplete and require something external—a specific guru, product, or service, for example—to be fulfilled. While the “hungry ghost” is a Buddhist concept that has been around for millennia, it is so prevalent these days that Dr. Shojai called it the “spirituality of our time.”
In a similar vein, the acclaimed Vajrayana Buddhist teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche likened the dissatisfaction that arises when seeking contentment from external conditions—such as winning the lottery, or finding the perfect spouse, or the perfect job—to a “bottomless bag.” While it may be pleasant to experience such events, he warned of the dangers of clinging and grasping onto what is, by its very essence, impermanent.
And the co-founder of Insight Meditation, Jack Kornfield, cited the following quote by French philosopher Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918): “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy;” highlighting the radical nature of this statement for a culture in which happiness is always perceived to be elsewhere. In other words, our focus on doing is so strong that we are denying ourselves of the experience of being.
How can we counter this widespread tendency and step into a different way of existing? At the end of the day, there is very little to do but bring awareness to the fact that we are already whole; that we have forgotten that our mind is primordially luminous—a core Vajrayana teaching. Referring to Buddhist philosophy, Rinpoche stated that all sentient beings have buddha-nature and contain the innate qualities of awareness, compassion, and wisdom. There is therefore no need to seek joy “out there” because “we already have everything.”
Similarly, the founder of Insight LA, Dr. Trudy Goodman, explained that we don’t have to create or invent wholesome qualities because “they are part of who we are, they are innate within us.” Along with other speakers such as professor of law and mindfulness teacher Rhonda McGee, Dr. Goodman exalted the power of mindfulness to foster existing qualities and cultivate a deep sense of belonging in our bodies and the world. In a fascinating presentation, psychologist Dr. Rick Hanson (who is also a senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center) talked audiences through the neurological benefits that occur when we turn toward, and really take in, what is already good in ourselves and our lives.
That said, the above presenters were emphatic that we need to bring awareness to the entirety of our experiences, including joy, suffering, and everything in between. In a powerful metaphor, Dr. Hanson noted: “We can’t just witness the garden, we have to pull weeds and plant flowers too.” Therefore, it is not just about passively sitting on a meditation cushion or focusing on the positive.
In fact, Dr. Goodman called out the popular but harmful practice of repeating positive affirmations, such as “I am happy,” when they do not reflect the truth. And Rinpoche humorously pointed to the “fake smiles” that sometimes permeate meditation centers. Both cautioned that suppressing negative emotions and experiences only makes them worse. Referring to his childhood experience with panic attacks, Rinpoche explained how these episodes increased when he fought them, and improved once he learned to befriend them.
The key to a good year therefore lies in befriending ourselves and the world. To do this, we need to deeply investigate our true nature and take action when appropriate. How we go about doing this is really up to us. While the Buddha provided guidelines for living well, he also encouraged practitioners to try things out for themselves and to really test what works and what does not.
Echoing this sentiment, some presenters simultaneously exalted the practice of meditation while also acknowledging that it is not appropriate for everyone, and that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach. For those looking for tools and ideas on how to live a good life, the summit is full of them, ranging from practicing qigong, to exploring limiting narratives and dancing to trance music. The only caveat is to refrain from taking any advice as gospel, and to constantly check what rings true for oneself.
Nina Müller is a mindfulness teacher who offers online mindfulness coaching sessions. If you would like to find out more, please visit The Mindful Practice to book a complimentary consultation.
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