Jesse Israel
“There was a real adjustment period in being able to say, ‘I know that my path is different than other peoples, but I’m choosing to give myself to something that I know to be a critical need.”
From leading a loud life, with a career in the music industry, to leading in silence and stillness, we sat down with Jesse Israel to discuss his choice to savour the present moment rather than speed through it.
At age 20, Jesse, along with one of his friends chose to pursue a glamorous career and start their own record label.
“It’s a sexy business to be involved in, and we found ourselves becoming successful very quickly.” Said Jesse about his label.
But by the age of 23, he was ‘burnt out’, experiencing debilitating anxiety and frequent panic attacks.
“Business was great, but I wasn’t happy. I was mirroring my life off of how I saw successful men acting, which was a ‘work hard and don’t talk about feelings’ approach to business.”
In seeing Jesse’s struggles, a family member reached out with a tool that would change his life forever.
“My dad actually ended up introducing me to meditation. As I meditated more and more, I got clear about who I was, what I stood for and the fact that I wanted to move on from my business.”
He decided that it was time to step away from the speediness of the music industry and into stillness, leading others there with him. What was soon to be a mass movement, started with 10-20 people from the music industry becoming quiet in Jesses garage.
“All of a sudden, we had this space where we were really talking to one another. You can know someone for years and never have a real conversation, but in becoming quiet we found the lost art of socializing.”
Walking Down a New Path
Trailblazing his way down a completely new and unknown path, the fears and worries of the unknown that Jesse was faced with, were over-powered by the fulfillment of taking charge and making change.
“There was a real adjustment period in being able to say, ‘I know my path is different than other peoples, but I’m choosing to give myself to something that I know is a critical need.”
From early on, Jesse could see that more and more people were longing for a silent space, to be heard.
“The truth is, most people are yearning for the space to connect and be vulnerable, to be human, to belong and to become. They’re just waiting for the permission to do so. But the only way that permission can be granted is by someone modelling it and setting up the space for them.”
Being able to create community and connection gave Jesse a sense of deeper purpose, finding solace by providing solace.
“You need to go towards what energizes and enlivens you, as opposed to what depletes and exhausts you.”
Although Jesse continuously radiates a sense of fearlessness and born leadership, he pointed out that,
“There’s great value in feeling fear and discomfort. You need to feel the fear, to know that what your chasing is worth it. If you aren’t scared, you aren’t stepping into the unknown. A great way to root out of fear and into purpose for anyone trying to figure out what their platform is and where their purpose lies, is by becoming clear about the things that feel fulfilling to them.”
We all know what it feels like to become close minded and shift the attention and focus from the vision, to ourselves and our self-esteem. Jesse said that in feeling these things the best thing to do is get out of the future and into the present moment.
“A great way to get back into the present moment, is to get back in touch with the reason we do what we do. This brings me back into the present moment and back in touch with the service that we’re providing, which is really important right now.”
Secret Elements to His Success?
He’s broken them down into a list of 5, referring to them as the ingredients towards Sustainable Success.
“I had to shift my focus from more-ness and speed, to a more sustainable foundation of five elements. It was the only way to do it if I really wanted to grow and expand.”
- Growth and revenue in balance with each element.
- The majority of what’s being invested in bringing a sense of aliveness.
- Having an impact while serving a need.
- Taking care of self and being able to enjoy.
- Being there for the people we care about.
“I think that looking at success in this way, balancing sustainable principles, is leading a new way forward.”
From gatherings of 20 people in his garage, to selling out some of the largest arenas in awe inspiring locations around the world for seconds of silence, Jesse says that keeping a positive attitude and always looking for a silver lining is the key to his consistent momentum.
“In challenging times and in the face of adversity, the most important thing you can do is find the space to smile. It’s so easy to focus on the negative, so I always look for ways to laugh. It’s not always easy, but it’s an important reminder that I try to bring into the face of any challenge.”
One thing we know for certain is that Jesse Israel is not only shifting the worlds view on meditation, but is creating a shift in culture and community; leading the way towards sustainable change.
100% True
Jesse left us with a final reflection on what he knows to be 100% true.
His answer; Love.
“The purest form of truth is our ability to love. When we’re able to seek love in the face of whatever is thrown our way, we are able to access wisdom and connect to our source of true power.”
Whether it be guiding mass meditations, or guiding culture towards a more sustainable future, Jesse Israel chooses love. And it seems as though each and every one of us should make that our choice as well, the decision lies in our hands.
“Love is a choice. We have the choice to side with love over hate and fear. And in making choices from a place of love and compassion, we’re leading towards sustainable change, real change.”
The choice is yours, and at TrooMe we choose to look at life through the lens of love. There is beauty in the struggle, grace in the fall and bravery in becoming. Jesse Israel is the perfect example that with silence and stillness, we can move mountains, shift community, culture and create sustainable change…real change.
The Big Quiet said it best, ‘we’re better together.’
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