Learn how to listen to others — observe yourself as others are speaking. Are you one to always think of what you want to say next while others are still talking? Practice being fully present to what others are saying and resist the urge to interrupt.
Asa part of our series about “How Anyone Can Build Habits For Optimal Wellness, Performance, & Focus”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Chervin Jafarieh.
Chervin Jafarieh is the Founder of Cymbiotika, an innovative wellness brand inspiring everyday people to reclaim control of their life by achieving optimal health. Cymbiotika sources only the highest quality plant-based nutrients, combined with the most advanced bioavailable absorption technology, and never uses synthetics, GMOs, fillers, chemicals, preservatives, additives or sugars in any supplements.
In his previous career, Chervin Jafarieh was the founder of Blaqk Diamond Group, a full service commercial real estate advisory firm that specialized in green sustainable building practices. Chervin’s tasks, as founder of Blaqk Diamond, included providing financial institutions the resources they needed to size up loan proceeds reflective of green practices. After working for many years in commercial real estate advisory, Chervin decided his real passion lied in the supplement market. Taking his background in Biodynamics Farming and Permaculture and connections from his previous career, he embarked on a journey to create vegan liquid-form supplements with the purest ingredients in the world.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
Ialways had a questioning nature as a child. I was fascinated with learning how things work, and if I was told “no”, I wanted to know the reason why. I began to notice inconsistencies in the school system; particularly with the way families were raising their children and especially in the information pertaining to health and nutrition. I began to study “outside of the box” and the more I learned, the less I trusted the standard program. The “one size fits all system” has infiltrated our reality and is the furthest thing from the natural world. Knowing and experiencing this as a child has fueled my passion to provide alternative solutions for humanity, for both present day and future generations.
What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.
Humanity. The lack of awareness of one’s own health deeply inspired me. Think about it… we have each been given or inherited our bodies. We depend upon the health of our body to give us the freedom and ability to move through our journey here on earth; yet our bodies are completely foreign to us. Our youth is given little to no education on how to properly nourish and hydrate, or how to cultivate and maintain a healthy relationship with the body we live in. This is just one aspect of the whole. Our bodies rely on clean air to breathe, pure water to drink and proper food and nutrition to nourish our cells. Our body depends upon the health of our Earth, yet there is a complete void in the awareness of our responsibility to protect and maintain the health of the Earth for ourselves and future generations.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?
My father has always been my biggest inspiration.
I was a fiery young boy, always going for a home run. All or nothing. My father embodied the pragmatist. Through experience and life’s tests, he mentored me and helped me shape my perspective on everyday life. He taught me failing to plan is planning to fail and to always be ready for any outcome.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
We were filming on our farm in Kauai under a 75 foot lychee tree that was filled with ripe fruit. I was looking for the perfect fruit to pick and use for a new sample formulation I was creating with my team. Up at the top of the tree was a big bunch of fruit I had my eye on. I was forewarned about the lack of strength of the branches at the top, but I was so set on getting the perfect bunch. As I began to climb, I heard a loud crack and instantly fell 30 feet to the ground. Luckily I was only stunned and not injured.
My take away from this experience… Be pragmatic. Ha.
The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?
I tell everyone who asks my advice the same thing.
Begin by evaluating your closest circle and who you spend the most time with.
What are you feeding yourself everyday in the form of food, thoughts, and the information you allow into your subconscious and conscious? What are your beliefs about yourself and your reality? Are these beliefs supporting the dream you have for your life?
Research victim mentality and evaluate where in your life you are a victim. One can never take control of their own destiny if there is someone else to blame.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The DNA Field and The Law of Resonance — Science proving the power of our thoughts and beliefs. A logical approach to the unseen energies that encompass our being.
This book solidified a lot of my inner truths. Believing between worlds, science and the spiritual. This book is golden. It also motivated me to remove ALL DOUBTS about my dharma.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
“True leaders do not create more followers, they create more leaders.” I was around leaders in my life and had a father who was a natural born leader. He did not indoctrinate me with his philosophy, but rather, he showed me his light and always encouraged me to make my own decisions.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
I am working on new peptide formulations that can rapidly improve the lives of many. Peptides are powerful compounds that stimulate cellular regeneration. The key is to get them stable for oral use, and I believe we have cracked that code. Stay tuned!
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. This will be intuitive to you but it will be helpful to spell this out directly. Can you help explain a few reasons why it is so important to create good habits? Can you share a story or give some examples?
Your habits are what you fall back on. It’s your default mode. Sometimes life is challenging, with so much going on, we aren’t always present to our thoughts and behaviors. When emotions are high, our habits are what run the show.
This is a longer story for another day but to keep it short, when I was bitten by a rattlesnake on my finger while picking wild sage, my immediate reaction was to stay calm and breathe deep. I called 911, walked slowly down the trail and sat in the parking lot in meditation pose. Because I developed the habit of having a daily meditation practice, instead of panicking, my default was to stay calm and present. Had I reacted out of fear, my heart rate would have increased pushing the venom faster towards my heart. This is just one example of how healthy habits have saved my life and positioned me for great success.
How have habits played a role in your success? Can you share some success habits that have helped you in your journey?
Staying on top of my game by following the simple rules of health. Going to bed early, waking up early, drinking clean water throughout my day, avoiding toxic foods, surrounding myself with those who inspire me, moving my body everyday, taking time out for myself to reflect on my thoughts, and continuing my education throughout life by researching and studying the work of great philosophers who came before me.
Speaking in general, what is the best way to develop good habits? Conversely, how can one stop bad habits?
“How you do anything is how you do everything.” Each day, we have an opportunity to choose the actions the person we are aspiring to be tomorrow would choose.
The first step to stopping bad habits is to first become aware of the habits you have that are holding you back. Write out your goals and imagine what it would feel like to be that version of yourself. What would you be doing, thinking, feeling? How would you spend your time? What would your habits be? Evaluate your current life, notice the gaps and adjust accordingly.
Let’s talk about creating good habits in three areas, Wellness, Performance, and Focus. Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum wellness. Please share a story or example for each.
Eating organic food and supplementing with superior formulations — Whole foods (non-processed food) and Cymbiotika.
Moving the body consistently through a diverse fitness platform — Yoga, Qi Gong.
Proper rest and sleep — Settle in bed by 10pm and rise with the sun.
Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimal performance at work or sport? Please share a story or example for each.
Meditation practice — See the outcome you want to achieve before it happens.
Optimize your sleep — Sleep in a blacked out room, use blue light blocking glasses when using electronics at night. Eat no later than 3 hours before bed.
Proper hydration — Drink spring water at room temperature with a pinch of Celtic salt on an empty stomach multiple times throughout your day.
Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimal focus? Please share a story or example for each.
Learn how to navigate without GPS — practice using a map and remembering street names around your neighborhood.
Learn how to listen to others — observe yourself as others are speaking. Are you one to always think of what you want to say next while others are still talking? Practice being fully present to what others are saying and resist the urge to interrupt.
Ten minute meditation practice daily — empty the mind from thought and focus only on the breath. If thoughts arise, observe them, let them go and come back to your breath.
As a leader, you likely experience times when you are in a state of Flow. Flow has been described as a pleasurable mental state that occurs when you do something that you are skilled at, that is challenging, and that is meaningful. Can you share some ideas from your experience about how we can achieve a state of Flow more often in our lives?
Living in flow takes practice at first but just like any habit, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. One must train their ego to resist the urge to be in control and have to calculate everything. With discipline and repetition your mind can relax and trust your body. Surrendering any resistance in the moment to what is arising is the recipe for flow state. It’s the ultimate trust in the dance of life.
Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Thank you. My team and myself have sparked a movement through our company Cymbiotika. That movement is predicated on each of us reclaiming our health by restoring our connection to nature and taking ownership of our lives. Our Cymbiotika family is growing everyday and the testimonials are pouring in from people of all ages all over the world.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Through our educational platform on Youtube and Cymbiotika’s Instagram, we are providing a support system for everything it takes to not just survive, but to thrive as a collective.
Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.
