286. Looking Deeper, She Finds Hidden Meaning and Purpose in Names, Numbers

Disillusioned by the mechanical side of Newtonian physics, Rachel left academia and made a 180-degree turn. “I wanted something totally off the wall and different. So I volunteered at a children’s home. I noticed how some kids in horrible situations seemed to thrive, while other kids, without much wrong in their family life, seemed to be struggling. It got me curious about the human condition.” This led her onto a spiritual path—in some ways reconnecting her with the transcendent aspects of the quantum physics she’d studied at university—which included meditation and a move to Hong Kong. There, she began practicing, studying and then teaching meditation. Her work even included teaching children at a camp run by the United Nations for Burmese refugees.

“Growing up, I had a lot of spiritual experiences, but my family wasn’t religious or spiritual, so I didn’t have a context for understanding them. I was very sensitive, and I had this feeling that there was something very real at work in the universe that I couldn’t see. I also got very confused about my emotions, picking up other people’s emotions, thinking they were my own. Going through university, studying physics, I was always trying to perform really well, to somehow make the world right. I was getting straight A’s, putting out a lot of effort, but internally there was a lot of struggle. Then, in my second year I got really depressed. I didn’t understand then what I understand now, which was: I wasn’t living my passion. That internal struggle ultimately launched me on my life’s journey.”

“I’ve learned to look for where the spark is in somebody, where they come alive; that little flicker of light. You can hear it in a tone of voice or see it in a facial expression. I start by asking, ‘When do you come alive? What are you doing when you come alive?’ I encourage people to notice when they feel like they’re enjoying themselves, whether they’re having a conversation with a friend, taking a hike in nature, or running up a mountain. If you want to create a life you enjoy more, then the more enjoyable things you bring into your life, the better.”

1. Notice what you’re doing when you feel most alive.

2. Notice the insights that come when you’re doing what you love.

3. As you create space for more joy in your life, you will be better able to recognize the opportunities life is offering you.

4. Let go of nagging self-doubt. Doubt is just a thought form–it’s not true.

The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism, by Fritjof Capra

Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics, by Gary Zukav