Scarecrow

Brandon Scott 12/4/17 My first journal entry. I think its about time to sit down and get started with my life. I've written a few short stories and poems. Also, I have many ideas for novels I've been procrastinating. Haven't written in about a year. Been reading books and watching videos of self-help. A lot of information crammed into my mind. I haven't quite capitalized on any of it. I think it's time now to get to work, write and write some more. Study novels and study movies to learn good storytelling. Work on my vocabulary, grammar and writing style. Most of all build a habit of writing. That must come first for me before all else. Deliberate hardworking training to improve and become a world-class writer. Time is now, time is becoming precious.

Is there any sexual attraction after enlightment? get there’s Proably no desire for it after enlightment but can one still enjoy it after enlightment?

Notes from the "Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele: As our awareness of nuances grows, we learn that our ability to be nonviolent to others is directly related to our ability to be nonviolent within ourselves Our capacity to be nonviolent depends on our proactive practice of courage, balance, love of self, and compassion for others Seeking out people and experiences we would normally avoid provides a fertile place to learn new things about ourselves and about life. Even those who we would call enemies have much to teach us Fear creates violence Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to be afraid without being paralyzed by it Imbalance in our systems is almost a certainty for violence. as the dis-ease within us finds its way to express outward Creating balance in our lives isn't an easy thing. We are hungry noisy people bombarded with simulation and advertisements that promise to grant our deepest desires No more clutter but more space, space to reflect, space to journal, space for closure, space for imagination, and a space to feel the calling of the life force within us To be in tune with ourselves, we must get quiet and listen and then heed this inner voice Spreading ourselves thin looks impressive, but in the end, we are the first to lose Feeling powerless leads to outward aggression in the form of frustration and anger, or withdraw inward into depression and victimization. On a train riding through a dark tunnel and we can't see anything but darkness and anxiety We have a choice to take action and we have a choice to change the story we are telling ourselves about our powerlessness How we treat ourselves is in truth is how we treat those around us If you are lighthearted and forgiving of yourself, others will feel the ease and joy of being with you. If you find laughter and delight in yourself, others will be healed in your presence The color of how we treat ourselves is the color of how we treat others Our inability to love ourselves creates ripples- tiny acts of violence that have lasting impacts on others Thinking we know whats best for others becomes a subtle way we do violence. When we take it upon ourselves to help the other we whittle away their sense of autonomy Leave the other person free of our needs, free to be themselves, and free to see us as they choose We can't save people or fix them Handling challenges gives us each a sense of skill, self-esteem, and accomplishment There is nothing to fix or save in another; there is only the git of listening. People need a safe place to hear themselves We learn compassion as we dissolve our personal version of the world, and grow gentle eyes that are not afraid to see reality as it is. We learn compassion as we stop living in our heads Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure Chose to grow over the need to belong Real asks us to live from a place where there is nothing to defend and nothing to manage. Real is not always pleasant but it is trustworthy We are here to express our selves in a way that no one ever has or could Pretending takes a lot of energy We have to make a choice. We must either sacrifice a part of ourselves to maintain our belonging or we must risk the approval and support of the group by growing A person of substance is willing to stay present in life no matter what its initial unpleasantness. They know that staying present with the truth of the moment will add more depth to there lives and grow them up to be creative and responsible versus becoming a person who walks around with a rescue me sign We steal from ourselves our own opportunity to grow ourselves into the person who has the right to have the life they want When we compare ourselves to others we either find ourselves lacking or find ourselves superior which makes us arrogant. it's all an attempt to make us feel better about ourselves When we feel unhappy with ourselves we have a tendency to drag people down with us Be a forklift. always be lifting people us All the ways we live in the past or future steals from ourselves We need time to chew and ponder and allow the experiences of life to integrate within us. We need to reset, reflect and to contemplate We need to tend to our own growth and learning in areas of our own interests. We are engaged in the challenge and joy of building ourselves. everything everyone else is doing looks tempting to us Preparing ourselves for what we want is an exciting full-time job. It moves us away from any victim stories into full responsibility for our lives Without realizing it we have acquired an addiction like need for the repetition of feelings associated with that thing Pleasure without the addiction In a culture, if constant activity there always so much that needs to be done Don't ask what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who come alive Nonattachment, non-greed, non-clinging. Be willing to let go what we try to possess possesses us Let go and pack lightly for your journey through life To let go completely feels like suspension in the void We expect things to give us fulfillment the first second and third time. Our expectations keep us captive and often disgruntled Clutter in our minds blocks our freedom to expand and have space for the next thing life wants to bring us Attachments ruin our day when they are not fulfilled. Attachments make us boring. They make us blind to the opportunities around us. Attachments are like nailing ourselves to our need for someone or something to continue to be the same and to always be there for us in the same way Nonattachment frees us up to be immersed in the appreciation of life and one another. We are asked to let go of our clinging not the thing itself What wants to come to us is so great. and what we hold onto is often so small Mind is carrying the heavy baggage of victimhood Instead of striving to become someone lovable. why don't we love and accept ourselves fiercely as we are? can you leave yourself alone? We become safe with ourselves and we become a safe place for others. We become a person who can comfortably and compassionately sit with another without the need to fix them. We are everywhere but the present moment People in the west are always getting ready to live We tend to look at other peoples lives and see whats missing in our own As long as we think satisfaction comes from an external source, we can never be content. looking outward for fulfillment will always disappoint us Things are neutral. It's the personal labeling we put on these things that make them appealing or repulsive to us We it rains, let it Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone Develop an abiding calm. A centeredness that is unshakable. Like a tall tree so rooted in the earth that great winds cant topple it. We not only agree to what is in the moment, but we welcome it A crisis is a terrible thing to waste People and events don't disappoint us, our models of reality do We must be willing to look at the selfishness and greed and anger that lies in us but feed the greatness Have a beginners mind: know that you don't know. It is this stance of humility that opens the door to learning and revelation As we learn to stop fighting life we begin to act skillfully. As we begin to relax and release our rigid thoughts and muscles we begin to flow with life As we are able to let go of what we can't change, we are able to grow more and more into our unique gift and contribution to life itself

Way Of the Superior Man by David Deida A man is purposeful, confident and directed Live chosen way of life with deep integrity Totally turned on by the feminine live from your deepest core giving your gift (life purpose( Find humor in the unending emotional drama of women World and women will always present you with unforeseen challenges A superior man is always open A superior man is always honest Never betray your highest self or purpose to please woman listen to you women but in the end, make your own decision Life purpose is #1 priority Lean just beyond your fears Embrace women with your ultimate desire Women and world want to receive you for real Relax into the mystery of existence Women want to feel you are Shiva Women cant move you cause you are who you are If you are a purposeful man, then you want women to test you Women think in the present Praise is food for women, not advice A superior man opens a women's mood with superior loving 90% of women's problems come from feeling unloved Women are flowers that need watering She wants to relax and surrender (take the lead) Encourage her to be as free as the ocean No matter what a woman says or does give her love Master women, you master the world The priority of the masculine core is mission and purpose She will test your compacity to do what is right A women's complaint is a sign to get it together Be in charge, know where you are going You become more responsible by living your purpose Be open and strong then she will be able to trust you Relax your body and feel the chaotic waves of the feminine Circulate sexual energy through your body Be grounded in your vision and values, a pillar that cant be moved

War Of Art notes, "It's not the writing part that is hard. Whats hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is resistance." "Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two is resistance." "Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet." "Every sun casts a shadow, a geniuses shadow is resistance." "Resistance is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, harder to kick than crack cocaine." "Do we have to stare death in the face to make us stand up and confront resistance?" People will literally do anything to not do what they are meant to do. People become drug addicts and develop neurosis, and Hilter would rather start world war 2. "Resistance can be seen, heard, touched or smelled. It's negative. it distracts us from doing our work." "Resistance will tell us anything to keep us from doing our work. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit." "The more important a call or action is to us, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it." "The battle against resistance must be fought anew every day." When you overcome resistance, people around you act negatively towards it. Even more so if they are close to you. This is because they know they can do the very same thing. But they don't possess the emotional labor required, nor do they want to possess it. From this, they descend into victimhood. They only thing you can possibly do is act as an inspiration, and if no one follows you must keep moving. "Procrastination can become a habit. You don't delay one day, but the rest of your life." "Never forget: This very moment; we can change our lives." Resistance comes in any form that gives us instant gratification. Whether its drugs, sex, porn or shopping. It will take any form that gives a quick distraction from doing our work. When you see people acting as hardcore victims, you know they are dealing with resistance. Don't mind them or be like them. Stay true and act as an inspiration to the few who may decide to get out of that rut. "The artist is grounded in freedom. He is not afraid of it. He is lucky. He was born in the right place. He has a core of self-confidence, of hope for the future." "The truly free individual is only free to the extent of his own self-mastery. While those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern them."

Notes from "The obstacle is the way" by Ryan Holiday Within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve your condition See things as they truly are neither good or bad Focus on what you can control A mistake is a learning opportunity We decide what story to tell ourselves Domesticate emotions but don't pretend they don't exist Perception gives us information we don't need, learn to see things objectively We control our attitude, perspective, decisions, and determination Focus on the moment, not the monsters up ahead Not one person knows what you can or cant accomplish There is a positive in everything if we look for it Crisis is a blessing for a wise person That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger A clear head makes for steadier hands All that matters is what you do with what your given Accomplish it anyway, anywhere, anyhow Keep persistence, never in a hurry, never worried, never stop short Your in it for the long haul Defeat is only education Adversity hardens you, you grow Always be prepared for failure and ready for success See clearly, act correctly, accept the world as it is See things for what they are, and do what we can

Notes from Quiet by Susan Cain "The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some it's a Broadway spotlight; for others , a lamplit desk. Use your natural powers of persistence, concentration, insight, and sensitivity. To do the work you love and work that matters. Solve problems, make art, think deeply." "Respect your loved ones need for socializing and your own for solitude." "Students inhabit a world in which status, income, and self-esteem depend more than ever on the ability to meet the demands of the cultural personality. The pressure to entertain, to sell ourselves, and never to be visibly anxious keeps ratcheting up." "What if you love your calm and thoughtful self? what if you love knowledge for its own sake? what if you wish there were more reflective types in the world?" "Failure is what can happen if people prize assertiveness to highly." "Assertive people are good at getting there way but it doesn't mean they're going the right way." "We tend to overestimate how outgoing leaders need to be." "Good leaders are quiet, humble, modest, reserved, shy, gracious, mild-mannered, self-effecting, understated. We need leaders who build not on their egos but the institutions they run. They are more interested in listening and gathering information than in asserting their opinion or dominating a conversation. They are not concerned with gaining credit." "Most creative people are shy and live in their heads. Artists work best alone. A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought alone." "Deliberate practice is best conducted alone. Because it takes intense concentration and other people can be distracting. It requires deep motivation, often self-generated. But most important, it involves working on the task that most challenging to you personally."

Just some self-esteem notes if anyone is interested Self Esteem is only inner. It's about how you feel about your self and how comfortable you are with your self. You cant get the validation of your self-esteem from anyone. If you tell your self you are attractive, but also need people to verify that to fully make it true for you. That is not high self-esteem that is low self-esteem. It's all an inner game. If you truly believe you are attractive, if you truly believe your the best, if you truly believe you can get what you want, then it is so. What reality is, is how you feel about yourself. people respond to that instead of what is actually true. Judgment derives from low self-esteem or fake self-esteem. when someone criticizes you its a defensive mechanism for them self. Someone can be confident assertive and popular but still have a poor foundation and not like them self. They are always looking around to uphold their self-image and if they lose it they will be destroyed. Individuals with high self-esteem just cant hardly criticize others. they have no time for that they are consumed in them selfs to even stop and notice. High self-esteem individuals notice other high self-esteem individuals. They lead by example. To have high self-esteem you have to be content with loneliness. If you can be happy with yourself I believe that is a good indication you have high self-esteem. It is all inner work. Do not raise self-esteem by approval, popularity, and materialism. Nothing that can be taken away. You must be happy with no one nothing. only yourself and how you feel about yourself. Nothing external can create high self-esteem. Do not get addicted to approval like I did!!! Building self-esteem is a painful process. It requires you to look inward and requires complete honesty about where you stand. People become addicts of all kinds to avoid being conscious. People just sleepwalk through life. To build self-esteem one must not just know about it intellectually but to be conscious of it in there day to day life. That is the only way to fix it. There is always room to improve. You must look deep inside and be open to be wrong and to learn. You have to be truly interested in yourself and your feelings. Curiosity is a good way to improve your self-esteem. Once you start living consciously you are able to start practicing self-acceptance. Self-acceptance requires a lot of consciousness and introspection. without consciousness self-acceptance is impossible. It's a mind game that requires a lot of contemplation and unwiring. Within your consciousness, you are the most important thing. If you don't value yourself what good can you do for anyone and the world? If you were the last human on earth would you have low self-esteem? You must be your own best friend. You know you best. Be a little selfish!!! In the end, you have you and only you. So be nice to yourself and love yourself. Why not? If you ridicule yourself is that going to change anything? The clock is ticking you will be dead soon enough. Accept what you cant change, improve what you can. You are the most important thing in your reality. You are sculpting your own life. You don't have to like your flaws and mistakes but you can be at peace with them. You must feel your negative feelings fully and accept that they are there. Thinking independently is a good sign of high self-esteem. You are on your own in the world. No one really cares if you succeed or don't succeed. A lot of people including myself just wait around to be spoon feed. No one is coming, no one ever will. A person with high self-esteem does not wait around for validation to do something nor do they follow the herd. they think for themselves and make there own analysis on what to do with there lives. You and only you are responsible to change your life.

I’m a writer. I have written many short stories and writing a novel. And I have a deep fear that books are not going to be around anymore and writing novels will be a dead art very soon. Kinda feel like it’s a exuse to not to keep going. Every time I think about it it stops me in my tracks. Was wondering if anyone had any insights on this

Read the way of the superior man. I enjoyed it. But I'm curious to know if it ties into enlightment at all. He's mentions spirituality and ego death a lot. Is corolating it with enlightment or he uses the terms in a different way?

I found the systems thinking video interesting. But I can't grasp the purpose of it. Can someone give me more insight towards it?

I really hurt my best friend and we are not friends anymore. There's no going back and no way to repair it. It's destroying me because I was so close to this person and I'm just filled with guilt. Wanted to get advice on how to get over this and move on

This is just out of curiousity. Does anyone know any enlightened people that fallow a life purpose that is not just conciousness work? Like peter ralston and Tolle

I'm curious to know how ones sex life changes after enlightment. I figure you wouldn't desire it anymore. But I was wondering if you still have a sex drive after enlightment or still enjoy sex

Do you do travel the world any?

i practice stoicism and no I don't hold any dogma about it. It's been very practical and has helped me a lot. But I'm not to fimiliar with enlightenment and I've not yet began any practices like self enquirey. I wanted to know if there is any clashing between stoicism and enlightenment or it they connect in any way. I'd like Leo to answer thank you.

Hello, I feel like I have a problem with being to needy and jealous with my friends. I feel the need to always check my phone to see if any of them text me. Also I feel i would be jealous if they were to hang out together without me. I was wondering is anyone had advice or tips on how to stop being so clinging. I would like to have friends and not be so attached.

Hi, I'm a aspiring writer. All of Leo's suggested books on creativity are all amazing and changed me completely. But I was wondering if anyone knows of any other hidden gems about writing are creativity in general

@Emerald Wilkins thankyou, and big fan of your channel

@Arman Yeah I was thinking last night that might be a sneaky way of resistance

This is the most amazing book I have read so far. As a writer this was exactly the information I needed, a pure kick in the ass! I had no idea all the ways I create resistance, I didn't even know there was so many forms it comes in! I have eight books ideas I been putting on hold for so long, always thinking about them but never siting down once to write. I now write 5 pages a day, which makes a huge difference. Now I have more energy by doing what I know I should be doing. Each page of this book is a real slap in the face, but it doesn't make you more worried or upset that you been resisting your true callings. it calms you down, and frees you to peruse your art. I believe its a diverse book that can be used to defeat creative stalls, lose weight, meditate or anything that you just never get around to doing. The author relates very well, and makes you feel like your not alone.

Hi, my parents and sister are highly unhappy and negitive people. There always screaming and fighting everyday. Unlike them I'm very up beat and positive. So I tend to stay away from them and practice my self actualization work. I feel selfish for doing this while my family is crumbling. Should I be trying to help or should I just be taking responsibility for my self.

I was wondering if listening to music is a soft addiction. Because It feels like something I use to keep out of current reality and being aware. Also I can't go a couple of hours without listening to music, so I was wondering if it can be an addiction

@Sarah_Flagg I just always start day dreaming and stuff

Can you meditate while listening to ambient music or does that ruin the meditation?