Burt Goldman, known as “The American Monk,” is a most remarkable man. Burt is over 80 years-old, and when most people his age are alone, sick and miserable (or dead), he’s going through a renaissance period in his life, and he’s showing no sign of slowing down.
For the last 50 years, Burt has been on a journey. He has been traveling the world and meeting and studying spiritual masters from every corner of the earth. He was once a disciple of the great Yogananda, the legendary teacher who introduced Yoga to the West. He was also a protégé of Jose Silva, the Mexican-American who introduced dynamic meditation to the Western World.
Burt has learned how to focus his mind in such a way that he’s able to slow down aging, pick up new skills at will, and maintain perfect health.
Always keep in mind that Burt is over 80 years old. Now take a look at what Burt has done in the last few years:
- Published a book
- Taken up photography
- Gotten his photographs in the International Photography Hall of Fame
- Taken up painting and set up an art website
- Taught himself to sing and released a CD
- Set up a new business
But what I want to narrow in on, in particular, is Burt’s remarkable ability to pick up skills, especially later in life, when most people consider their ‘learning window’ slammed shut.
In 1988, Burt was teaching a class and he was talking about the ability to learn new skills. His class decided to challenge him to learn a new skill. Someone shouted out “photography.” The class gave Burt one week to learn.
Burt took up the challenge, bought a camera and used meditation techniques to accelerate his learning and crack open his creative potential.
Please watch this video of Burt recounting his tale of going from picking up a camera to having his photos hanging in the International Photography Hall of Fame, just six months later.