Improve Self Before Pushing Others To Change, Deepak Chopra Says

At a time where everyone seems to have their own podcast and folks are constantly broadcasting their opinions across social media, Deepak Chopra says more people need to practice what they preach. “Peace can only be carried by those who are peaceful,” he said in the latest episode of the YouTube interview series, “The Healing Hour.”

The world-renowned author and wellness guru sat down with the co-founder of The Healing Company, Anabel Oelmann, to discuss, among other things, the future of the wellness market, modern breakthroughs in science and technology, and how to create lasting personal change.

Amid the many issues plaguing society today, Chopra said, is the tendency of some to push others to change before first improving themselves. “I believe there’s no social transformation in the absence of personal transformation,” he said, before quoting the words often attributed to Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Chopra’s words may ring especially true at a time when trust in government leaders is at an all-time low, when the opinions and positions of celebrities are more often than not thought of as “irrelevant,” and when public trust in social media posts is in serious decline.

The anecdote for much of it, Chopra explained, is for people to spend their time authentically adopting the values they espouse and living the life they publicly portray. “Love can only be shared by those who know how to receive and give love,” he said.

To get in touch with one’s self in deeper, more meaningful ways, Chopra recommends checking one’s personal progress by seeking answers to the following questions:

• What kind of contribution do I want to make to the world?
• What does good friendship mean to me?
• What are the most joyful peak experiences of my life?
• What is my purpose?

In answering such questions, the alternative medicine advocate said one is able to better understand personal strengths and weaknesses to improve the health or mental health areas of one’s life where voids may still exist. Once personal growth has been genuinely realized, he said, one may have “a personal story” to share that will more accurately reflect genuine perspective and experience.

“I am so shocked when I walk down a New York street (and) everybody is walking with some kind of mind that’s distracted. Nobody seems to be surprised by their existence,” Chopra observed. “Existence is the biggest mystery and even bigger than the mystery of existence is the awareness of existence.”