The Diary of a CEOMaster Shi Heng Yi: Why a misused body fuels modern anxiety
Through Shaolin training, replace striving patterns by retraining body and mind; relentless thinking alone never frees you from a sense of lack.
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 12:00
Overchoice, Disembodiment, and the Root of Modern Suffering
The conversation opens with a brick-breaking teaser and shifts quickly into Sha’s mission: to share timeless wisdom that can help people navigate a world overwhelmed by choice and digitalization. He argues that many modern problems come from misusing our bodies and constantly living in the head, creating anxiety and disconnection from the present moment.
- •Sha’s mission is to share practical, non‑religious wisdom that can improve lives without people needing to go anywhere physically.
- •He identifies diversity and overload of choice as a key modern struggle: people don’t know which direction to choose or what is truly right for them.
- •He emphasizes that only you really know what’s right for you, so learning who you are is the critical starting point.
- •He often ignores what people *say* they need and instead observes their body and energy; most sit too much and underuse the body.
- •Underusing the body leads to unbalanced energies manifesting as anxiety, dissatisfaction, endless searching, and failure to recognize the preciousness of each moment.
- 12:00 – 35:00
Purpose, ‘Source’, and Viewing Life as a Movie
Sha and Steven explore the concepts of purpose and meaning, questioning whether everyone has a fixed purpose and how to relate to the limited time we have in our bodies. Sha introduces the idea of ‘source’ or oneness behind all duality and suggests imagining yourself as a movie director to reframe how you want to live your remaining years.
- •Regardless of scientific explanations, the fact is: we are here in limited bodies with limited time.
- •Sha invites people to imagine themselves as the director of their own movie, watching themselves from outside and consciously writing the next 50 years.
- •Purpose, in his view, is highly personal on one level (travel, contribution, etc.) and universal on another: simply to experience existence fully, including joy and heartbreak.
- •He warns against taking one’s current identity too seriously; seeing yourself as an avatar in a movie helps loosen rigid self‑images.
- •He introduces the idea of a shared ‘source’ (God, universe, infinite energy) that connects all beings beyond family, culture, or religion, and says only personal experience can reveal it.
- 35:00 – 56:00
Doing vs Being, Ambition vs Lack, and Learning Life’s Lessons
The dialogue turns to common struggles like striving, wanting, and never feeling enough. Sha disentangles doing from being, ambition from lack, and describes three ways people learn life’s lessons, including painfully pursuing goals for decades or absorbing wisdom through trusted mentors or contemplation.
- •He frames many people’s striving (wealth, success, love) as wanting something they feel they lack, so their goal‑setting is rooted in a sense of deficiency.
- •When you’re connected to source, there’s nothing to add or remove; compulsive doing often comes from identity‑building rather than inner fullness.
- •He reminds listeners that whatever you accumulate will last at most about 100 years; clinging to achievements is ultimately futile.
- •People learn in three ways: by getting what they want and discovering it’s unnecessary; by copying a trusted guide’s way of living; or by contemplating a teacher’s words deeply enough to alter course without personal trial.
- •Many will never reach the Lamborghini or millionaire milestone they chase; the deeper lesson may be realizing decades of pursuit haven’t delivered what they imagined and choosing either to let go or radically change their approach.
- 56:00 – 1:06:00
Patterns, Trauma, and Training New Behaviors Like Muscles
Sha shares his personal story of growing up with refugee parents, high expectations, martial arts training, and a constant sense of never being enough. He explains how this created emotional walls and self-reliance, then outlines a concrete process for breaking such patterns through consistent training of new behaviors, not just insight.
- •His parents, refugees from Vietnam/Laos, pushed him academically; martial arts masters pushed him physically, leading to an internal message of “never enough.”
- •To protect himself, he built an emotional shield, stopped relying on others’ opinions, and blocked both incoming and outgoing emotion.
- •Now, as a partner and father, he notices the old pattern trying to sneak back, proving that awareness must be ongoing.
- •To break patterns: first see them; then define what traits your current life circumstances require; then build those traits through consistent, small, daily behaviors.
- •He likens it to fitness: you don’t do nothing all week and then one huge gym session; you create a daily regimen of emotional and behavioral repetitions.
- •He encourages people to think of virtues and character traits (e.g., patience, openness) as skills that must be consciously trained over months and years.
- 1:06:00 – 1:26:40
Fatherhood, Modern Masculinity, and Stable Inner Value
Now a new father, Sha reflects on how he wants to raise his son and what young men today are missing. He rejects the idea of molding his child into an achiever, focusing instead on creating a safe framework for trial and error, secure attachment, and self-worth built through failing and rising again.
- •He vows not to repeat the “never enough” education; his son has nothing to prove, only to stay connected.
- •He sees his role as providing a safe framework where his son can try things, fail, learn to get up, and build self-sufficiency.
- •He connects this to attachment theory: the goal is a stable, self-made individual who knows his value because he has failed and recovered.
- •On young men’s struggles (suicide rates, underperformance in school), he notes that current issues often stem from what previous generations failed to pass on.
- •Responsibility is multi-layered: it’s not only about what today’s generation is doing, but about long-standing cultural and educational gaps.
- 1:26:40 – 1:37:20
Five Hindrances to Focus and the RAIN Method of Inner Work
Sha revisits his TEDx topic: the Five Hindrances—mental states that derail us from our goals—and introduces the RAIN method as a practical tool to observe and dissolve them. He emphasizes that discipline alone is useless without awareness of when these states arise, and discusses training awareness through practices like breathwork and body scanning.
- •The Five Hindrances: sensual/sensory desire, ill will/aversion, dullness/sloth, restlessness, and self‑doubt/skeptical doubt.
- •Sensual desire and ill will both pull energy away from the goal: one by chasing pleasure, the other by resisting discomfort or challenge.
- •He uses the metaphor of walking toward a goal while poking water (liking/disliking); each touch creates ripples that steal your energy and destabilize your path.
- •Discipline is not enough; you must first recognize when a hindrance is arising. Without awareness, your discipline has nothing to act on.
- •RAIN: Recognize your current state; Accept/acknowledge it without pushing it away; Investigate triggers and conditions; Non‑identify with the state instead of saying “this is me.”
- •Body awareness and inner sensing (e.g., noticing the ‘small flame’ before an emotional explosion) are crucial to catching hindrances early.
- 1:37:20 – 1:48:00
Real vs Fake, Public Opinion, and Staying Pure in Intention
As his public profile grows, Sha describes how he handles praise, criticism, and projections from strangers and even close associates. He warns against putting teachers on pedestals and stresses the importance of distinguishing real from fake in an age where technology can simulate almost everything.
- •He once cared deeply about others’ opinions but has learned not to take judgments from strangers to heart; they only see a small, curated fraction of him.
- •Even people close to you for years may still not truly know you; this can hurt more than anonymous criticism.
- •The solution is to continue on your path while maintaining understanding and empathy for others’ limited perspectives, not ill will.
- •He opposes the guru pedestal: raising someone to “special one” status is counterproductive and fuels illusions rather than self‑reliance.
- •Our era blurs the line between real and artificial (nature vs full technological immersion), making it vital to train discernment and stay rooted in authenticity.
- •He centers everything on maintaining purity of intention and being very careful about who enters your inner circle.
- 1:48:00 – 2:06:00
Brick-Breaking, Energy, and Transferring Shaolin Focus to Daily Life
Sha demonstrates breaking not just one but two bricks, explaining that the key is not brute strength but sensitivity to structure and focused energy. He uses this as a metaphor for how long-term, consistent training builds qualities like patience, endurance, and willpower that can be applied to any life domain.
- •When he touches a person or a stone, he isn’t just touching the surface; he “reads” its internal structure, density, and tension.
- •Breaking bricks requires years of conditioning (bone density, alignment) and mental focus, not just momentary effort.
- •He estimates that with about three months of dedicated training—including wood, then stone, then metal conditioning—Steven could also break bricks.
- •The visible one-second feat conceals years of invisible preparation, mirroring how world-class performances in any field work.
- •Brick-breaking is a ‘symptom’ of deeper character traits: consistency, patience, endurance, and the ability to unify mind and body at a precise moment.
- •This demonstration invites people to reconsider what their own body and mind might be capable of if trained with similar dedication.
- 2:06:00 – 2:24:00
Shaolin Virtues: The Character Framework Behind Power
The conversation turns to Shaolin virtues, which act as guardrails ensuring that power and skill are used for the betterment of humanity. Sha outlines virtues that are expected in students and those that must be developed over time, connecting them to leadership and business culture too.
- •Before accepting a student, Shaolin teachers look for basic ‘virtues to be expected’: self‑control, discipline, and benevolence.
- •Self‑control means not letting emotions overrun behavior—e.g., not shouting even when angry if the context calls for restraint.
- •Discipline is a willingness to endure a difficult daily structure and repetitive training.
- •He distinguishes virtues of action (how you behave: loyalty, trustworthiness, respect, courage) from virtues of mind (what nourishes those behaviors: patience, perseverance, persistence, willpower).
- •The same power or energy can be used to help or harm; the difference lies entirely in the character of the person wielding it.
- •Steven notes these virtues mirror what he seeks when hiring for his businesses, underscoring their universal applicability.
- 2:24:00 – 2:30:00
Fear, Uncertainty, and Small Acts of Stepping Beyond Comfort
They explore fear as the main barrier to stepping into the unknown and how to practically build the habit of doing so. Sha points out the paradox that uncertainty, which many avoid, is actually what makes life interesting and alive.
- •Stepping outside comfort can be very small: raising your hand in a meeting, starting a page for your hobby, or learning a new skill.
- •Continual learning—e.g., reading, exploring new topics—keeps you aware of how much more there is beyond your current knowledge.
- •He sees uncertainty as a blessing; knowing your exact life path for the next 20 years would be unbearably boring.
- •Fear is reduced not by eradicating it but by changing perspective: seeing life as a yin‑yang field where light and dark, success and failure, always come together.
- •He observes that most worries never materialize; for the few that do, you usually can’t do much anyway, which led him to largely let go of chronic worrying.
- 2:30:00 – 2:38:00
Oneness Religion, Removing Identity, and Seeking Peace Over Happiness
Sha articulates his ‘religion of oneness,’ emphasizing the removal of layers that obscure our inherent completeness rather than adding more beliefs or identities. He explains why he seeks peace rather than happiness, and how attachments and karmic connections—especially family—still challenge his own peace.
- •He playfully calls his path the “religion of oneness”: a belief that we are fundamentally connected and that the path is removing obstacles to realizing this.
- •He insists he has nothing to give; his work is to take away what covers your realization that you are already complete.
- •Everything that builds strong identity—clinging to past stories, roles, concepts—makes it harder to open to new future possibilities.
- •He does not chase ‘happiness’ because it implies its opposite; instead he aims for peace, a more stable state not dependent on highs and lows.
- •What still challenges his peace are karmic connections—especially his mother and his newborn son—whose well-being affects him deeply.
- •He is actively learning to regulate his reactions to these bonds, especially under the stress of sleep deprivation and parenting.
- 2:38:00 – 2:53:00
Daily Practice, Standing Meditations, and Training with Discomfort
Sha describes his morning routines focused on emptiness, presence, and building energy through stillness and demanding standing postures. He explains why deliberately doing hard things is essential training for the inevitable difficulties of life, and how to relate differently to physical and emotional pain.
- •He starts his day trying to wake up with an empty mind, not immediately pulling in yesterday’s thoughts or future worries.
- •He often spends his first hour sitting quietly, breathing, and scanning his body from the inside to become fully present.
- •He practices physical training daily: push-ups, sit-ups, and ‘standing practice’ where he holds challenging postures for around 15 minutes.
- •These positions demand willpower; cultivating will strengthens energy, making standing practice an energetic as well as physical exercise.
- •Life is inherently hard; the more wishes and ambitions you have, the more difficulty you will encounter, so training yourself in discomfort prepares you.
- •He separates feeling pain from obeying it: he feels pain but doesn’t let it automatically dictate his decisions, because he knows the body warns long before real damage occurs.
- •True growth requires regularly going slightly beyond your current comfort zone, in a controlled, intelligent way, to expand what ‘comfortable’ means.
- 2:53:00 – 3:18:00
Grief, Recognition, and Creating the Father’s Voice You Never Heard
In an emotional section, Sha recounts his father’s death from cancer just after he completed his long academic path largely to please him. He discusses unresolved longing for paternal recognition, cultural rituals around death, and the necessity of giving himself the words he never heard.
- •He spent around 20 years pursuing academic achievements primarily to honor his refugee parents and offer them security.
- •His father died roughly a year after his graduation, never seeing the culmination of that effort, which felt deeply painful and somewhat futile.
- •Culturally, he was asked by his father not to cry for 49 days after death to help his father’s spirit move on rather than be bound by family grief.
- •Layered expectations, inability to grieve openly at first, and relentless overwork formed a tough shell that also enabled his current success.
- •He recognizes he longed for his father to say, “You did well. It’s enough,” but never heard it.
- •Sha now believes he must create that recognition within himself, through inner practices and self‑talk, especially so he can give to his son what he didn’t receive.
- •He suspects much of this still resides in his subconscious, influencing patterns even when he doesn’t consciously think of his father.
- 3:18:00
Self‑Mastery Defined and Choosing Your Next Level of Growth
The conversation concludes with Sha’s definition of self-mastery and a practical framework for identifying the next step in your development. He underscores that no external master can run your life for you; self-mastery means becoming the one who integrates skills, knowledge, and values into a coherent way of living.
- •Sha defines self‑mastery as taking full responsibility for running your own life, rather than outsourcing decisions to masters, mentors, or authorities.
- •Teachers can give skills and knowledge, but only you can arrange them into a life structure that truly fits you.
- •He advises anyone whose well‑being is dependent on governments, colleagues, or external validation to read his book; it’s an ‘antidote’ to outsourcing stability.
- •Well‑being should be grounded in what you can influence: your body and your mind.
- •To find your next growth area, review the last week or month and identify the most disturbing recurring emotion or situation; that is your current ‘block.’
- •Focus your energy on resolving that single major block; if left unattended, it will quietly repeat for six months, then a year, then several years.
- •He shares his greatest recent regret: making a necessary but abrupt decision (comparable to firing someone) against his own sense of the ideal, highlighting that even with mastery, life forces hard trade‑offs.
