I lived with monks. Here's what I learned.

Imagine waking up in a large, ice-cold room in a Buddhist temple.

The sun hasn't risen. The air is sharp.

You eat simple food and sip tea in total silence.

You chant alongside monks, follow their rituals, and sit in meditation.

That was me last month.

For one day, I lived like a monk in Japan. I walked their paths, embraced their discipline, and even asked the head monk for life advice.

The lessons I learned are ones everyone should embrace.

Let's dive in. :)

Lesson 1

The first lesson is something all monks embrace. And this is something every person should embrace:

Doing difficult things.

This is what the head monk and I chatted about too.

I asked a couple of questions related to my life, and my business.

The first lesson that he told me was to...

"Choose the hard way, always."

This is what all monks embrace.

Buddhists believe there are many different worlds, one of which is a world without struggle. Everything is good there.

And that world - according to the monk - is the worst.

The people there don't have struggles, so they don't experience happiness from the good.

He told his teacher tells him that if he can't achieve enlightenment on Earth, he should choose to go to hell.

There he can face struggles, and become the version he wants.

But, you and I of course live in this world, on Earth.

We are "fortunate" enough to have struggles, not only the good stuff.

This allows us to enjoy the good moments of life.

Without the challenges, there are no good moments.

When it comes to life in general, the monk told me to choose the hard way, always.

The good things in life come from overcoming difficult things:

• from going to the gym when you don't want to

• running a business even when it's scary

• posting to social media at first...

But this is what you should do - difficult things.

Never choose the easy path, as the monk told me.

That doesn't give you the life you want.

All an easy path gives you in the end is misery.

Choose the hard way, always.

Lesson 2

The temple I was staying in was freezing.

My room didn't have a warmer on when I arrived.

The alleys didn't have warming either.

I slept with a jacket on.

I ate "simple" food.

I noticed how the monks actually live.

Think about it.

They have a morning ceremony every day at 6.30 am.

They need to be fully dressed in their "monk clothing" and ready.

The head monk told us that when becoming a monk, his day at times started at midnight - leaving nearly no room to sleep.

That's how hard the training is - and the intense period lasts for a few weeks.

During the training, many break their backs as they have to bow hundreds of times a day in a specific way.

Their teachers demand excellence. And this is hard to sustain.

They live in a temple where there's minimal warming during winter.

They eat the same food daily.

They can't go shower any time they desire.

They do their monk training daily.

Think about how bloody easy we have it.

Most of us have warming.

We have a variety of food to choose from.

We can sleep more than 1-3 hours.

We don't break our backs due to bowing.

We have it much easier compared to monks.

Now, they are choosing a very difficult way.

We don't need to live like them.

But most of us feel too comfy.

We humans aren't meant to be here to feel comfortable.

We have a job to do - to serve others. To make the world a better place.

When you find it hard to get up from the bed - think about that.

An ant doesn't think "Should I do my job today?" - it just does.

Embrace the challenges ahead. You still have it much easier than many others. And do the tasks you're meant to do.

(Reading recommendation: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. It's a journal of the past Roman emperor.)

Lesson 3

I asked the monk for his advice on handling anxiety, fear and stress when it comes to running a business... because well I sometimes do experience those emotions.

He simply advised me - somewhere along these lines:

If you're experiencing those feelings, you must train your mind.

The mind is the most important thing to master.

It's ok if your body goes through physical challenges and feels pain...

But you must train your mind to not feel stress and other feelings like that.

I knew the importance of mastering my mind.

But, now I understood I should not feel those feelings.

Of course, some fears come up - but you should be able to get rid of them fast.

I realized there's more mind work to be done.

And now I have continued my mindfulness practice, daily, for at least 13 minutes per day.

I'd hiiighly recommend you meditate - if you care about living the best life - which I assume you do as you're here. :)

Hugo... I don't have time to meditate.

Then you should especially make time for it. :)

Last words

Living with monks was something I always wanted to do.

I gained so much perspective, and I have even a higher respect for monks. We all have something to learn from them.

Master your mind.

Control it. Control yourself instead of fears controlling you.

Always choose the difficult path. That's what's meant for you - and the path leading you to the life you want.

I hope you found this interesting.

Till next one,

Hugo "Monk student" Korhonen

P.S. I can have experiences like this because I have built a strong personal brand online, and I run a business. :)

If you're a photographer and you'd like to build a business that gives you the freedom to choose, what, where and how you shoot...

Send me a DM saying "Coach" on my Instagram @hugoraphy and I'll send an application to work with me.

P.S.S. I uploaded a new video on YouTube. If you've not seen it yet, click ​here​ to watch it on a computer. Click ​here​ to watch it on mobile. :)

P.S.S.S. Want to see more photos & clips of the day with the monks? Check out ​my Instagram post​ about it.