Why I stopped pursuing enlightenment | Ricardo Palomares | TEDxChathamKent

For a really long time, Ricardo was obsessed with the idea of enlightenment, without really understanding what it was. He traveled the world, tried many forms of meditation, and read many books hoping that at some point he would achieve this elusive state.
At some point along the way, Ricardo suddenly asked himself something. Why was he in such a hurry to get there, to achieve enlightenment? He realized that it didn’t matter how many spiritual practices he did if he couldn’t enjoy the process and that his search for enlightenment was some kind of escape from his everyday life. So Ricardo decided to stop pursuing it and to focus only on finding contentment in the smaller things; to focus on finding contentment in everyday life. Ricardo is a keynote speaker, leadership coach, and author. He immigrated to the United States from Mexico City after graduating from photography school with the singular focus of building a career that would allow him to explore the world. Later he earned a Film degree at the University of Texas at Austin, then went on to create documentary work in Mexico and China, and to make the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. His most recent project, Pedal South, entailed leading a team on a two-year cycling expedition from Alaska to Argentina. The purpose was to create a documentary that would give a perspective of the people and landscape of the Americas today.
His goal is to spread compassion, knowledge, and wisdom gained through overcoming inconceivable obstacles so people can unlock their potential, achieve what seems impossible, and find contentment. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx