Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rajan Shankara. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Rajan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s go back in time a bit – can you share a story of a time when you learned an important lesson during your education?
As a young monk in the construction department, I frequently performed small chores around the monastery buildings. The structure was solid but the surfaces needed tending to. I painted regularly, and tended to the small upkeep of the windows, doors, hallways and back maintenance areas. It was a peaceful experience that I began to perform without hesitation, but I also didn’t see my menial chores and tasks as profound. That is, until an older monk explained my red paint bucket.
I was painting a staircase red one morning. I had my ladder, paintbrush and bucket, and set out to finish the job given to me—and finish it well. About halfway into the job, one of the oldest monks had come up to me and watched for a moment.
He placed his tea on the ground, looked up at me on the ladder and said, “You’re alive to face that red paint bucket.” I stared back at him with a blank look on my face, that of a spiritual nitwit who knew nothing about the meaning of what the monk was talking about. The monk, noticing my ignorance, continued,
“The paint bucket is an example of the present moment, it’s what you have to face right now. In other words, it is the sum total of your entire life. Everything you’ve ever done boils down to this very moment.”
Being the “sum total” of our life is something that humans rarely get to explore because we are goaded on by novelty. Our “life” is simply a series of moments, and we don’t have the time to stop and inspect one moment to another…that is, until we begin living a meditative lifestyle.
For all I knew, my task that day was to paint a staircase red—not attain enlightenment. But for the older and wiser monk, he knew that each moment was a lesson in self-realization. If I could hold onto that perspective, then I wasn’t just painting a staircase red, I was facing all of my experiences that I’ve ever lived. It was the moment that was to teach me about who I was and who I was becoming.
And, it’s the same for all of us. No matter what you are faced with—from the mundane moments of eating, to the profound epochs of our life (having a child comes to mind)—we are given the opportunity to transform into the person we’ve always wanted to be. Yes, even the challenging and hurtful moments of our life are there to teach us, to ask of us: Stop what you’re doing and pay attention, this is for you.
The monk picked up his tea and walked into the main buffet area where the monks gathered for tea, coffee and lunch. I could see him mindfully make his next batch and sit down by the window. I looked back at my work, the paintbrush, and the red bucket and smiled—never would I look at life the same way again.
Rajan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Having been raised in a difficult period during the mid-90’s Chicago gentrification, Rajan became independent at an early age. Living a troubled and confused youth led to conflicts with police, judges, and a misunderstanding of meaning and purpose. In 2005, Rajan was given a second chance by a police officer and avoided prosecution and jail. Realizing this was divine intervention, he vowed to change his life, never straying from the path again.
Shortly after, Rajan and his friend started an asphalt company in Indiana. After becoming successful, it didn’t take long before the two young men learned that money didn’t make them content. The two began to ask big questions and study yoga, and after reading Autobiography of a Yogi—a book about a monk’s life—Rajan made the decision to leave the mainland and master meditation.
Rajan Shankara left the world at 19 years old to become a monk and study his mind, find out what meaning and purpose was, and if meditation could take him to higher states of consciousness. Having lived as a monk for 12 years, he is now back in society as a world-yogi to teach others how to control their mind, body, and emotions.
Rajan was trained for 7 years in monastery landscaping, construction, electrical, carpentry, office work and vehicle maintenance. During this period of his life, 2007-2014, Rajan went through exhausting measures of self-development, and the deep study and practice of Raja Yoga.
He spent another 5 years in the monastery office learning clerical skills, travel management and coordination, team leadership, editing, writing and publishing—and being a part of the Hinduism Today international magazine team of senior monks and managing 16 pages.
From 2014-2018, Rajan began advanced yogi training and studied under the most senior monks in the monastery. He became a mentor to several hundred people around the world, and helped restore balance in their lives. This was a period of intense inner training in order to master meditation, and intense outer training to master fitness, diet, and the mind by studying history, psychology, military leadership, theology, philosophy, and the priestly arts of Hindu Agamic ritual.
After 12 enlightening years, Rajan Shankara left the monastery with his guru’s blessings. Rajan’s wish was to teach others what he has learned about the mind, meditation, the ego, and soul.
“new”
I think what makes me different is my training. Having spend so much time inside a disciplined institution gave me the opportunity to truly master psychology. My clients are often solvable in one phone call. I’m quick to find someone’s sticking point and apply a course correction so they don’t need to spend months and their hard earned money on figuring themselves out. Understanding humans and human behavior is really not that difficult once the core mind has been discovered. I bring that insight and expertise to my clients around the world.
Something new clients can look forward to: I do not waste time on getting to the issues. It’s often uncomfortable for people to talk about their problems, their fears and their secrets—but that’s right there in my introduction, right after “hello.” Sometimes it’s in people’s voice or the way they speak about someone else. I’m going to dive deep into what your life is for very quickly, and you should be prepared to be completely honest with me and yourself.
He has recently finished helping NASA with project coordination in Advanced Air Mobility; guiding private clients in advanced meditation and performance coaching; marketing his first published book; and enjoying his freedom with his partner Helena and their daughter Maya in Southern California.
Have you ever had to pivot?
So, Covid really changed the way people spent money. I think times are changing, but I went from 10k/month client sales to 1k very quickly when lockdowns began. That was a big problem and I spent some time reflecting on what I was going to do next.
After reaching out to a mentor I had in California, I decided to move across the country to work under him, live with him and learn client acquisition techniques and help support his growing empire. I told my partner of 6 months that I was moving to California and if she wanted to come with she was welcome. If not, then I understand.
You have to understand, I’m an all or nothing kind of person. I’m either in 100% or I don’t care. It’s just the way my mind flows. I could see the writing on the wall with lockdowns and I needed to pivot quickly.
My partner Helena spent one month closing her operations down in Denver and drove out to me in California. I was thrilled, and I think our love was expressed with full conviction when she showed up with our fully packed Grand Cherokee with all our stuff…and her cat.
As for the pivot, it went better than expected. I was introduced to a new set of beliefs about my work, and I even learned stock trading as a side hustle. When client work was low, I had the financial sector to lean on and learn from. Stock trading has actually become my main career and working with clients runs parallel.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Working with teams is one of my specialties. I just finished a year contract with a small team at NASA in Advanced Air Mobility.
Whether you have a team of engineers, academics or marketing—you have to know that managing people is synonymous with managing yourself. It’s just one person dressed up like multiple people. And, that’s actually how I perceive society as a whole.
In my recent book, Everything is Your Fault, I focus on team development in the form of personal responsibility. There needs to be honesty, courage and good communication all wrapped up in team development and nurturing—and I call that responsibility.
Your team doesn’t want you to be right, or wrong, or know everything. They don’t want to make mistakes, but they also don’t want to be penalized when a mistake does occur. They’re just people, and they want to be treated with respect.
One of the greatest ideas a manager of people can develop is the servant leadership mentality. In other words, treat your team as the boss and act like their servant. Pretend that they are in charge and the buck stops at you, not them. Reversing the roles will help keep your ego in check, and help keep you down in the trenches together.
Manage based on individual skill, which also means appreciating the differences.
Always blame yourself.
Get to know the team on a personal, intimate level.
Try to make work just as comfortable as home.
Contact Info:
- Website: rajanshankara.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachraj_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monkfit.coaching
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajan-shankara-051b92171/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rajan_shankara
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ulz9G2PmEUapihXdcXg6Q