ajs

Great@Waken . This is an interesting perspective for looking at the situation. Following that advice, a move back is what feels the more exciting option - a fresh start in a new environment for my family and me, which I think my children would more likely thrive in. It still feels as though it would be very difficult, if not foolish to give up what I have already built up for myself and are satisfied with. If my children weren't a major factor I think I would stay. Taking them into account makes me lean towards a move back.

Thanks for the responses. I agree @mandyjw, I think I do need to relax, being in a stressed state is no place to be when making decisions. Thanks for the ideas @LastThursday . I like the idea of using my intuition, waiting until the answer comes to me, not forcing it. I have used this method previously throughout my life and have never been one to dwell too much on decisions. I think this time it is the combination of feeling responsible for the rest of my family, and the idea of giving up what I have now for the unknown that makes it so hard. Hopefully, if I relax. The intuitive answer will come.

I am currently at a crossroads in life with a big decision to make. I have been living overseas in my wife's country for the past 18 years. During this time I have been worked my way into a position of relative financial comfort. Although I don't love my current job, I certainly appreciate it and am grateful for the benefits it gives me. I am able to work a very light schedule which allows me the time to do the things I like (exercise, meditation, etc) while still being rewarded well financially which allows my wife the option of working or staying home to take care of the children. The problem is my children are now getting older and a move back to my home country would be much better for them in terms of education and lifestyle. However, doing so would mean a huge drop in income as my current career skills are not really transferable in my home country. My wife also would probably have to work in an entry-level job. Of course, I know ultimately this is my decision to make. I was hoping people could offer advice about how to make this decision. I feel completely stuck whenever I try to think about it, even to the point of being so stressed about it, I can't sleep. I feel if I didn't have children I would obviously stay. But I would hate to ruin any future potential opportunities my children may have based on my own selfish interests. Any advice, please. What is the best way to decide?

Thanks for clearing up my confusion Leo. Also, agree with your comment on competitive sports being shallow. I do realize the deep satisfaction I derive from sport is more to do with internal battles and triumphs than the external. Thanks too Nahm. I did gain an insight from your reply and managed to see things from a perspective I hadn't noticed before which is helpful.

I am in the middle of the Life Purpose Course and have come to problem. I am at the task where I need to choose three moments in my life when I felt excited, passionate and inspired with a focus on creativity. After doing this exercise I came up with three specific moments in my life when I felt excited, passionate and inspired all involving playing sport. These moments clearly stand out from others in my life and were very strong experiences I would describe as near spiritual in nature. The problem I have is that Leo said these three moments should be focused on creative persuits. I am unsure whether playing sport qualifies as a creative endeavor. The three moments described involved playing golf, ultra marathon running and a long distance cycle tour. I am certain on the fact that I felt excited, passionate and inspired in all three but don't really associate them with creativity. Furthermore, upon further contemplation I am unable to come up with any other moments in my life where I felt in such a way while being creative. All times while feeling such emotions seemed to involve me following already proven methods and the use of diligence and perserverence rather than creativity. I had a similar experience when choosing my role models. I instinctively looked to choose sports people and adventurers rather than more people who were more creatively inclined. So my question is should I stick with the three extremely passionate sporting moments or go back and try to dig up some moments that more focused on creativity even though the feelings associated with them will not be nearly as passionate? All thoughts and opinions truly appreciated.

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. Just thought I'd let you know after careful consideration I decided to remove family as one of my values. I think the value of connection is more appropriate and includes the essense of what is important to me in relation to my children. Doing it this way makes my children feel less of an obligation and more of a positive force in relation to my life purpose.

I am in the middle of the Life Purpose Course and have came up with a list of values, one of which is Family. All of the other values I have chosen feel right but Family is troubling me. I chose Family as I feel raising my children well is important to me. The problem I have is I seem to recall Leo commenting somewhere, possibly in his other content that you should make your life purpose about what is important to you and not let obligations such as family get in the way in finding and pursuing your life purpose. I feel if I did not have children I probably would not have chosen family, but I do and they are a high priority in my life. If feel chosing Family as a value will make a big difference in the final outcome and cannot tell if my motivation for choosing family is positively or negatively driven. So how can I deal with this deal with this. Should I remove Family as one of my top values or keep it? What do others with family think about this?

Thanks. Finding a place without any distractions is a bit of a challenge for me. I wonder if shutting myself in a closet with earplugs would be the best way to go about things. Where are other people doing their meditation practice?

I have been meditating daily for the past two months. I have been meditating outside in nature rather than at home inside as I feel it is less distracting because of the noise from family members, neighbors and traffic at home. When I meditate I am at the side of a soccer field facing a wall of forest so there are many sights and sounds of nature. I become aware of the sights and sounds of bird life, insects like cicadas and crickets, the wind blowing and sunlight. My question is would I be better of meditating in an environment with fewer distractions in order to meditate deeper. I am beginning to feel that the sights and sounds of nature, although enjoyable, are acting as a distraction or as a form of entertainment. Is the ideal environment for meditation one which is as free as possible from any form of external stimuli? Your thoughts and experiences are appreciated.

Hello all. So, I came across the Actualized.org content about two weeks ago and really want to implement what Leo talks about in his videos into my life. So far I have started a meditation habit which I plan to build up to one hour a day and try to watch as many of the videos as possible. I am also considering purchasing Leo's Life Purpose video course. I was wondering if anyone who is further along on their journey of self actualization what they think the most efficient way for me to make progress is? Should I do the Life Purpose course before anything else? Or should I just continue gaining insight through watching the videos as I am? With the very large number of videos I am also confused as to what videos to watch and what order to watch them? What would you suggest? Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks