Vaishnavi

Edit: It would be great if you'd share the insight/realisation which you have personally experienced.

Hey! I know starting yoga by yourself can be a challenge since you want everything "right". The right breathing technique and the yoga posture, its completely normal. I know since we're in the same boat. Now this might sound cliched but it is the key to effective yoga practice, listen to your body, always. I realised this for myself. Lets say if you're doing some movement and maybe your body tells you that you can make a certain modification here and there then go for it, even if it isn't an "established posture". Don't overdo it but experiment with it. It works. Its like your body starts telling you how to really carry forward with the movement and for how long. And btw there is no established "ideal situation", you create one depending on what feels right for you. Really. As far as full body workout goes, you can start with loosening exercises (really recommend upayoga by Sadhguru) followed by some basic poses (cat-cow, child's pose, downward dog etc.) Really experiment with different poses. If you feel like making a particular body stretch, go forward with it gently. Also i'd recommend including pranayama since it does wonders. I find these two channels of great help. https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene https://www.youtube.com/user/yogatic

You're in for a surprise then. The obsession with engineering and medical here is good enough to give you nausea. The system sucks the life out of you and since it has personally affected me and since I see people around me grappling with it everyday, I'm more drawn towards the field. People here need a paradigm shift really, which is a greater challenge.

Interesting. Startups have always fascinated me due to the complexity and challenge they offer. More than health care, it is the educational system that I personally am drawn to, and yes its a complex and abstract one to work with. I've not given much thought to research but thanks for suggesting, I'll look into it. And also I like this thought of yours- the more vague the title is, the better it is because it's more holistic that way Makes sense. Like being the CEO of some giant corporate company or our own personal development, there isn't a well established way of doing the work the reason why its holistic, and definitely intriguing Is there a particular reason why you suggest the idea of being a medicine practitioner? I mean how will this field specifically help me to max out my holistic skills?

sorry I'm reviving this old post but I couldn't myself from asking, @electroBeam have you considered systems thinking? Working with complex social systems (education, government, health etc.) and bringing a massive change in there? reading your post was like reading my own thoughts so I really want to know what you're up to now with your life purpose? if you're comfortable sharing..

Guess it's more about finding your own balance, what suits you. Leo's video on Balance is very underrated. You just can't take up what Musk says or what Leo says. You gotta find your own balance and shift it the way you like, according to your needs and situation. And another point, leaning on just one side of the spectrum is dangerous. Yes Leo advocates minimum lifestyle but I'm sure he had to and still puts in "80 hours a week" to run Actualised.org; and again, minimal lifestyle is advocated to cut out the bullshit that we engage in so that we have room for clarity and focus. You sometimes do need minimum activities to put in maximum focus in areas that do matter.

here's what I have learned: That I don't know. I simply don't. and that experience is the only real thing that is there, everything else is bullshit and you better experience that before nodding your head that you understand. You know I was a commerce student up until high school but now I've taken arts cause I want to study the subject and when people ask me what do I do, I tell them I study, arts. And then they kinda look at me funny and then I look at them funny and then we change the topic.

one thing that I can suggest is taking up someone else's motivation might not last long. Lately I've realised that I'm highly disconnected to my body, that I don't know what it is like to actually feel my skin, feel my body, feel the air that i'm taking in, that I ain't grounded in my system cause I take it for granted. Genuinely and authentically connecting to my body and feeling every cell, the blood, the breath, my skin, is what I genuinely crave for now, so even if I do get lazy, I somehow catch up cause I stay mindful of the fact how disconnected I am. I now want to work on my health for its own sake, because I want to feel what it is like to be in my skin and not because I have to for a quality life or something. so maybe keep your overall health in mind instead of just exercising. Once you develop a strong enough reason for why you want "good health", disciplining the mind for exercising gets easy. Like describe in rich details what you want your health to be like and do it not out of obligation but because you want to, so write when you are actually inspired to. P.S. I'd highly recommend Yoga. It leads to holistic development of the system (strength, flexibility, willpower, calm etc.)

@Leo Gura You've always been fascinated by the big picture and that is what you strive towards, having the best possible understanding of life. You've studied everything (almost) from psychedelics and science to health and dating to spirituality and history and society and biology and whatever, I mean everything you thought was necessary, and of course was fascinating and a part of the big picture; and you continue to educate yourself. So my question to you is how do you integrate your studying? Everything is deeply related to each other and therefore it becomes all the more easy to get distracted, it's as if one thread leads to the other and it never ends; it also gets overwhelming. So how do you really maintain your focus with one thing at a time (not getting caught in all the threads that lead to one another) and how do you above all integrate your knowledge, assemble it all and organise it to bring a more grounded and profound conclusion? Jumping from micro to macro and vice versa?

If you've for real implemented all of these activities and are able to stick to them, then you're one solid being. Here I'm grappling with sticking with just one simple consistent yoga habit for the past 3 months. Gosh, how do you do it?

I was waiting to make this post for a very long time but after watching leo's recent video, I didn't wanted to wait anymore. If anyone can share books they have personally read and benefitted from concerned with strategising and effective planning, I'd be grateful.

You know a post like this (or even someone's trip report) can be very inspiring for those who start to lose hope, or those who're having a hard time getting things in place. It's like a reminder of the life that is possible for all of us. Thanks for sharing

Exactly my point. I can relate very well and this is why it's important that you actually learn to be very clear with what you want to do otherwise it's just random action(in Leo's word, keeping busy) which of course leads you nowhere. Also it can be a huge distraction since you refuse to stick to one thing at a time. However, it's completely ok to not know. It's ok to not know everything. Learn to allow things to unfold and accordingly make decisions. It might seem that I'm contradicting my own point. What I am trying to communicate is that you need to be clear with what you ultimately want. Truth, fullfiling life purpose (even if currently you don't know what exactly it is), good health, authentic relationships etc. The ultimate strategic intent. The little details will come by with time and effort but by vision, I mean the end of it all. The big picture. Make a list of it (all your interests and authentic desires) then organise it well. Divide it (if you want) into abstract (eg. authentic relationships) and concrete goals (eg.clear life purpose). Clarity is important but you will also have to accept that things for the majority of time will not work out the way you initially planned. Look up for How to be a strategic MF and design your vision even if it's not crystal clear. Also whatever vision you come up with you will have to review and revise it every single day (literally) in order to polish it from time to time. And then it will be easy for you to gain clarity and install the right habits. I'd suggest you to use a laptop or the computer for writing your goals and plans because that way it's easy to manage, organise and edit. On paper it's a struggle.

@sleeperstakes One of the best ways in which I believe one can begin is by creating a clear vision. Try watching Leo's video on becoming an effective strategist, its very powerful. Like really design and plan ahead because then it would be easy for you to strategically install habits since you cannot (and don't need to) install all of them. However if you want to start with something major, (since I can see you've done quite some work already) I'd recommend you to start with physical detoxification. Detoxification at a very deep and cellular level. This is huge and will be a big leap for you. It's worth the time and is sustainable, something I myself am working on. Try reading The detox miracle sourcebook by Robert Morse (a free PDF is available online).

I presume that it takes a certain level of maturity and deep authentic work to get to the state of being comfortable with really not knowing, trust me otherwise it's tormenting. You comfortable with not knowing?

Dealing with the same problems every single day, over and over again, the same person, the same argument, the same criticism and judgement, and above all not recognising it as a problem. Also victim mentality, laziness and blaming. An example of society would very well resonate. The same problems (war, terrorism, poverty, income gap, heated debates over beliefs and religion) All of this has always existed and will continue to exist cause everyone's busy pointing their fingers at others cause, Hey! I'm too lazy to do the real work. And it's only going to get worse with all the 'progress'

You sir have an excellent opportunity to set a solid foundation for yourself, something that you must strive towards cause once you have your foundation set, it's then that you can move forward with bigger projects. And btw there is no "top 10" or something, just take up what you feel will help you to set the foundation and work on it. Here is what helped me and would be convenient for you as well- How society fuc*s you in the ass How to study (don't dismiss it if you haven't watched it cause most people don't do the real education) How to get shit done Mastery (Leo's old video) The root cause of every addiction Subtle addictions His video on Self acceptance The role of balance in personal development (this is where he talks about how you yourself will have to find your own balance) His video on Taking responsibility and victim mentality His videos on emotional intelligence (he has a whole bunch of videos but you can save them for later) His introductory video on what life purpose is and what it can do for you. Fake growth vs real growth It was when I was writing this down that I realised that there are more than you need. Just avoid being caught up in this trap of mental masturbation. Theory is important but then do it the right way.

@emind I feel you. I'm exactly in your position with way too many interests. I infact feel like a 4 year old with too many questions and too many "passions". What I'm trying to do is to start somewhere. I've picked up a specific area and I'm working in it to learn more about the field. I haven't taken the life purpose course but I'm sure it is of great help. What I did however was to find my top values and see if the particular field would incline with it. For instance I discarded the idea of being a pianist cause it doesn't align with my values though I thought it was my "passion". Don't force the values however, I haven't found all my top 10 but the ones I do have are the ones I'm certain of. I can understand the frustration but don't try to fit in the answers, I tried and tricked myself into believing that I've found my life purpose but it was only me trying to avoid the pain of not knowing. Theory and research has its own place but so does experience. Do some research and pick up something specific, something that you're deeply interested in and something that aligns with your values, and try to engage yourself in the field, it will be your intuition from time to time that will guide you then. Anyway, now you know you're not alone in this rut, we can always talk

Most of the films are listed here already. However there are a few Bollywood films which are equally entertaining and positive. So if you can arrange for subtitles you might wanna checkout- Zindagi na milegi dobara (about living life to the fullest) sultan (about getting up when life knocks you down.. but you can skip this one of you like) 3 idiots (which is about following your passion) Queen (finding one's true worth.. umm it's more about a woman who moves on her honeymoon all alone after her fiance calls off the wedding) Dangal (based on a true story, about finding a way out of the problem, and not really caring about society) PK (interesting take of an alien on the world and religion especially) -- Also I enjoyed watching How to train your dragon series, Wild starring Reese Witherspoon, The Walk and Into the wild. I don't know if they necessarily promote 'growth' but they're worth watching.

Living forever sounds an intriguing idea on the surface but life would then lose its vitality for me, all of it. My procrastination would only get worse, those I love will die before me, AI would take over the world and I'll continue to stagnate, and of course encountering world wars and seeing this forum turn into another Facebook or Reddit (or religion) would be too painful. Na, I'm fine with an expiry date.

Yep. A few deserve it. https://www.google.co.in/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/39984640

Learning what life is, who I am and what world is, who we are and what is the gist of it all keeps me motivated. I don't know if it is pursuing the "truth" but it is powerful. Maybe this too is another "pot" or something that exists in future but for me life is happening all the time and I want to know the why and how. Also being a part of 'life' and experiencing and appreciating all its colours is something which keeps me motivated. However an embarrassing motivation in the form of fear of ending up 'normal' is sometimes good enough to get me out of bed.

@jjer94 the real pain transpires when you become aware that you're using the perfume to avoid the trash, but then you continue to do it anyway because facing the shit is too painful. Nice work though. I really appreciate your courage to open up and freely talk about your experiences, especially the unpleasant ones.

I can relate to you quite a lot. And I understand what you're trying to communicate since I myself am struggling with it. What I've discovered is keeping education simple (don't confuse it with easy, I mean simple) works i.e. Keeping the process of raising 'IQ' simple is imp. I've tried different methods and techniques but Its just another form of procrastinating, not doing the real work. At least that was what I found for myself. You mentioned that you're a holistic thinker (hi five) and loves te process of connecting the dots, well go for it. Whatever you study, give yourself some time to settle with it and try to connect it with different aspects of life, especially with the ones you're fond of. Makes sense? You don't have to move according to the established "rules" for studying. Do it the way you like it. Also I agree with the point of physical exercise, take up a sport maybe. It's way more interesting to indulge in a sport than going to the boring gym.