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10 inspiring mindfulness success stories

written by dan goldfield 29th of July 2023
read time: 13 minutes

millions of people hear mindfulness is “good for them”, but put it in the same category as running on a treadmill or eating cauliflower.in other words, mindfulness or meditation is something most people feel they should do, instead of something they want to do.i remember what it was like to think “i have work, chores, more work, groceries, family stuff AND study to do today… where the hell am i gonna fit in a meditation?”if only i’d known back then mindfulness was the cheat code that would transform all that other stuff into a joyful celebration of life!when mindfulness feels like a chore it never gets you anywhere.what you need then is proper motivation to practice. and nothing is better motivation than a good success story.so how about 10?(look out for videos from the students themselves with stories 5-10.)

mindfulness success story #1: from suicide to strength

if you’ve known me a while you’ll know that in 2017 my mother attempted suicide.nothing so tragic had happened in my life, but when i took the call i was super glad i’d already been practising mindfulness.my brother-in-law told me he’d kicked mum’s door down and found her unconscious with a note in her hand.i managed to stay calm as a cocktail of emotions exploded from my gut to my chest.i told my brother i’d be at the hospital ASAP.but i didn’t have a clue what i was going to do once i got there.in the end i did the only thing i could.i stayed with Mum for 3 nights after she was released and told her everything i’d been learning about mindfulness.i knew it had turned my life around but i had no idea if it’d work for her too.we spoke every day for 6 months afterward.mum rediscovered the joy in life.she got back to babysitting my 2 nephews.and she never considered harming herself again.

mindfulness success story #2: antidepressants cold turkey

this student was also close to home.one of my cousins posted in group chat that she’d been on antidepressants for 14 years.the rest of us were stunned—people learn how to hide their shit really well.i casually told Vikki she could join the mindfulness gang.she’d heard what it had done for mum so she called me.we spoke for 45 minutes.Vikki told me she’d tried all kinds of counselling and therapy but it had all been prescriptive, soulless and ineffective.one of my favourite things about mindfulness is that the teaching is given in friendship.i’m not a doctor; i’m a teacher.and actually all teachings are best given in friendship.so i listened to Vikki’s problems and then asked if there was any time she ever felt free from them.she told me she loved taking her camera to the forest and shooting photos there. she said this was her “happy place” where nothing could bother her… but her problems quickly came back when she left to go home.i knew we’d struck gold.i told Vikki all she had to do was first bring her “happy place” with her from the forest back to her car.once she could do that, the next step was to take it on the road.then she’d take it all the way home…then into the house…then, finally, to work (where a lot of her problems were).Vikki didn’t think it was possible but she was willing to try.i told her it was okay if it didn’t go smoothly—that she’d likely experience some “back and forth” between the steps i’d laid out.but i wanted to give Vikki the best chance i could, so i asked her to be open-minded as i gave her some simple mindfulness instructions based on using the breath as an anchor.i told her she could use a deep breath at home or at work as a reminder to think of her happy place, then bring happy feelings to wherever she was.see, if Vikki could be without her problems in the forest she could be without them anywhere. after all, unless those problems were playing out right in front of her then they only existed in the mind.(and even if they were playing out in front of her, the best way to navigate them would be mindfully and calmly anyway!)i called back 3 weeks later and expected to hear that Vikki had been experimenting, that she’d had some success and some failure.but what she said blew me away…she told me she’d flushed all her antidepressants down the toilet, restarted her gym membership and never felt better. her problems at work were as if they’d never existed and the others we’d spoken about were on their way out too.i couldn’t give her enough praise.but as much of a breakthrough as this was, i was aware there was some risk.i knew from my own journey and from speaking with lots of other practitioners that sometimes great results are followed by a crash.but for Vikki there was no crash.she’s still happy and carefree to this day.she’s an example of someone who just needed to hear the right thing one time and had enough emotional leverage (14 years!) to just run with it.she was ready for a real solution to her misery.one call was enough.

mindfulness success story #3: overcoming social anxiety

my beloved wife is a neuropsychologist.she and i hit it off on our first date comparing notes from our studies.it was always fun to us that she’d been in india studying the academic theories of mind from the west while i’d been in the uk studying the wisdom traditions of the east.on our second date Debbie told me she suffered with social anxiety.but this was surprising to me! she’d seemed perfectly comfortable talking to me. (of course, our off-the-charts compatibility was the difference here.)over the 4 years we’ve known each other i’ve guided Debbie through hundreds of flavours of uncertainty regarding how to interact with others.she already knew the theory around all of it but she needed the practical steps to overcoming anxiety in her direct experience.i deeply enjoyed every long conversation we had as i guided my wife to freedom.these days she receives glowing feedback regarding her interactions with others on her professional team.but that’s not all: her time spent with family and friends is transformed too.if you’ve suffered with social anxiety you’ll know what a heavy burden was lifted.if you’re still carrying it, know that this is possible for you too.

mindfulness success story #4: ending co-dependency

i once coached a couple who were struggling to hold their relationship together.i spoke with them separately and did something with both of them that i almost never do with students: i gave them explicit advice.what advice?end it.i could see from the outside that they were doing the toxic tango; the destructive dance of co-dependency.but the two of them desperately wanted to keep the “good bits” of each other and put aside the bad.problem is, when people are in co-dependent relationships they don’t just add their “bad bits” together. they multiply them.if one person has 10 issues (nice round number) and the other has 10 issues then one’s issues inflame the other's—and vice versa...which leaves them with precisely 100 issues. ouch!these two students in particular were dealing with:🔹jealousy
🔹lack of trust
🔹incompatibility
🔹communication breakdownsthey couldn’t even talk about the fact they struggled to talk.so after exploring the problem gently for a few weeks i felt comfortable giving that explicit advice. i told them the whole thing was broken. and that—even though on some level they loved one another—they were definitely doing each other more harm than good.i had to tell them many, many, many times.they tried to bargain with themselves.they tried to change.but they always ended up in the same emotional wreckage.as is always the case in these situations, once they made the break they felt much better.they were able to get back to a beneficial mindfulness practice as opposed to just using it to put out fires every day.a common question i get from people in these situations is “doesn’t acceptance mean i should let my difficult relationship be as it is?”firstly, acceptance isn’t about “shoulds”.secondly, no. acceptance doesn’t mean playing in traffic.it was difficult to see with the turbulent emotions involved but acceptance—in the case of these two students—was to accept that their relationship wasn’t working.once they got out of the danger zone they were glad they did.

mindfulness success story #5: detachment from outcome

this is Ricky, a high-ticket salesman.he’d already been meditating a lot when he came to me. he was finding his practice useful for his craft. but he was still struggling with the salesman’s kryptonite: attachment to outcome.Ricky found that no matter how carefree and easy he felt in his meditations, he still clung to the sale when he was on the phone.see, Ricky was in perhaps the most common trap you’ll find meditators in.to him, at that time, meditation was separate to the rest of his life.he was seeing some benefits trickle over between practice sessions.the experience of deep practice will always have some benefit…but never as much as doing away with the idea of “sessions” altogether and making your entire life your practice.after i helped Ricky adjust his perspective he saw immediate improvements in his game.they didn’t come quickly enough for him to survive the role he was in at the time…but he went on to generate $112,000 in a month for his next client.pretty good, hey?

mindfulness success story #6: service = sales

Henry is another high-ticket salesman who works for commission only. so if his performance is down, his ability to provide for his baby son is down. high stakes!Henry came to me in a bit of a slump and we immediately got to work on two of my favourite subjects: stress reduction and mutual benefit.see, no stranger wants to hear from you unless you’re all about them.Henry understood this intellectually but he just needed some help to embody the principle.and here comes that great paradox; that often-confusing universal law…serving others is the best way to serve yourself.now, Henry had previous experience with meditation like most of my students. but he’d never considered that he could be practising on a live sales call.so we strengthened his understanding and he jotted down a dozen or so reminders. he stuck these up where he’d be unable to ignore them whilst on a sales call.they said things like:🔹”serve first”
🔹”seek to understand”
🔹”breathe”
🔹”relax, let go, shut the fuck up”after 2 sessions with me Henry was back at the top of his team’s leaderboard.he’s just taken his little boy on holiday and i expect his “secret weapon” of mindfulness will keep him at the top of the pack.

mindfulness success story #7: letting go of “shoulds”

Adam is Henry’s team leader and he’s working toward a goal of 1 million dollars in revenue per month.Adam knew he’d have to go deep to get this result and so we wasted no time.he knew the next level for him wasn’t about what he was doing but, rather, where he was doing it from.Adam had suffered on & off with depression for 3 years before we met and his symptoms had, of course, interfered with his professional results.so we investigated to find the root cause of that depression.we discovered a cocktail of old mental scripts Adam was still running that he’d picked up earlier in life.the theme was “shoulds”.Adam was telling himself he:🔹should be more disciplined
🔹should be more successful
🔹should be in the gym more often
🔹should be earning more money alreadyhe was beating himself up and this was draining his energy.so i asked Adam “if you had to program a robot to do your job, where in its process would you have it beat itself up?”Adam burst into uncontrollable laughter (a sure sign of insight!)from his new perspective the way he’d been bullying himself looked absurd.Adam realized if he took the energy he was putting into “shoulding”... and redirected it toward the actual tasks his “shoulding” was designed to make him do… he’d “cut out the middle man” and be far more likely to achieve his goals.it took a bit of adjustment—there were some ups and downs…but inside 4 months Adam realized the greatest degree of alignment, fulfilment and contentment he’s ever experienced.the company is currently at $10 million per year and on track to hit their target of 12.go Adam.

mindfulness success story #8: becoming a “guiding light”

Jared began my MINDFUL 24/7 cohort course very sceptical.he had lots of prior meditation experience and wasn’t sure if there was anything new for him here.through the weeks we spent together we investigated this.i assured Jared that scepticism was not only welcome but encouraged!it’s vitally important that people test my teaching thoroughly in their own experience.this is what Jared did.and it turned out there was something new for him here.something he’d perhaps glimpsed before but never seen so directly.but it wasn’t just himself who noticed greater calm, ease and effectiveness in his being…other people noticed it too.Jared took the new energy he was finding through the practices i recommended and invested it into a new business.he served his first clients while the course was still rolling and shared with the group that one happy customer called him a “guiding light” in their testimonial.his sincere investigation into my teaching changed not only his life, but others around him too.natural mutual benefit tends to have that “ripple effect”.

mindfulness success story #9: from fear to “cosmic jackpot”

Chema began my cohort course afraid that it would clash with his religious beliefs—and that he would end up having to become a monk!nope.Chema only became more of who he already is.Chema is Christian and i assured him that nothing we would study or practice would clash with his beliefs.how could i make this guarantee?what i teach has nothing to do with beliefs.Chema didn’t have to drop, alter or replace any of his existing belief system.what he did instead was recognize the fundamental basis of the experience of believing.i know—that’s a bit of a head-fuck the first time you hear it!but Chema is thrilled with his new practice and keen to train with me so he can one day teach others to realize natural wellbeing… beginning with his mother, just like i did!

mindfulness success story #10: from confusion to clarity in 1 week

Dan, like Jared, entered the cohort with lots of experience in other practices. but—like most students i meet—he was lost regarding which of those practices to focus on.adding another teaching to his plate seemed a gamble, but Dan liked what he’d read from me and decided to take the plunge.we were both glad he did.Dan found the “zoomed out” perspective i offer to be greatly useful in reconciling all those other practices he’d tried.we’re not trying to rate them.we’re not trying to decide which one is best.we’re looking at the common essence among them all and focusing solely on that.which, in a word, is to simply relax.the way i encourage this relaxation in context of the course was just right for Dan.from there we deepened his realization and had him bring it into all areas of his life.Dan now enjoys increasing harmony and effectiveness in his professional and personal life. but best of all he has no more questions.Dan said that before the course he had a million questions to ask a mindfulness teacher. but by the end he knew exactly how i’d respond to every question he might ask!so i successfully made myself redundant—the goal of any good teacher!

here's a little hack for creating your own success

a number of assignments inside MINDFUL 24/7 involve a practice i call “mindfulness hacking”.this was a strong ingredient in the success stories above.i want you to be successful too, so here it is.the setup instructions below look a little daunting but just follow them one step at a time and you’ll end up somewhere really good.what we’re setting up is a unique bell sound on your phone, which will chime every 30 minutes, acting as a reminder to practice mindfulness.so whether you’re absorbed in a tv show, in conversation, driving, eating or brushing your teeth, your bell will chime and remind you that every moment is a good moment for mindfulness.when the bell chimes, chill out, let go and quiet down.in other words:
🔹accept everything as it is
🔹stop wishing things were different
🔹stop interpreting, judging, labelling and describing thingsjust relax as the appearance of the moment as it is and enjoy the relief that comes from this profound acceptance.here are the setup instructions:

Install Insight Timer from the App Store (iOS) or Play Store (Android)
Open the app. You’ll be presented with 3 setup steps…
For step 1, select “mindfulness”
For step 2, select “The Timer”
For step 3, select “skip”
Tap the “Timer” icon in the top right corner of your screen
Tap “Duration”
Tap the infinity symbol in the top right corner
Confirm “0s” under “Warm Up”
Tap “save”
Tap “interval bells”
Tap “add bell”
Confirm setting “from start”
Set timer to 00h 00m 01s
Tick “repeat”
Set slider to “every 30m 00s”
Under “number of repeating bells” select the infinity symbol
Tap “save”
Tap “save” again
Tap “Starting bell”
Select “BASU”
Tap “save”
Ignore the red warning message at the top of the screen
Tap “…” in the bottom right of the app interface
Tap “save as a preset”
Type “Mindfulness Hacking”
Tap “done”
Tap “Mindfulness Hacking”
Tap “START”
you should hear the bell.

go ahead—enjoy a little practice right now!and then enjoy some more in 30 minutes :)

one more thing for you...

i'm here to normalize wellbeing for 1 billion and 1 people.one of the ways i'm beginning this lifelong mission is with 72 free talks and guided meditations on Insight Timer, which you can enjoy anytime.i hope you enjoyed the stories i shared in this letter.i certainly enjoyed reminiscing about them.want to write a similar story about yourself?cohort 2 of MINDFUL 24/7 begins sunday 13th of august at 5pm UTC.if you think it’s for you, use code EARLIERBIRD to get $75 off this week.more info at mindful247.cc.got questions? dm me on twitter or instagram.that’s all for now,
dg 💙P.S. there are limited spaces in the cohort and 4 are already taken. if you think it’s right for you, consider claiming your spot—i’d hate to leave you out and i’ve no idea when i’ll be running the program again.

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