kieranperez

Once you were clear on your life purpose, How long were you doing deliberate research before you made your first video?

60-80 miles per week Pace depends on the type of day I use the Garmin Forerunner 225 Like @Sahil Pandit I run by feel though on easy days. In terms of nutrition, you need to read: The Endurance Diet by Matt Fitzgerald If you have any questions regarding running, training, etc. please feel free to Sahil and I. As far as my background: I’m a 4:13 Miler on the track, my own mission as an athlete and a coach is my life purpose and have made friends with athletes such as Matthew Centrowitz (1500m Gold medalist at Rio) and such and HEAVILY involved in the running community. More than happy to give you any advice and tips you may need and I know Sahil is on the same page.

Picture of a monk’s body unearthed after death revealing him having died with a smile on his face: https://www.providr.com/deceased-monk-still-smiling/?utm_source=HOOD&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=providr A life, of a few to no regrets. This resonated with me. Hope it does for you guys too ❤️ @Leo Gura I think this would resonate with you maybe

Going through a really rough patch right now in my withdrawal phase. Really starting to feel delayed effects from reducing my Adderall dosage since I’m tapering off, having successfully gotten off Prozac, Lamictil, and Lithium. I’m in constant emotional turmoil it seems like these last few days. I’m getting so emotional out of nowhere where I reach heavy tears from random frustration. I have no passion now with my Life Purpose and am shaming and guilting myself to still do it. I even reached a conscious realization how I actually don’t want to be happy. I’m in such a deep state of neurosis that I don’t know what to do. If any of you have been through this i could really use your advice on techniques that could help. I feel so dead and upset that it’s like I subconsciously don’t want to feel good, as twisted as that sounds.

I was going to make a post asking about this matter of maybe being better off having a strong foundation of more fundamental personal development work before starting my pursuit of Enlightment and man, this is exactly what I needed. This right here I think saved me from going too fast and thus falling into a huge trap.

Could use guidance/advice right now. I'm tapering off of Adderall now and have been for the last month after 17 years of being prescribed ADHD medication. I'm also slowly tapering off my the following other meds by taking them every other day: Prozac Abilify I'm just so tired all the time. I take half of what I've been taking for Adderall for years now (20 mg XR, now at 10 mg Immediate Release). I'm really struggling right now with working on my emotions and consciousness work and just being productive in general. I don't have any patience or concentration AT ALL. I thought my attention span was already much similar to that of a squirrel while on Adderall but man... now that I'm off, it's just incredible and mind-blowing how little attention span I have now. I can't read books or anything. I feel like an emotional wreck. I don't feel suicidal at all, so I'm not like a crying mess all day. I just am all over the place. I feel so much more vulnerable to my emotions, especially when I'm doing my athletic training as a runner which is huge for me. I have a lot of psychological work I need to do in my running as I have a lot of trauma there and emotional blocks that I need to get over and now when I run I get so easily overrun by strong negative emotions. Has anyone gone through this and made it through the other side? What sort of mindsets should I be cultivating? Personal-development work is so much more hard now that I'm going through this.

Are all self-esteem problems basically just self-image problems at their root?

To what extent do you mean by this? Are you referring to just reading books and stuff? Or are you actually saying to stop being productive and doing all that I need to get done because the latter just isn't realistic nor doable. I can't just put my life on hold if that's what you're saying.

Tapering off 17 years of Adderall is a long haul process. The short answer to this is no. Gotten me nowhere so far. Not following that last part lol

Do you still incorporate daily Mind Power practice?

I live in SF so yeah I support this lol

"... go out and work your ass off to actualize that 1% which is within your power." What if that 1% of what I vision is always changing? I think one insight I'm getting from this blog post is that for me as my own visionary is that it would be more wise to keep a more abstract vision for my life because well... desires and goals are always going to change and evolve and such. I think self-actualization is a great vision because it's not so set-in stone in terms of accolades. The abstraction of the vision is what makes it so powerful because it allows for creativity to flow and morph naturally and also allows for flexible changes in one's life.

Hey all, I really want to tackle this issue from a different angle than I normally do when I ask questions on here. Rather than really ask for just techniques I could use some help really unearthing what core issue(s) I'm struggling with in terms of me taking action and really being motivated. So I have my Life Purpose which is being a coach for elite middle/long/ultra distance runners. That's for my career. Now for my own personal mission is to self-actualize as both an all-around human being but also as an athlete. For the sake of making this easy I'm going to focus this post around just me as an athlete (I'm a runner). So, running is something I am intrinsically motivated to do. I've been an athlete literally my entire life. Training in sports has been my bread and butter honestly since I was about 2. I've always been compelled to excel as an athlete. Now, as common as that may sound, my motivation to become the best athlete I can be isn't out of some insecure and neurotic desire to be "the best". What's important to understand about me and my incredible motivation to excel as an athlete is that I love the feeling of mastering myself both physically and mentally. Now, I am a fierce competitor when I'm out there on the track or on the course racing. What I love about it though is the feeling of pushing myself to the absolute limit. My relationship towards sports is almost identical to the way @Leo Gura describes The (Highest) Hero's Journey. I feel like I'm on a mission and that I'm on my own purpose. There's something about putting training yourself both mentally and physically that is just so natural to me. It feels almost primal. I train alone and I actually coach myself. I've always set a high bar for myself in terms of what I believe I'm physically able to accomplish. Now, here's where things have gotten rocky for me... Over the years I've hit in my mind a lot of failures of the last 9 years in my sport and in life and have had a lot of external influences really get at me that has brought my vision for what I'm so passionate about a lot lower. To the point where I actually dismiss visioning for myself. Also, this is something a lot of you can probably relate with and Leo has talked about quite often in a lot of episodes, as I do more personal development, meditation, etc. I'm becoming more aware of how meaningless my passion and all my goals have been all my life. However, I still love running though. I still want to do things with my life. I want to move out, be financially independent, get Enlightened, and all this stuff because every time I go back to what my intuition tells me, all this stuff still remains as intrinsic desires in my mind. So on some level I do still want them. However, I barely even train now though. I'm noticing this lack of drive. I feel like this awareness of how meaningless this all is is stripping me of my passion. The weird thing is that I also know though that all because something is meaningless, doesn't mean it's not worth doing for the sake that I still want it. So it's the weird paradox of knowing that meaninglessness isn't some bad thing in yet, even though I know that, it's still leading me to sabotage working on what I do love. I just feel so stuck in my own psychology. I mean, I try visualizing my own goals and such to really lock in my motivation again to stay on track and stay grounded in what I'm passionate about but I can tell this is leading to some noticeable neurosis where I'm just trying to force things. Then when I turn the pendulum the other way around and detach, well... I just don't get anything done at all without a care in the world. I'm at a point where I can't seem to stop backsliding even when I get some motivation up and going. I find it so hard to reconnect and still committed to my training, life purpose, productivity, etc. Hell, I think what's really hurting me now with this too is that I can't even set goals for myself that I feel motivated towards now. I also notice that even if I set goals that motivate me one day or even for like a week or however long (pick your duration), when I really try to reconnect with my vision I notice it just keeps changing. Sorry if this was a bit of a ramble! As always, thanks!

Alright. I’m super happy I get to ask this. so I’ve been a runner for 10 years now. I’m actually what one would call a sub elite runner in terms of competitive ability. I run sub 4:20 in the mile, sub 15:30 for 5K, etc. So I know it’s funny I’m asking this but I still need help. When I train and race I experience pretty much what one would experience in meditation where the mind is just going fucking crazy and is relenting but to a much more powerful degree. The level of resistance I find in running is almost 10x more distressful at times. Especially when I race because not only am I trying to maintain high concentration, but also I’m pushing my body to the limit which is extremeley emotionally taxing which takes up so much energy. Do you guys have any meditation practices while running or when you’re REALLY pushing yourself physically? NOT just going for an idle walk or anything like that. I get so absorbed in my negative train of thought that I actually sabotage my training and even drop out of races all the time now because my monkey mind gets so out of control when I run. Keep in mind, i already have a daily sitting meditation practice for 1 hour.

@Sahil Pandit right on man! Good on you! Finally, a guy on here whose gonna get me on this aha for me it kinda depends. Tempo runs I can lock in sometimes. Usually the more I pick it up, the better I can lock in but it depends on the day really. I'm starting up training again and went for an easy 8 and man my mind was just going nuts. I'm so in my head running that it really hurts me in workouts and especially in races where I DNF because I just can't calm my mind. I want to practice mindfulness but I imagine that actually getting in the way of decision making and being locked in during races and workouts because when those bigger quality days come up, you actually need to focus on executing.

@see_on_see What exactly do you think I’m asking lol

Hey guys so before I go forward I just want to start and make the disclaimer that I do have my Life Purpose. However, knowing that my Life Purpose is going to take many years to align with and I can't jump straight into it I feel this matter is really important in the short run. So right now I pretty much have no real practical, well-paying, highly valuable career skills. I don't know coding, web design, marketing, don't have any business skills or intellect, etc. I didn't go to college but I'm 22 and I live here in the heart of San Francisco. So you can imagine the jobs there are here haha. Quite frankly, doing this low menial labor of just working in retail and stuff here in the Bay Area simply isn't doable in order to live here. If you know anything about living here in the SF Bay Area, you know what I'm talking about and I still have yet to move out. Almost as equally important, this menial shit and just being a cog in a machine is crippling my self-esteem because I have no value to the world in terms of practical services. So what are some career skills you guys think would be worth cultivating? I'm more than willing to learn and invest in books, courses, seminars, etc. For example: photoshop programming Web development As always, thanks!

Start by eliminating the foods you know are bad for you, e.g. Fast food, soda, etc. I know that’s not the answer you may not want to hear but just start with that. Don’t overthink this issue. I’m friends with nutritionists that are part of Team USA and what not and when you talk to these guys you really start to learn that most of this industry of nutrition is an industry made up of fads. I have friends who’ve medaled in the Olympics in my sport (Track, Middle/Long/Ultra Distance Running, etc.) and also of various different lifestyles and really what diet comes down to is what you’re after with it. There is no universal diet. If you’re an endurance athlete training for 100+ mile distances, your “perfect” diet is going to be very different than that of someone that’s simply training to lose 50 pounds. One thing I can’t stand is when people try to compare the way ones body breaks down food, certain types of food, etc. I can’t even remotely explain how different everybody’s metabolism is. I’m 6’0 and 135 pounds and I’ve never in my life had to limit what I eat. My body has a freakish metabolism where I’m very fortunate that I can eat LARGE quantities of almost any kind of food and still not gain weight. However, there are guys with my frame who can’t afford to eat like me. So my point here is to stop looking at what’s working for others so much but rather to see what your body responds to. I know that’s not technical but that is the best way to find out what works for you. Most important though, you need to figure out what your aim is with nutrition and what you eat. Do you love food? Are you a food geek much like me where you’re in love different styles of food BUT can’t get away with doing what someone like me can do where you eat whatever you want without worrying about weight? Or are you an athlete? Ask yourself these kinda questions. hope this helps!

I know @Leo Gura already has a video on loneliness (which I watch often) but man... I really don't have friends anymore and I know it's a side effect from my meditation work and stuff but damn... It hurts knowing you don't really have friends anymore. My social circle has been dwindling over the years and now I pretty much don't have one anymore. I spend my days just sitting around meditating, training, etc. I also notice I struggle balancing all that I learn from doing this work with being able to connect with people out in the world. Maybe some of you can relate with this? Like, this work is changing me and I don't even know how to really engage with people anymore without having shallow conversations and stuff which turn me off so much that I actual can see that I avoid people now. I know from experience just how much relationships and friendships don't cure anything to a very painful degree. I can't tell you how many times I got the attention I would crave at time and then be totally turned off once I got it. How I'd be so disgusted and unfulfilled and would feel like I'm selling myself out once I made into the cool parties and was with the popular people and stuff because I see it for what it is. However, I do want a quality relationship and some new friends... Does anyone have tips for making new higher quality friends starting from basically ground zero? I will say I have a good advantage though since I live here in the heart of San Francisco, CA.

True but what about when it comes to pursuing an authentic deep relationship? I walk down the street and I see some couples and of course I feel the classic envy. Not that I assume their relationship is amazing as I think a lot of know that most relationships are shit but, it's just seeing with my own eyes a loving relationship before me still makes me feel sad cause I don't connect with anyone at all. I feel like my meditation practice alone has caused me to isolate myself more and more and I don't want to disrupt that process but man... I feel like I can't relate to girls when I try to flirt anymore.

One of my initial struggling points in the do nothing meditation was dropping my intention/need to control my thoughts which Leo talks about in his video where he introduces this meditation. For those who struggle with (this) meditation in that you have a hard time dropping your need to control your thoughts and your mind I think it might be helpful to share a tip that I learned that has really helped me with my meditation practice: I remind myself of how I never had control over my mind, thoughts, or my life in the first place... Basically I'm reminding myself of how there is no free will. Now, maybe this is something you need to experience and become aware of in order for that tip to help you but I feel like this could really help relax this neurotic need to control which is to realize you never had any control to begin with. For me, this keeps me open and actually curious to experience and learn the mechanics behind this matter of there being no free will. Hope this helps!

Okay. So in the past I've shared a lot of limiting beliefs regarding the pursuit of my Life Purpose which is to be a Holistic Running Coach. I wish to coach Elite/Professional Athletes as well as anybody who has a passion for not just running but also life. I know sooooo many world class athletes including Olympic and World Championship Medalists in just Track and Field alone. That's not counting my friends who are among the best in the world in Trail Running, Ultra Marathon, the Marathon, Cross Country, etc. What I'm really in conflict with is my relationship with a lot of the community. You see, I have an internal problem where I notice I'm WAY too expressive and impulsive with my thoughts and emotions. This has especially become a problem of course through social media. I've gotten into so many issues with people in my community due to my mouth and the way I put myself out there that I have a really hard time getting along with people. Yesterday I deleted (not deactivated) my Facebook account because I'm tired of the way I shoot myself in the foot on that platform. Hell, I'm on a track club and I'm making enemies with people because I have a hard time controlling what I say and understanding what to say and what not to say + knowing what's likely to piss people off and what's not. Facebook is also a super useful platform for me to market myself given that I'm starting a blog to put up my material but man, I've made myself into such a loud mouth and all that that I just don't want to deal with anymore of that. I don't want conflict anymore. I just want to be cool but my mouth has gotten me into so much trouble over the years that I don't know what to do. I almost don't want to pursue my Life Purpose given that I feel like I've made such a bad name of myself and I don't know how to recover that without being a people-pleaser (which I HIGHLY resent and HATE doing). How can I recover from such a bad reputation? Any good resources for someone with bad communication/social skills? How can I really fix this problem within myself but also recover my relationships with people? I'm on the verge of quitting my Track Club too because I don't want to face people and still be an outcast. I'm tired of being an outcast. I want to get along with people.

I’m an inch away from pulling the trigger and saying it fuck it to my fears. I’ve had it with this being subjected to being called “crazy” “mentally ill” and all this stuff and delusional. I'll spare the drama behind all of this but what’s terrifying me causing me to hold myself back is this: what if all thisbpersonal development is wrong? I trust @Leo Gura intuitively and this work but fuck... what if I’m wrong about all this? I’m afraid people will be right about me being stupid with this self help stuff? I love my dad but he in just so toxic for me and part of my intuition knows I need to do what I gotta do with my life. Especially now that I feel determined to take on my life purpose. On the other hand... I don’t want to say ‘this ain’t your fucking life. I’m livig life on my terms,’ then bail and be wrong about it then I will have cut myself from my family and then will be alone. I don’t want to lose that. I guess I just am afraid of throwing caution to the wind because I don’t want to sacrifice my deepest held personal relationships... even if they might be toxic... it wasn’t all bad. These people have good intentions but it’s not healthy anymore. I’m made out as this delusional bad person and all this sort of stuff. What if I’m wrong about all this work at the cost of losing my dad and my family?...

Please leave feedback so it doesn't really just serve me but other people that may be struggling with the following limiting thought patterns! Some of my limiting thoughts and victim thinking, excuses, etc. towards pursuing my Life Purpose... I have $1.62 in my bank account and no college degree nor any practical work skill sets and still live with Dad who pays for me for everything and is a toxic person to live with. I can't get a job at all to make any money to help fund my Life Purpose and even when I do get that low-end job, I get so depressed and miserable with myself for feeling like a loser because I can't get a better job. I didn't go to college (I'm 22 1/2 years-old) I'm horrible with money I don't know what I want I live in a fog I can't concentrate at all I don't know what I'm passionate about anymore. All that I thought I was passionate about is slipping away from my interests and now I don't really have anything else. I can't work towards a Life Purpose if I don't know what I'm authentically passionate about anymore I don't get along with people I just want to be alone I don't want to work with anyone. I always get into problems with people. I don't get along with people. I'm no business guy Being ambitious to make it in business has never been something that entered my mind. I've always been an athlete and had ambition towards that. Not business... I'm not motivated by business. I don't know who I am anymore I don't fucking care/Fuck this I sabotage everything I do Stop doing nothing! I can't keep living like this! Do something already! I'll fucking show them! I'm a failure I don't know what to do I just can't work on a Life Purpose right now.. I need to leave here but I don't have the money either... I'm fucking stuck! I'm wasting my goddamn time This is just a distraction from just making money to move out This is a luxury for me right now Where the hell did I go wrong?! I didn't ask for this! There's nothing to fucking do What the fuck am I doing with my life?! I'm a man-child I'm a fucking loser I feel so much less than everybody else whose actually accomplishing things This is embarrassing... I have a feeling this thread could really help some people out.

Alright. Often times we tend to talk about how what makes a Victim is that they believe that outer circumstances are holding them back... BUT... What I’m noticing for me is that I just downright feel like I’m a Victim to myself. I feel like I’m a victim in that I am my only obstacle however, I the obstacle still feel like this is insurmountable. I simply feel stuck because I can’t conquer myself. I feel like such a slave to my own unconsciousness, negative habits, my inability to take action, my consistent negative thoughts, etc. I just feel like I’m a victim to my own sense of self.. I really don’t know what and I’m just driving myself insane. I feel so fucking stuck in my head and in my own way. I still have a meditation habit too...