Google has been a dream company for many in the tech world and despite massive layoffs in 2022, it remained one of the highest paying companies that year. Over the past few months, many Google employees have shared their experiences with the company on LinkedIn and we have often seen them praising the tech giant. Now, a man who spent 12 years at the tech giant says that spending time with yourself is quite important.

Frederic Paffardt, who served as Google’s first chief innovation evangelist in California, recently shared insights from his tenure and new book, “What’s Next Is Now: How to Live Future Ready.” Paffardt, who founded Google’s Innovation Lab and co-founded Google Garage, has played a key role in fostering a culture of innovation at Google. Before leaving the company in 2024, he created an environment where thousands of employees were encouraged to explore and experiment with new ideas.

In his book, Paffardt lays out three essential lessons that go beyond the realm of technology and can help anyone live a more meaningful life.

One of these lessons was the importance of spending time with yourself. Google has long encouraged meditation among its employees, offering mindfulness courses to help them stay open to new ideas and avoid negativity. Paffardt revealed that he practices meditation daily, which he believes is key to staying away from negative, reactive behavior.

“Spend time within yourself from time to time,” he said, reports Moneycontrol. “This is important because otherwise, you are on autopilot and driven by reactions rather than responses. Our reactions are usually negative, closed, non-empathetic, full of hatred and blame. Moving away from these is only possible through conscious practices,” he said.

In his book, he also talks about the power of adopting a “yes, and” mindset and imagining your future.

Often people take a pessimistic approach, focusing on why something won’t work. Paffardt suggests changing this mindset to a more positive “yes, and” approach, inspired by improv theater.

He also spoke about his decade-long experience as an assistant professor of design thinking at Stanford University. He said Google’s leadership promotes imagining an ideal, successful version of yourself and then outlining practical steps to achieve that vision. “Try to really visualize how you want to be in the future,” Paffardt advised. “This is powerful because it helps you understand where you want to go and influences your choices at the moment.”