ThePoint

Why do you want to be a programmer? Is it your life purpose or part of it?

I know about this and still do it. But there is something in my psyche that is stopping the journaling practice from "clicking", if you know what I mean. It refuses to be relieved. I just want it to get out of my head. I want to live in the present moment. Its pull is just so strong... it uses arguments that trigger the survival aspect of my brain. My paranoia says "Noooo... you need to be on the lookout for threats. You need to survive." – PLEASE JUST SHUT UP!!! I BEG YOU! A healthy diet. No junk food, processed foods, no drinks other than water, nothing unhealthy. I've tried many diets (see my reply above) but with little to no success.

@Bojan V This sounds very good. But the hard part is... where can I find someone like this? I have heard about IFS Therapy. What are your thoughts on that? Does it fit the description of "trauma informed, psychodynamic depth psychotherapy"? Ah... that's what I forgot to mention - I have also tried multiple diets; carnivore, ketogenic, paleo, autoimmune paleo, plant-based (did not work). None of them made any noticeable impact. I was so optimistic that at least one of those diets would work when I was experimenting with them, but to no avail. Never have, and probably never will. I'm grateful that I have never touched either of them because I can pretty much guarantee I would get addicted to them with what my life is like right now. Ah... there it is - Another IFS Therapy recommendation I've seen IFS Therapy being recommended so many times on this forum, it's time I actually try it. What is the best way to go about it? Read the books? Go to a IFS certified therapist? @Ulax What are your thoughts? @Raze Is ultramind solution the book by Dr. Hyman?

@Mesopotamian Yes. At the very least, there always a sense of underlying anxiety. Even as I am writing this reply to you. I can feel it in my body. No. Quite the opposite. It's the worst when I first wake up. As soon as I wake up, I get a rush of anxiety - like something bad is going to happen and I have no control over it. I also feel extremely exhausted every time I wake up, which adds to how hard it is to get out of bed.

The main reason why I am asking this question is because I've realized that I have a huge attachment to my reputation. I want to learn how the hell Leo deals with people trying to tarnish his reputation because they misinterpret him. If you simply just google "Leo Gura" or "Actualized.org", on the very first page you will see multiple results of critiques of him, a Rational Wiki page, Reddit posts and Quora posts telling people to "be wary of him" and saying that he is a scam, etc. If I was in Leo's position, I would be really anxious and fearful. Everything on the internet is immortalized. Once it's out there, it's permanently out there. Everything you say or do on the internet can be permanently tied to your name, brand, and reputation. And Leo knows that most people will misinterpret him, because he just says things how it truly is. If he didn't want to be misinterpreted he would simply not communicate the Truth as it is (e.g. "You are God" "I am God") etc. In fact that is what most spiritual teachers do, they withhold a lot of teachings and instead let people realize the Truth for themselves, so they don't say it the way Leo does because of how many people would misinterpret what's being communicated. How do you do it Leo? I want to learn and implement whatever it is you do to not be phased by the controversy.

@Applegarden8 How do you know you don't need to attend them? Like what? Examples?

You're right. But I am not saying I would give up because of criticism. I am just worried about how it would affect my ability to actualize making a living from my life purpose. What are you saying?

@Leo Gura Brand and reputation helps with meeting material needs like financial freedom. Doesn't that matter? Another question: Would you say that people care more about the value you provide rather than your personal story? I am curious to know whether telling your audience your personal story is beneficial, and if so, how beneficial it is.

@RendHeaven But I think Leo has done more damage to his brand with how upfront he is than good. Sure, there is a small minority of us who admire him even more for how brave he is, but I'm sure the majority of people think he's gone crazy. Because the majority = Stage Orange. @SourceCodo What is an odd place? @Gidiot Really? I don't think the treatment they got was as bad as the treatment Leo gets though. Not only are there pages and pages critiquing Leo, there are literally entire channels dedicated to "exposing" him and making a joke out of him. Imagine having entire channels and pages dedicated to tearing you down. I wish I had the ability to not give a fuck like Leo does, I still don't understand how he does it.

@Leo Gura How is it nothing to think about? It hurts the image people have of you and it hurts the business side of your life purpose. I don't understand how you are so calm about it Leo. I really admire your ability to say what you want to say without any concern for how polarizing you may seem to many people. Do you fear getting killed because of what you teach? It seems like the most selfless people have the shortest lives because they tend to be a huge target due to their teachings seeming so threatening to the collective ego (society). Have you ever gotten death threats?

How can I stop worrying about scenarios that could ruin my life? I am not talking about small “What if” things like failing a job interview or being rejected. I am talking about “What if” situations that can ruin your life indefinitely. Scenarios like being falsely accused, being framed, going to jail, etc. These risks are always there in most things we do. These are the ones that I am worried about. I know one completely innocent person whom this happened to. He was framed for something he did not do. He’s served 4 years of his sentence so far. Not to mention how many reports there are of people being found innocent 20 years after their conviction. They were in prison completely innocent for 20 years. That’s just sad and it could happen to any of us. How do I stop worrying about such things potentially happening? It’s all an imaginary scenario in my head but it causes me suffering.

@Leo Gura Another thing that these fears make me think is: "Imagine this happened to me. All of that hard work and sacrifice on building up my life and working to become a millionaire/financialy free for the past 10-20 years would have been for nothing." Is this irrational and/or delusional? Let's say that did actually happen. Would it truly have all been for nothing?

@Leo Gura Is it possible to forget about these fears and imaginary scenarios I have in my mind? I've found that my mental/emotional state of being was better when such thoughts never even crossed my mind. I think that what I should be thinking is that such dire scenarios doesn't make them any less likely to occur. However, my mind plays a trick on me and says "No, you need to think more about this. Better safe than sorry." Why is my mind so irrational? I can intuit that there is something wrong with the way that I am thinking (likely why I even made this post), but I can't exactly pinpoint what it is. There is something that I am not seeing here. @Rokazulu I don't feel like the odds are the same. I do think that makes sense though. I should just focus on thoughts that make me feel good rather than instill fear in me? Fear is an emotion after all right?

How did you discover it was completely false? Wait isn’t that good news then? That means I can control what I attract by controlling what I pay attention to. How long did it take for you to overcome this fear? How did you overcome it? Well of course the people that actually do such actions or anything similar have a much higher chance of it happening to them. But it totally happens to completely innocent people who have never done anything bad before. It could be being mistaken as a suspect by a witness. It could be being framed by someone you trust. It could be your clients if you work with people on on one.

I have never tried or bought psychedelics before. This is partly why. I am paranoid about getting caught buying them or possessing them. Even if I were to successfully buy them, use them, and not get caught, I would still have the feeling of needing to look over my shoulder. I have thoughts like: “Maybe I could not get caught at first. But what if they figure it out 5 years later and I get charged?” Leo says that fear is resistance to a future experience. That is true. The experience of being imprisoned is not what I want. So yes, I do have resistance to the experience of being imprisoned because I got caught for possession or purchasing of psychedelics. I really want to explore myself and reality but this fear feels like a life or death situation. People freely talk about psychedelics on the internet. People freely talk about psychedelics in YouTube videos like Leo and Joe Rogan. Entire trip reports are written on this forum. How do they do it without any fear? How can I overcome this fear? How can I stop this feeling of needing to look over my shoulder?

@Thought Art So they can't arrest you just off of something you said on the internet? Like what if you said you did some crime 5 years ago, but you only said it on the internet. Won't they come get a warrant to investigate you or something?

@Vincent S Yes it is only in my mind. I have never experienced it nor is it real in my current experience right now other than it just being a thought. However, we still need to be cautious right? I am still not sure how to draw the line between fear and caution. @Leo Gura I am wondering the same thing. @Gregory1 Because what if police get a warrant to search my home?

I keep compulsively texting and chatting with some people even though I don't care about them. I don't even see myself talking to these people in a year from now, I just still talk to them because we are in the same school. But I can't stop talking to them and texting them. Every time we get in a conversation via messages I compulsively respond even though I should be doing other things. This is because I care about what they think of me. I have ADHD so this might be Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. But I need to stop caring about such trivial things like what people think of me. I have a limited time on this life and I feel like I am wasting so much of my time by caring about what people think of me. Are there any good books, courses, or material on this topic?

Leo said in his The Power of Letting Go video that neuroticism is holding on and clinging to something without being able to let it go. That is exactly me. I am being neurotic in that I can't let go of what I am holding on and clinging to. Why can't I just let it go? I know logically that it is not serving me but I still can't let it go.

I'm paranoid about literally everything. I think of the worst case scenario in literally every single situation. It's severely limiting me in my life. When I talk to someone through messages I always consider the possibility that they could screenshot everything, take it way out of context, make a story, and put me to jail or prison. This is possible but it's extremely unlikely, but my mind still keeps fucking fixating on the worst case scenario of everything. I can't even talk to people normally because my mind keeps fixating on the possibility that they could use whatever I say against me at some point in the future if they develop a grudge towards me for whatever reason. This feels like an actual illness. It's not me that's paranoid but my mind that's paranoid, it's causing me so much suffering. I also care a lot about what others think of me. I know logically that this isn't serving me BUT I STILL CARE ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF ME! WHY THE FUCK DO I CARE ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK OF ME? IS THERE SOME SHADOW WORK THAT I NEED TO DO? SOME BOOK I SHOULD READ? WHAT SHOULD I DO?

@Jodistrict Are psychedelics legal in Mexico? What psychedelics has he tried?

Does Ralston even have experience with psychedelics? Has he ever tried them? If he hasn't, how could he talk about something that he hasn't even tried? Where can you find shaman?

2 and a half years ago, I masturbated for the first time in my life. This is thanks to my classmates in high school being surprised that I never masturbated given my age, and they were telling me I was missing out and that I have to try it. So poor little ignorant me tried it out, with no prior knowledge of the potential destruction this habit can cause. If only I had known... I ejaculated so much that it was as if 3 years worth of semen was just waiting to burst out of my dick, which was probably the case. I still remember the video I did it to. It was so pleasurable, just like a drug. Ever since then I haven’t been able to go more than 3 weeks without masturbating. It’s not even as enjoyable as it used to be, it doesn’t feel the same anymore. Every time I do it, I get a hangover effect that lasts for 4-5 days. Yet I still keep doing it. It’s literally not serving me in any way but I still keep doing it. How do I stop?

@Raze Hahaha... I already read that book months ago along with the audio narration and even printed out that shinzen PDF sheet to put it right next to my bed. Yet I still do it. Thanks for sharing the resource though. The easypeasy method was useful but I think I might just need to read it again. I don't know why I am still doing it. I've been meditating for 5 minutes a day, but I don't feel like I am getting any results from it. Maybe it takes more time.