phizzuela

Reading the posts above kind of makes me sad. Self actualization for me is not about shutting myself off from the rest of the world and retreating into my own positive thoughts bubble. Its like saying “oh everyone is suffering and the whole world goes to hell but I dont give a shit 'cause I dont want to be concerned with that kind of stuff, it makes me think negatively“. If we all just do self development work and are only concerned with what is in front of our nose, we are kind of what society wants us to be: unconcerned egotistical individuals, unable to relate to each other. You guys have a valid point in saying that a lot of news doesnt necessarily give you more information, so I agree with you that you should consume the news consciously and filter it. There is a lot of low consciousness talk in the media, but you have this everywhere (I dare to say: even here!), but as a thinking person, you are able to filter it out. If it makes you think negatively, then counter balance this with positive thinking techniques, but dont screen it out of your life completely. Politics is real, if you like it or not.

"I am still learning." - Michelangelo

I only can affirm the experiences of the other vegans out here. I'm a vegan for 5 years now, vegetarian for 10 years. If you do it more or less right, you'll feel healthier, have more energy, and be more conscious about food and what it is doing to your body. For me, veganism fits perfectly to self-actualization and self-development, and it is a paradigm for how changing yourself can have an impact to the world. When I started, I still was kind of an outsider and it was somehow hard to actually find vegan substitutes for e.g. cheese and meat, but what was going on over the last couple of years is simply amazing concerning that; it is so easy to go vegan right now that there isn't really any good excuse not doing this. Sure, vegan substitutes are still more expensive, but I wouldn't suggest you to buy much of them anyways, just stick with the unprocessed vegetables (if you argue that fresh vegetables are too expensive: well, then a healthy lifestyle in general seems to be too expensive for you). Sure, in the beginning it's hard to go that step, most of us have been conditioned our whole lifes to eat meat, milk, cheese and all kind of crap. It's only natural to procrastinate and bullshitting oneself with cheap excuses. Fortunately, we already have the tools at hand: just go on www.actualized.org.

Good Clean Fun.

Meeting your ex is unnecessary I think. Your problem is purely internal, not external. Acceptance means dropping certain beliefs and creating others, so you need to introspect in order to refigure your belief system. That may mean to change a number of beliefs, not just one. The problem may be that you conditioned yourself to think him to be forever yours, and this now bites you in the ass. Be absolutely honest with yourself and ask questions like - do I still consider my ex to be 'mine' in any sense? - Is being in a relationship possessive?Do people 'own' each other? - Do I feel superior to my ex and is this superiority threatened by seeing him not needing me? -Does his new love have any characteristics I'm jealous of? - Do these characteristics threaten my identity? And so on. It may takes some time, but you will overcome your jealousy if you keep introspecting. Good luck.

Sure, if scepticism is right we cannot know anything and so the scientist is all wrong, too. Since we can't rule out the sceptic scenario (that we are deceived all the time), this is always a possibility. But still, the scientific method brings us more likely to the truth than any other method, because it tries to assume as little as possible (called premises, or dogmas if you will) and still explains as much as it is able to (with deduction). Therefore, there is really no other option that is less dogmatical. The philosophy of science also applies that to metaphysics, where all theorizing starts: Be as parsimonious with your assumptions as possible. Any metaphysical explanation that is not modelled according to that principle is weak. Why? Because it is easy to tell a story about the world and explain everything by just assuming and claiming things (the world is created by a pink unicorn and so forth), but really really hard to explain something like physics with only a handful of assumptions (like Newton did). So yes, the scientific method certainly has its limits, but any other method has the same problem (scepticism) plus is more dogmatical. Thus, the scientific method is our only option.

Cologne, Germany.

Thanks for the tip man, watched the first dvd and seems good to me. Its been a while since I read Napoleon Hill, so this is great for refreshing everything and seeing it applied in another context

I use to drink something hot (tea) to keep me energized and hydrated. Open up your window once in a while, make small breaks when you get the feeling that you cant concentrate anymore. Sugar of course can be helpful, but be careful with that. Also it is really a matter of skill to keep focused and to stick with your book, a skill that develops naturally the more you read. Meditation sharpens your focus (you can combine that by meditate in your reading breaks). I also find that reading is a lot easier in the morning when my mind is still fresh. I also read in the evening before I sleep, because it really gives you a sound sleep (which you already found out ), but also because you memorize things best in the time frame before you fall asleep.

Though it seems to be hard, try to accept it. There is something within you that is still unhappy how things evolved, something still resists in accepting the situation as it is. You may regret your decision of breaking up with your ex, and the famous 'what if' question wanders through your subconscious mind. But things are as they are, try to shake off your thoughts about the past and live in the moment. You can do that by becoming more aware of your inner state, your feelings, your beliefs about your past and present relationship. Its up to you how you going to do it (meditation, journaling, contemplation), but try to become more conscious about the situation; consciousness is key for acceptance. If you really still feel sympathy for your ex, wish him the best and kiss him goodbye for good.

Thanks for the assurance Vlad! Thought I might be missing something. Nightlife has so much to offer (I'm a student) and I barely see the point in giving up all that just because I want to do my meditation+affirmation+workout routine before I go to work/university (I want to keep a constant rhythm). How do you guys handle that, especially at the weekend? Or do you justnever go out at night?

I know there is a topic on waking up on time, but here I want to focus on the question of why waking up EARLY should be beneficial to my life. To me it seems that there is a broad consensus in the self-development scene that waking up early e.g. helps you to get shit done. But for a healthy life, you have to catch your 8 hours sleep anyways, so whats the point in, say, waking up at 6 am and go to sleep at 10 pm, or waking up at 9 am and go to bed at 1 am? Shouldn't I find my own rhythm compatible with my work and social environment instead of forcing myself dogmatically to wake up at 6 am?