Corte

Life has become constant stimulation, from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep. We simply need to become aware of all of the useless things we do just to occupy time, and minimalize those. Going out and working on connecting better with others is time worth spent for you. Constantly spending time with friends that you don't really care for deep down just so you aren't alone for a few hours, is what needs to be ended! Its all about truth and balance. Be true to yourself and balance what you feel is necessary for your growth and peace. You're literally trying grow an area of yourself, there's not many better ways of spending your time!

Hey Joey Leo's episode today fits nicely here. It's really the foundation you might be looking for to get back up on your feet. Listen to it multiple times and take it to heart. The things you claim to lack don't bring happiness. Sex, fighting, bonds, respect dont make you more of a man, and they definitely don't make you successful. It took balls to make this post. You're more of a man for getting these feelings out than any guy who fucks bitches and beats other guys up. If you need someone to talk to, I'm all ears!

the way that you achieve this control is not by losing or finding it, but simply realizing you never needed it to begin with.

What is stupid: allowing yourself to think/live through only your five senses. A regurgitation machine of the same muck over and over. You can't ALWAYS be doing doing doing.

@Mal I agree, I guess this common issue is labeling certain thoughts/feelings/emotions as wrong or bad which means to stay away from it or get rid of it immediately. This is so deeply ingrained in our heads it's nearly impossible to think any other way. Even though it sounds like a primitive instinct, it's still very much alive in family dynamics and peer groups. Allowing these thoughts to flow just as freely as things we like or things that are pleasurable breaks us free from mental traps/regurgitation. Thank you for your depth as usual, and colorful vocabulary!

It's important at this point in your development to not fall into the Us vs. Them mentality. Yes, people around you may have unconscious and neurotic behaviors as Leo talks about, but this doesn't mean they are toxic. Don't get me wrong, toxic people exist but you will have a much stronger feeling to just avoid them. This includes illegal, addictive, obsessive, detrimental behaviors. You can learn from those around you and they can learn more from you. You can connect with anyone you want to, sometimes it will be more difficult to do so but its not impossible. Just try to be more mindful in these situations and don't feel the need to label or identify people constantly. Regarding loneliness, it doesn't exist outside of you. You've put yourself in a place where you no longer relate to people around you. It may be worse now because you are attempting to fill an emotional void by being with a friend but now everyone you know is "toxic" so you have no one. Do you think you would be able to detach from behaviors you don't like (from yourself and those around you) so that you can reconnect in a more fulfilling way without sacrificing your personal growth? Through this possibly helping those who seem toxic at the same time?

It may seem like the world is a horrible place but it's all a matter of what you can see. I think most people understand everything you said here but find it difficult to do something different. It's easier (short term) to surrender to the way things are and adopt victim mentality. The lifespan you illustrate worked great in the 1900's and before. It made incredible advancements and created amazing lives for people. Its not a trap, you're not a slave. Its simply a time of change where the old is fading away and the new is being created. A couple generations ahead of us will probably think our "new way" of living is miserable and a waste of life. You don't enjoy this road map of life? Do something different.

twitter is like a big app of mental quicksand. It's just a bunch of egos running around yelling at eachother. I deleted all social media accounts of mine and it was tough at first but it's worth it. Your phone battery will thank you too. A game I play is I try to see how high I can keep my battery percentage by time I go to sleep at night. My best so far is about 80%!

You can pursue a higher state of being/consciousness and still have the career. This has the possibility of making you much more successful. No one is telling you you must be enlightened ASAP, the goal here is to stop neurotic/unconscious human tendencies holding everyone back; to make life much much more enjoyable. Do what you feel is best. While you're pursuing your career in the real world, would you rather be in victim mode and become depressed and anxious whenever something goes wrong? Or would you be interested in a process that feels to naturally flow effortlessly?

this is only another concept, but it might shed some insight into the nature of reincarnation. I think we as humans really underestimate our power. With the help of religion we are taught that we are simple beings under the control of a higher power which we have no chance of replicating. This entire existence is because of the contrast of nothing and something. The nothingness that makes up consciousness creates everything that we know. We are a creator. There was a study done in which people were told to think about a certain phenomenon (aliens, angels, god) before entering sleep paralysis. Of course the people that believed in UFOs and alien encounters were abducted and probed in a hyperrealistic experience. The people who strongly believed in God had a spiritual experience involving angels and heaven, or an image of Jesus. They all felt this was real, and that it really took place in real space. This is why there are so many different truths that are fought over, because something is real to everyone but not everyone can believe that everything is real. People become addicted to this world and their ego so much that if they leave too soon that attachment/manifestation has so much momentum that it doesn't end with the physical body. This is why suicide doesn't help people, the pain theyre experiencing doesn't end with the body. I think one of the benefits of enlightement allows you to break free of the physical and to experience it finally without attachment, which allows you to leave this existence when your body dies. In conclusion, we experience what we believe and create. These concepts might make sense and make me feel like I know these answers, but they are only that: concepts. I think reincarnation is just as real/not real as anything else you've created. All I know is it's fascinating to think about.

this is a classic design by ego. By making you feel less, she can feel more (on the surface of course) but this balance can only exist in a person completely identified with their physical body and ego. She makes you feel the pain she feels in herself, which she chooses to ignore. You feel this pain simply because you've given up control, literally to her, and to your lower self at the same time. You made yourself vulnerable by being honest and open, something that is necessary for a relationship. I'm guessing this is one of her greatest fears and chooses to stay closed and guarded to avoid being hurt. She might've used this to her advantage without reciprocating. She knows you may have been "right" in the end but she can't accept this so her solution is to "make you" feel like this. Truth is, you have the ability to control how you feel and she has no power over you. It's a good thing she's your ex, you know what to avoid in the future. But you can also use this experience to grow and to learn more about feelings you may be covering up.

It was more of a memory or realization, this heaviness and solidness I felt from inside my body. The best way I can describe it is imagining a solid iron block inside of a plastic box and gently shaking it so that it bumps the sides. It's something that I've never seen before but as it was introduced I felt like I've always known this sensation. Has anyone ever experienced anything similar to this?

I just want to assure you that you are making great progress already in this moment, I find that when I learn about/research my problems, they begin to dissolve. I'd encourage you to learn as much as you can about every aspect of this. I'm sure the men/fellow bros in your life have contributed countless awful beliefs. In my opinion, if the feeling of anxiety is magnified by your partner to begin with, she's probably not worth your time. Sex is a beautiful connection shared by people, it's not something that should be judged or used for recreation. I guess I'm saying you should redefine your entire perspective of sex. Something that brings peace to the subject, like realizing that the importance placed on it by society as the ultimate goal, is not true. You can also use this feeling/issue as source of deeper understanding within yourself. Is it possible you're attempting to fill a void through these interactions? What is it that you wish to be fulfilled? What do you really want from all of this?

Simply allow yourself to watch the breath, watch your thoughts flowing through your head, sometimes you will get lost in a thought form or start to wander, just guide yourself back to your observing position. Dont judge your thoughts as right or wrong, detach from them and just be still. This will become easier with practice, first it is important to just be able to disconnect from all external stimulation and be alone and quiet for a little while. Just take it simply, use this time to learn about yourself and will yourself to go a little deeper each time. Use it to experience living in the present and being at peace. It's not so much about focusing on nothing, it's more existing freely within the flow of life. Eventually you'll find that ironically all of this leads to the "nothing" you're talking about!

The fact that you are here right now, and accepting these truths is beautiful. This is one of the hardest steps for most, but you've overcome it. as Lynnel said already, don't obsess over the dysfunction and passing negativity to your child. Keep a balance of control and freedom, relationship and guidance/parenting. Show her how you love her infinitely, unconditionally. My mother is by no means perfect, but my entire childhood she showed me the truest form of love I've ever known. It was effortless. This has played a vital role in the person I am today. I'm here on this forum, pursuing the best life possible at twenty-one years old, and I owe my success to her. You say your support system sucks, maybe not the best environment for the results you want, but you have the ability to be the peace in this storm, something that your child will admire you for in the future. Of course your environment can effect it, but your growth does not depend on it. Cultivating love within yourself, and then bringing that outward for your child to feel is one of the best things you can do for her. Don't be intimidated, take on these challenges head on and never look back. Both you and your child will thank you for this work.

In the words of Sadhguru, your brain is the result of thousands and thousands of years of evolution, how could it be an enemy? Why would you want to turn it off? The brain is one of the most incredible phenomena that exist. You actually want to welcome these thoughts, welcome pain and welcome discomfort. The goal is to lose attachment to these things, they are not you/yours. If you try to avoid these, you will be in an infinite chase. People last lifetimes avoiding. Just observe, experience, and most importantly: be.

What do you do when no one is watching? When you're all alone and feel the freedom of judgment-less time to yourself? Your true self may be hidden in what you don't let other people see while you're pleasing them. Maybe it's something you're afraid of what they would think of you if they found out. This isn't something terribly important to focus on, some people live in lack because they feel they are still "finding themselves" the ego loves to play around with this self, so just be aware. Self is something more like a feeling that you can't just put into a simple sentence. No one needs to understand besides you. And if you don't understand yet, you will over time as you grow spiritually.

This is incredible news. This is going to be a truly beautiful and life changing time for you! I want to share with you a couple of tips that I wish I would've understood during a similar period in my life. Times will continue get "tough", but know that while continuing along this path it will only get better. Illusions of the ego will try to hold you down and take you back to your old ways. Its important to stay focused. Of course the main issue besides the ego, is the people close to you. During my journey, everyone looked down on me for similar life choices I made. Nothing I did was "right" anymore and everyone thought I was changing in the worst way. These kinds of opinions can drop you to the ground and hold you there. It's incredibly important to find the love in these views, to be at peace with whatever anyone tells you, and to keep going regardless. There's no point in arguing or trying to recruit people, I find it best to simply be quiet and accept everyone even if their views seem horrible. If they seem interested however, they will get an earful Identify everything that limits you and bust through them. Identify ego traps and break free. Make it so every situation you come across is a win-win based on your perception. Most importantly, take your time and don't rush things. Ironically, this is the simplest thing you will do, if things start to complicate just take time to calm down and simplify your work. I'm not sure of your current situation but I hope any of this helps you in some way. Have fun, time to start living!

@Claire Elizabeth I feel exactly the same way. I've been pretty depressed at some points, and finally I have so much closure because the problem was never me... I knew what I wanted to do since I was a child, to just exist in peace, and the only problem was I believed what everyone told me as the truth. I always thought leading a simple, minimalistic life was wrong because of what I was told. They told me my dream was only that; a dream that isn't possible, and to start doing something sensible. thank god I've shaken these false beliefs. @ArabiaNytes This might be one of my favorite episodes of Leo's so far, but as with any of them the right perspective is everything. I want to ask you to go in a little more detail, what got you to this point?

@Mal that was beautifully written, and a much much better explanation. your post needs to be read by everyone on this forum that has issues with nothingness and enlightement. This understanding is so important while actualizing. Thank you!

dont you think it's funny that you're complicating a video about minimizing? One day the success you're working so hard towards won't be enough anymore. The question is: how long will it take you? Will you want to realize this after all your success in materialism, in old age when you have no more life left? You are "fueled" by this lifestyle, the people who have provided incredible replies to this thread are not anymore. You're probably doing amazing things. But when the time comes when you start to ask yourself hard questions, you'll understand this espisode. The way Leo discusses isn't the right way, it's a more fulfilling way. Your work has all been done before

I think one of the biggest things is up until you're aware these tiers exist, you are aware of different "states" like orange and green, but you feel like you are going backwards or not making any progress when transitioning. Obviously untrue. Almost none of the beliefs in the current world can survive in the second tier, which is obvious because it hasn't progressed that far. This means that you will have very unpopular views on everything. At this point people's opinions are hardly relevant, but it's still difficult to connect with people who think you're crazy/wrong when talking about any real issue. You must get over ALL fears of loneliness at this point!

I don't know from personal experience because I've never been intoxicated, but I have researched a lot about this. I think the most important difference is that while on drugs your experience is erratic and completely out of your control, while a similar experience induced through your own consciousness is completely in your own control. Drugs can produce these different states of awareness but it's lost just as quickly as it was gained. They may help to open your mind and gain insight but they are of no use for any kind of real consciousness work.

What do you think a society where the majority of its inhabitants are enlightened would be like?

Just because you have a passion now doesn't mean you need to feel the same forever. Use whatever you're passionate about at the moment and use that as a tool to create or do something and most importantly, grow. Many people build off of different passions that arise at different time in their lives. New passions could be a related or more advanced field, or unrelated, which you may never have seen yourself doing. It's nearly impossible to not grow in some way while following a passion. "What if, in the future" isn't relevant. It's only a nice little way to stay put right where you are.