Rich Fernandez: A Meditation to Help Build Your Capacity to Navigate Difficulty

When we're facing disappointment or challenge, it's easy to default to negative narratives about who we are inherently: I'm a failure. What's wrong with me? I never do anything right.

This week, teacher Rich Fernandez invites a different perspective: When we shift from naming an existential trait (like, I must be a loser) to naming a temporary experiential state (like, I'm experiencing a setback that's discouraging), then we can actually return awareness and agency to ourselves and navigate a way through the challenge.

Rich Fernandez has dedicated his career to building more purposeful, mindful, and high-performing workplaces. He is the former CEO of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI), co-founded Wisdom Labs, and has also served in senior roles at eBay, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Bank of America. Currently, he is the Head of Executive Development at Gap, Inc.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Rich Fernandez here.

Go Deeper

Learning how to navigate difficulty is a core human skill, and naturally one of the most challenging. For more resources on how mindfulness can help build resilience, compassion, and wisdom for the tougher seasons of life, check out these articles from Mindful:

Why Imagination—Not Resilience—Might Help You Heal From Heartbreak

Elaine Smookler on How Setbacks Can Breed Resilience

Deep Resilience: The Wisdom of Making Friends with Your Mind