Jared Goetz is a globally – recognized e – commerce entrepreneur who has helped many companies, brands and people around the world generate millions of dollars in revenue. On top of being known for his online digital skills, Jared is also the founder and CEO of eCom Hacks Academy based out of Florida.
While helping to run all these successful companies, Jared believes fully in the value and benefits of yoga and meditation, making it a regular part of his every day routine. He attributes meditation to being able to reach the high level of success he has today, which has allowed him to travel the world and enjoy what he does for work.
Asana Journal sat down exclusively with Jared to learn more so that our readers can see how much these practices mean and can help us in our everyday lives.
How were you first introduced to yoga and what were your original thoughts?
I was first introduced to Yoga back when I was in college, but it wasn’t until my life started growing in complexity that I realized the true value and benefits of the practice. My first thoughts were that I wasn’t flexible enough, but after practicing much more I’ve come to realize that it’s more about pushing yourself past barriers and maintaining your composure through difficult poses, which translates directly into your everyday life.
You meditate for 15 minutes each day… why is this such an important part of your daily schedule?
I can’t stress enough how important this is for me. Our lives are so filled with digital notifications, that we are becoming more and more reactive than ever before. Most of us wake up, check our phones and immediately jump into reacting to things outside of our selves. This is extremely limiting on our ability to grow. Meditating for at least 15 minutes per day gives us some time alone with our minds and bodies, and allows us to grow our sense of awareness which is imperative to our ability to thrive. On a more direct note, it just makes me a happier person, and gets me in the mindset to achieve and create, rather than just get by and react.
What do you think the biggest misconception about y oga and meditation is, now that you are an active participant?
I think more and more people are opening up to these practices, as more and more people are feeling their benefits and being open to them. However, a lot of people don’t have open minds and may think you’re a bit ‘kooky’ for actively practicing yoga and meditation. These are likely the same people (not to offend) who drink Mountain Dew, and watch a lot of TV. It comes down to a simple lack of knowledge of the benefits.
How important is an active, healthy lifestyle to you?
The base of your life is how you feel. Everything else stems from that. For me, an active healthy lifestyle is not a choice, it’s a must. We have no excuses, we have the knowledge that our grandparents didn’t have. Like most of us, I sometimes slip for a day or two, and I feel that directly. If I wake up late, eat an unhealthy breakfast, and don’t take any time for mindfulness, there is a very strong chance I won’t have a great day. Knowing this, and knowing that we have limited days, there is no reason not to live them to your best ability.
We hear you are into Bikram Yoga. What about this type of yoga you enjoy most and what has your experience been with it?
I feel that it is the most physically cleansing practice because of how much you sweat. Also, it is the most challenging for me. The sequence is are always the same, so you can really adapt and grow with your practice – you learn something new about the practice every time.
Where is your favorite place to do yoga and meditate?
Nothing beats the beach for especially at sunrise. It’s extremely peaceful and feels great to be there.
You have travelled and lived all over the world… have you learned other types of yoga/ meditation in different places? If so, what and where?
In Thailand 93.6% of people are Buddhist. The practice of Buddhism involves mediation. You can see this translate heavily into their culture. You can tell, that no matter where in life people are in Thailand, they are happy to be there. Cab drivers are happy to drive cabs, and servants are happy to serve. They believe in reincarnation, and that if they are the best version of themselves, the will reincarnate to a better life.
Is it hard to find time to do yoga and meditate with your busy schedule?
Considering how important it is, it comes before a lot of other things. Plus, if you wake up at 5:30am or earlier, there are a lot less things to react to, and that’s typically when I find myself practicing.
Do you feel that participating in yoga and meditation has helped your career as an entrepreneur and yourself on a personal level?
Absolutely, it allows me to accept situations for what they are and to react in a calmer and more thought out manner. As opposed to getting angry, worried, stressed, or depressed, having control of your awareness allows you to replace those emotions with happiness and gratitude. Sometimes I’ll find myself agitated about something in the morning, but after I finish my mediation, that thing no longer bothers me and I handle those things with ease.
Based on your personal experience , what advice would you like to share with other practitioners or those looking at getting into the same things you do?
I’ve found that more than anything, life is about balance and practicing yoga and meditation allows me to see my life holistically so I can maintain that balance. When I first got into entrepreneurship I thought it was about how many hours you work and how hard you can grind. But when you live a healthy, balanced life you can achieve more meaningful things in less time. I stress “meaningful” because when you have balance, you do the things that matter most.
Do you follow a strict diet at all? What are some of your favorite health foods?
I try my best to stick to a healthy diet, but there is so much different conflicting information floating around about what is healthy and what isn’t that sometimes it is hard to keep up. There are certain eating habits I stick to that I think outweigh the moderate amount of unhealthy meals I have. I always drink at least 3 glasses of water immediately upon waking up, I take a tablespoon (mixed into one of my glasses of water) of apple cider vinegar in the morning to kickstart my digestive system. I eat healthy fats like avocados and tuna that are good for my brain. Other than that, I keep an alarm on my phone that goes off every 2 hours which reminds me to drink a glass of water.
What are your future dreams and goals both professionally and personally?
I dream very big both professionally and personally. Professionally I want to have a lasting impact on society by creating things that make our world a better place to live in. Personally, I want to become a master of myself and to gain an incredible sense of awareness.
I want to live a long, healthy life and be a role model for others. Also, a personal goal that I stick to every day is to try and make the lives of people around me better whether its for strangers or friends, by doing simple things like lending a helping hand or making a joke to make them smile.
What other forms of yoga do you hope to learn and get into in the future?
I’m always open to learning. One particular practice that has caught my attention is Kundalini Yoga.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
That’s a really tough question. One thing I would change is our schooling system. Kids need to learn more about mindset and happiness and how to become strong, functional human beings, rather than learning some of the unnecessary things we teach in school. If we taught children differently, I think our world could have less hate and a lot less unstable people.
We have crazy horrible crimes like mass shootings by people who obviously aren’t mentally stable. I think a lot of that instability could be avoided with proper teaching in school.
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