This entrepreneur is essentially a Buddha in the boardroom. Walter Gjergja (Shi Xing Mi), co-founder and chief wellness officer of Zing Coach, a personal trainer app, also happens to be the first non-Chinese official 32nd-generation Shaolin Temple master, and has been a secular monk since 2006.
As Gjergja explains it, a secular monk is someone who completed the Buddhist studies and took the vows in a temple but then decided to return to regular society to teach his knowledge to a wider audience.
“My work broadly consists of sharing Shaolin’s ancient wisdom, augmented by contemporary scientific knowledge and by my own varied experiences,” said Gjergja, who’s based in Lugano, Switzerland.
Gjergja uses this wisdom to work with people to improve health and wellness, performance and fitness, mindset and mindfulness, strategy and effectiveness, habits and focus.
Over the years, Gjergja has worked with sports teams and athletes, such as the Milan football team, Olympic and world champion medalists in ice skating, professional racing drivers and world champion martial artists. He’s also worked with medical clinics and research centers and universities across the globe, and founded the European Shaolin Culture Centers in the early 2000s before co-founding ZingCoach in 2020.
A typical day in the life for the secular monk includes a 6 a.m. start for energy exercises, meditation, a run, strength training and martial arts. After breakfast, Gjergja prepares for the day’s tasks, including a “mindful prioritization.”
The afternoon features Shaolin movements and stretching, and the evening involves reading, writing, planning and reflecting.
With such a disciplined schedule, Gjergja certainly knows a thing or two about work efficiency, especially outsmarting one of the most common ailments of modernity, with all its distractions: procrastination.
“Shaolin is a culture of action, and it has taught me time and time again that action is the antithesis of procrastination,” said Gjergja. “Doing the ‘thing’ is the primary focus, by taking small steps toward it in the present, as it is the only actionable time when we can do something.”
Gjergja believes that three steps are needed to defeat procrastination: realizing the brevity of time, starting and not stopping.
Procrastination stems from indecision and lack of structure, said Gjergja. “Procrastination today feels like being overwhelmed by too much freedom,” he added. “We’re faced with endless choices, constant streams of information and this pressure to always be busy, but that doesn’t translate to being productive.”
Gjergja likened this to the imagery of standing at a buffet with more food than you could ever eat, ending up paralyzed by the options and choosing nothing at all. “A lot of people fall into the trap of endlessly researching the best way to do something or waiting for the right moment to start, when in reality, neither exists,” said Gjergja.
One way to break the cycle of procrastination is by creating a personal ritual, much like the Shaolin monks, who integrate ritualistic practices into their daily lives to maintain discipline and focus
“Your ritual could be as simple as starting each workout with a five-minute breathing exercise or spending a few minutes writing down your priorities for the day,” suggested Gjergja. “Start with a small, daily ritual, like setting a timer for focused work sessions followed by short breaks.”
So-called “microcommitments” — or what Gjergja calls “tiny, low-pressure promises to yourself” — can make a major impact on your life.
“By committing to just five minutes of work, you remove the mental barrier of starting, and often, once you begin, it’s easier to keep going,” said Gjergja. Or, tell yourself you’ll work on a task for only two minutes. This removes the pressure of a huge time commitment, making it easier to start, and most of the time, those few minutes become much longer. “But even if they don’t, you’ve still taken a step forward,” he said.
One of the most common reasons for procrastination is being lost in the bigger picture.
“Sure, having a big vision is important, but without actionable steps, it’s practically useless,” he said. “Instead of becoming overwhelmed by the final goal, divide it into smaller, more doable tasks. Make a plan outlining each stage so you can focus on one activity at a time.”
The step of defining your big goal and writing down your game plan is essential. “For example, if you’re starting a business, break that down into steps, like researching the market or building a website. Then, take those milestones and turn them into daily, bite-sized tasks — one or two key actions each day,” he said.
Accordingly, you should create a timeline for accountability, he said, but stay flexible. “Focus on steady progress rather than perfection, and track your small wins to build momentum. Remember, vision inspires, but action makes it real,” said Gjergja, stressing that as long as you take that first step “no matter how small, the momentum will follow.”
No matter what you do in your career (and life), Gjergja wants us laypeople to know that you should always keep a “beginner’s mind,” as it is known in Buddhist vernacular.
“While we strive to be experts in our chosen fields, the expert’s attitude often stops us from growing, as well as robbing us of the engaging and charismatic enthusiasm of the beginner,” he said. “To flourish, become the wisest expert and yet remain the most curious of beginners. Also, find the opportunity in every challenge. There will be plenty of both.”
