Seven Ways of Being
Cultivate seven converging qualities of resilient well-being
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 7
- Confidence
- 96%
The Seven Ways of Being maps awakening as seven trainable qualities observed in highly developed practitioners. The first cluster—steadiness, lovingness, and fullness—creates a calm, warm, contented core that can remain present even when emotion moves around it. The second cluster—wholeness, nowness, and allness—reduces internal division, anchors awareness in the present, and relaxes an overly contracted sense of self into connection with a larger whole. Timelessness adds openness to mystery and to possibilities beyond what can be confidently known. Hanson frames the model as reverse engineering: study people farther up the mountain of human potential, identify their reusable qualities, and cultivate those qualities progressively in everyday life. The destination matters less than moving upward in a stable, embodied way.
Origin
Rick Hanson developed the seven qualities in Neurodharma by comparing contemplative traditions and reverse engineering recurring traits in advanced practitioners.
Core principles
- 01Reverse engineer qualities embodied by advanced practitioners
- 02Develop psychological stability before subtler forms of awareness
- 03Practice each quality in ordinary life rather than only in meditation
- 04Treat awakening as a gradual climb rather than an all-or-nothing event
How to run it
- 1
Build steadiness
Train sustained awareness and the ability to place attention on what is useful. Keep a stable core even while strong emotions occur.
Pro tip Practice pulling attention away from unhelpful rumination.
Watch out Steadiness does not mean emotional flatness.
- 2
Grow lovingness
Develop warmth and care that remain available even when you must be assertive or handle difficulty.
Watch out Warmth does not require tolerating mistreatment.
- 3
Rest in fullness
Cultivate an underlying mood of peacefulness, contentment, and enoughness rather than continually seeking completion outside yourself.
- 4
Allow wholeness
Accept yourself as a whole without dividing into warring parts. Continue learning and healing inside that larger self-acceptance.
Watch out Acceptance does not mean pretending you are finished growing.
- 5
Enter nowness
Return to the front edge of present experience rather than obsessing about the past or future. Notice when you are basically all right right now.
Pro tip Repeat the recognition now, and now, and now.
- 6
Open into allness
Relax self-preoccupation and notice your connection with other people, conditions, and the wider field of life.
Pro tip Think of separate waves sharing the nature of water.
Watch out Connection does not erase practical individuality or boundaries.
- 7
Stay open to timelessness
Adopt an attitude of not knowing and remain open to mystery, possibility, and what may extend beyond ordinary appearances.
Watch out Do not turn openness into certainty or preaching.
In the wild
During a business crisis, an operator holds steady attention, treats colleagues warmly, and remembers an underlying sense of enoughness. They accept their own fear without inner warfare, stay with the present decision, account for the wider network of causes and help, and remain humble about what they do not know.
→ All seven qualities support clearer, less reactive action under pressure.
Common mistakes
Treating qualities as stages
The qualities cluster and reinforce one another; development need not be a rigid one-time sequence.
Chasing the summit
The framework is useful without perfect awakening; all-or-nothing striving can obscure ordinary gains.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for committed practitioners seeking a long-term map of psychological and contemplative growth.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for someone seeking only a quick stress-management technique without sustained practice.
From the transcript
“the first three qualities are steadiness of mind a lovingness of heart and a fullness of being”
“the next three are wholeness nowness and allness”
“last timelessness is really the ultimate”
From the episode
Rick Hanson: Rewiring Your Brain for Happiness and Resilience
Rick Hanson