PetarKa

I hope to create a main mega-thread list with your favorite teachers (not just for enlightenment, for any aspect of life relevant to self-actualization). Maybe such a thread exists already, but I don't know. If it does please inform me. To keep things clean, write the name of the teacher with a short description of what he teaches, perhaps even his Spiral Dynamics stage. Leo — obviously Sadhguru — spiritual teacher, seems turquoise, enlightenment and life in general, great advice Elliot Hulse — fitness trainer, very spiritual Jason Capital — VERY stage orange, but still a great mentor for those at that place, dating and business advice. Kinda similar to Elliot H.'s older vids Dan Lok — also orange, great financial advice Yuval Noah Harrari — I think he's yellow... Not sure. Interesting views on humanity, politics, and also life in general Yanis Varoufakis — great economic ideas, worth listening to People I've hear off, but haven't researched extensively: Wim Hof Jordan Peterson Osho Sam Harris Elon Musk Eben Peagan Don Beck Share your lists!

As an idea, what if there existed a separate thread, or folder, or whatever — a single place where all of the FEATURED topics on this forum would be grouped together? As of now, if a topic is featured (which probably means the moderators and Leo consider it an important post) it will gain attention for some time, but after a couple of days it will get buried by all of the new oncoming topics and posts. These FEATURED posts could be categorized in the designated thread/folder/place according to their original thread location (Self-actualization / Meditation, Consciousness, Enlightenment, Spirituality / Life Purpose, Career, Entrepreneurship / etc.). What do you think? Tagging Leo to see this: @Leo Gura P.S. I think the same can also be said about the important mega-threads we have.

From the start I have found the term 'self-actualization' and the 'upward pyramid of needs' deficient. Let me explain. Both terms indicate that this process of 'actualization' is obligatory. It is what you NEED to be doing with your life. It is competitive - the 'best stuff' is at the TOP of the pyramid. Like climbing a mountain. These terms (at least for me) create a pressure to reach the top - otherwise you won't be happy or satisfied. Furthermore, the 'self' in 'self-actualization' implies focusing on the self only, which creates a dualism of life from the start. In the later stages of the model it becomes irrelevant whether you are actualizing 'the self' or 'the life'. I suggest an alternative term: "expansion / exploration of life-depth" (not the best name, if someone has an alternative, please share it) and instead of an upward pyramid a "downward pyramid of needs". The most superficial needs will be at the top and everyone is familiar with them. Like a lake where anyone can see the surface, but as you look down, it becomes more difficult to discern what's at the bottom. It is a process of exploration, rather than a process of achievement. It also accurately describes the basic needs as more shallow and the more developed needs as deeper and richer. Hope to hear your ideas.

Why is it obligatory? If you teach a person who is new to these ideas that it is obligatory, I find that the person will fall into a trap - a trap of moralization and Stage Blue thinking. I can confirm this from my own experience - when I started watching Actualized.org I felt forced to do this and ended up doing the practices in superficial way. I wanted just to put a check-mark on them and failed to grasp the depth of the practices. I can understand saying that this process is healthy / deep / profound / satisfying. But that it is mandatory - I strongly disagree. Some people will refuse (fully consciously) this path altogether and go about their way of life. Whether they'll be satisfied afterward is another question. I agree. They are just labels. But they are also labels which are the whole foundation of this whole endeavor, labels which are used constantly as part of this process. For me it has been helpful to re-frame the concepts. Perhaps they resonate with me more. For others it might be no big deal. Though my hope is that some people will be inspired to adapt the model according to their own experience in a more helpful way. It's also good to ask questions like this and not blindly adopt a model. Maslow himself wrote that his hope is for other people to further develop this model into a more rich, holistic one.

This book for has been amazing! It challenges all of the assumptions in the self-help circles about career advice - namely the advice "You must hyper-specialize. You must start practicing in ONE THING as early as possible." After reading this book it's actually hard to believe this advice anymore. The book has MANY examples, studies, anecdotal stories which support the author's claims. I loved that this book is very nuanced. It's not even very long, yet the message is clear. Honestly, I think this book is Stage Yellow GOLD. Very satisfied! Here's my review on Goodreads about this book: Here's the amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized-World/dp/0735214484/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=range&qid=1595110369&sr=8-1

@Mr Being What I most enjoyed from this video were the meta-lessons and the way to approach the problem. The fact that he's even asking the question about creating a new political model is in itself progress. I also think his model is still a very limited model, though it has some valuable insights. @Jacobsrw I also disliked his use of materialism in this case. Though I think the main point he was trying to put across was "People will have those political ideologies which will support their existence, their survival, and more importantly the survival and success of their class". I found this to be illuminating.

It's good to go meta

The points I outlined were my personal issues and difficulties with Leo's material. I should clear up that I really appreciate this content and it has dramatically changed my trajectory in life. However there will always be things to improve upon, and my hope with this post was to bootstrap this process of improvement and to give feedback to the creator (Leo) and also to point out the traps I have fallen into while following this channel so that others can use what I've learned for themselves. Because this type of community and this type of content are very rare, the way they are structured and formatted right now is still in it's infancy. I find that this type of feedback and critical conversations are essential for progressing the community and the channel. I encourage others to also share their views and how Actualized.org and this community can improve. P.S. I'm sorry if I couldn't respond to everyone, but that would make my post too long.

*Posted this on Leo's video "Cult Psychology - Part 1 - How Cults Work"* Criticism on Actualized.org: 1. Actualized.org's content is structured in a way which makes it so that you NEED to watch every video to understand the later topics. To a point I get that this is necessary - you build on previous ideas so that you don't have to repeat yourself. But there is also a problem with this which needs to be acknowledged and that is the this: You are forced to accept Leo's model as a whole PACKAGE, which makes it difficult to be analytical and pick & choose the good apples as opposed to the bad / mediocre / not-appropriate-for-the-specific-person apples. I know that you encourage people to be open-minded and use many different perspectives and our own experience to get the most out of this type of work. If this is a principle you value, I believe you should emphasize in your videos that this is an issue we should be aware of and you should even give ways and suggestions to the viewers on how to mitigate this issue. 2. The INSPIRING SPEECH you give at the end of each video has problems. I can speak for myself mainly, but these speeches were useful for me at the beginning for reeling me in - but they also made me dogmatic and over-emotional about this whole field of work (self-actualization). This has resulted in emotional turmoil within me and for a while I abandoned Actualized.org mainly because of this. Now I always skip that speech at the end because I think I would do myself more harm than good if I get sucked into the "fairy tale" represented (in a way that's what is really is). It speaks to the childish unwise and hasty side in you and this is a problem in the long run. I don't have a concrete suggestion about how to fix this, but a more mature way of "inspiration" is needed. Though I'm not sure if it's really needed at all. If these issues are solved, Actualized.org will become that much more non-cult-like. I hope this criticism is useful.

An excerpt from my insight journal: "The Placebo Effect" is terribly misunderstood and carries a lot of limiting baggage with it. It's astounding how Stage Orange abuses the term. Much important subtlety and profundity is simply stripped away - what you're left with is a toy version of the original..." Explanation: Most people today think of the placebo effect as "an illusion" people do using their psyche, like a mental "trick". I've come to the insight that this is not a mere "trick / illusion". Your mind creates a new reality which can be seen through your subjectivity. Your subjectivity is not "an illusion". Your subjectivity is your truth. When you begin to appreciate this, you can go deeper with this phenomenon. You will in some cases be able to influence "the real stuff". The placebo will go further. Thoughts?

[I WILL COMPLETE MY POST IN THE NEAR FUTURE. I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO WRITE A DETAILED POST CURRENTLY. BUT I WANTED TO START THIS POST SO THAT YOU MAY NOW WRITE. I THINK EVERYONE CAN USE THIS APPROACH AND OVER TIME DEVELOP THEIR POST WITH MORE AND MORE DEPTH] Seeing as there are people on this forum from all over the world, I hope we could make a mega-thread where everyone can share their culture so that we can learn about new ways of living (good and bad). I'll kick-start this by talking about my home country - Macedonia (currently North Macedonia). I'll make at as concentrated as I can: It's a small country - about 2 million people. Half of the people live in the capital Skopje The people range from Stage Red to Stage Green. In the capital Skopje I think the average is Blue / Orange, while in the smaller towns the people are mostly Red / Blue. Economic opportunity: <...> Education system: <...> Religion: <...> To be continued...

I don't know if someone has posted this already. If so, an entertaining reminder.

That statement to me is simply stupid. First, it creates so much pressure on yourself that often it only worsens the situation. Second, why are you pressuring yourself to reach some "ultimate destination" by some arbitrary deadline. The only question you could ask yourself is "Given my situation and abilities, how do I want to spend the years that remain?"

Started breathing exercises and doing long cold showers (I don't have a tub for ice baths) I've done cold water before, but it was a bitch - more accurately, I was a bitch. Used to think the cold is bad. After a year or two, having changed progressively parts of my mindsets and beliefs, things are different. Now the cold is good. I don't know how you will interpret what I said, but I did the best I could to be short and sweet.

To add to my point: I've recently started to appreciate more the actual depth of what Wim Hof is saying and what his techniques are really all about. I used to think they were about being healthy, but in a Stage Orange sort of limited way. Very materialistic - the hormones do this, the blood does this, etc. = viola! you are healthy now. And to a point it is like that. To a point you can do that (not just with his techniques, with practically everything) and you will actually see tangible results. But I'm starting to see that it can go deeper (whatever 'deeper' means). When you see these techniques in a different way (e.g. from Stage Green) you start to discover new subtleties you never knew existed, but which were right under your nose. Using your 'mind' (I'm not sure what else to call it) enables to do the technique in a different (and probably deeper) way. I think these insights come from me transitioning from Stage Orange thinking to something new. I don't know if this new stage is Green (perhaps Turquoise). I have no idea. It might even be something totally different, unrelated to Spiral Dynamics. But either way it's something beyond the 'logical/rational/materialistic bias' of Stage Orange. Honestly this excites me. Has anyone experienced something similar? However, I'm still just starting out with this method. We will see if it leads anywhere...

Until now I haven't seen someone talk about making wealth in such a non-dogmatic style. Very good, concentrated content. I suspect this guy is Stage Yellow. Do you agree?

I found his way of thinking about things to be more Yellow - he talks about reading a lot of books, getting information from multiple sources, he mentions that when he talks about a concept it's important to take into account the context of the situation. He is also aware of the downsides of present-day capitalism (mentioned near the beginning) and proposes not to exploit others through your business, but to create something which will be useful and helpful to other people (I find that Leo also emphasizes this point when talking about Life Purpose). He may be Orange in the sense that he emphasizes self-growth, while a Yellow person will wouldn't hold this as a priority. Having said that, I don't think it's easy to gauge a person based only on a couple of hours. In my experience, I sometimes have a hard time gauging people I've known for years.

I'm doing a 100-day challenge without porn in order to free myslef from the addiction. Though I was wondering are there any psychological and phisiological differences between not watching porn at all but masturbating vs going cold-turkey all the way and not masturbating at all. Some links / videos / your own knowledge would be helpful. Thanks upfront. ?

This question has come up for me. It has confused me. What are your thoughts on this topic? How and why do you help others? Some will do it because of moralistic reasons (like stage Blue), others simply ignore helping others (Orange), others devote everything towards this goal (Green), etc. If you can't feel for yourself, or even see, the benefits of helping someone then why would you help others at all?

But even if we expand our identity to others, this expanded identity wouldn't still encompass the joy other people experience. It would be limited to their smiles, happy words, expressions of joy, etc. However if I help myself I will experience the joy, the excitement, the peace, etc. What about this?

After contemplating and observing my thought patterns I find that my skepticism and doubt is VERY BIASED. I only considered possibilities which were threatening to me and somehow I clinged to them. I would think: "What if I am being decieved this very instant into going on with my normal life in order for someone to hurt me or use me in some way?", "What if I am in a matrix-like simulation?", and other sinilar stories. But I wouldn't consider the opposite "positive" possibilities like: "What if I can achieve great things in my life?", "What if I am living in a beautiful world on a beautiful planet with beautiful people?" ? I would also create this kind of mental loop where as soon as I would react to these "threatening" stories with more stories like: "What if I'm just deluding myself? What if I am not in a simulation at all? What if it doesn't even matter? What if I can simply live life like I want?", I would immediately react again with: "What if THAT is just another deception?! Oh shit. Here we go again..." This condition is getting better though. I am able to be less fearful and calm when such thoughts arise. Going strong! ?

Whenever I've had philosophical problems (I don't know what to call them exactly.), I've turned to this forum because most other people will look at me like a nutcase or just say "Get over it!" or something like that. Don't think that will solve this though... After contemplating a lot of things deeply I've come to these conclusions/questions/problems: How can I be certain of anything? I exist and no one else exists. The first problem How can I be certain of gravity? How can I be certain the cup of water exists? How can I be certain I am not in a simulation? How can I be certain I am not in some sort of Truman show (google it)? How can I be certain I can sleep? How can I be certain I live in a world where logic works and exists? How can I be certain I am in world where Nothingness exists? How can I be certain than ANYTHING exists? How can I be certain that I can doubt stuff? Now I am almost in constant anticipation of anything that might happen. I feel like I might lose it. Don't know what to do. The second problem I have started to deconstruct the notion of "other people". All that exists is my subjective experience. I intellectually know that even I "don't really exist". All that exists is "my subjective" experience. Nothing else. This problem by itself isn't a problem. It feeds into the first problem. Being doubtful of almost everything, and having a hard time treating others as "others" makes it very difficult to actually reach out and talk with people or do anything with them. Even asking for help about this issue seems pointless in a sense. .............................................................. The first problem I would relate with skepticism and the second problem I would relate with solipsism. Both are philosophical terms. Google them if you're not sure what they mean exactly. .............................................................. I honestly feel like I might go nuts. I have an almost constant tingling sensation on my head (from stress/anxiety). I have a hard time going to sleep because of this. Sometimes I panic and don't know what to do. Plus I feel like I'm effectively stuck in a loop. Can't really get on with my life. What can I do? Please help if you can. P.S. I tried to keep this post concise. I could divulge and explain more if you didn't quite understand what my predicament is.

We can question beliefs we have about the world. But what would it even mean to question existence / experience. Leo talks about questioning everything. Sure you can question the notion of "yourself". But can you question existence? Existence / experience is just what it is. Experience can only be experienced. Can't be questioned, unlike beliefs. And sure, there is no "subject" who is experiencing things. Things are just being experienced. But that doesn't change things. Experience is still there. Please correct me if I am wrong.