MY NAME IS JONATHAN LEHMANN, AND I USED TO BE QUITE UNHAPPY: I WAS OFTEN DEPRESSED, ANGRY AND ANXIOUS.
As a teenager growing up in Paris, I believed that money and status would bring me happiness. I had dreams of living in New York, traveling the world and having access to the best things money could buy. The fantasy became reality when at 25 I was hired by one of the most prestigious international law firms on Wall Street.
But my dream soon turned out to be a nightmare. The 40-story office building where I spent most of my days, nights and weekends reminded me of the Death Star in Star Wars. Most of the people I worked with were polite yet hostile and seemed mostly focused on the accumulation of power and material possessions. I had virtually no time to spend with my loved ones.
And so, I started becoming depressed, wondering what I was doing with my life, and even contemplating suicide. I felt stuck. Then my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness that was both a personal tragedy and a wake-up call.
Thus, after practicing law for six years I quit my job and the practice of law altogether and embarked on a personal quest to find happiness. For three years, I travelled around the world, from California to Italy, from Sri Lanka to Brazil, to meet spiritual teachers and thought leaders. I learned meditation, yoga, and shamanism. I developed a new connection to my body, to nature, and to others.
My exploration led me to discover what could be called “spiritual levers”: small changes that can have significant consequences on our mood, our relationships, and our ability to live our dreams. I called these habits and principles my “happiness cheat sheets”.
Today my mission is to share these concepts and practices with those who also have an instinct that they could enjoy life much more if only they were better able to master their thoughts and emotions. To do so I create guided meditations, I write books and I organize silent meditation retreats.