Arnold Schwarzenegger drive VS enlightenment

[doucey24]

Think of young Arnold Schwarzenegger. His drive to become the best bodybuilder in the world is something that moves me with its deep beauty. Whilst he lived by certain higher-consciousness principles, his drive was undoubtedly neurotic (at least to begin with) and egoic/egocentric. But it was beautiful nonetheless and because of it we have his story.

Now I'm not saying I am Arnie, but I know a similar drive is in me. I am working on my LP and self-actualization habits and am making progress every month. I see where my life is going with a vision that is getting clearer and clearer.

The only trouble is, my drive is fundamentally neurotic/egoic - I mean how can it not be when I still believe that I exist as a person..  But the more I meditate and the more consciousness I cultivate, I fear/intuit that deepening my awareness/understanding of Truth will somehow hamper MY drive. This drive is what I am relying upon to follow through on my LP and full potential - it gives me the emotional juice/fuel to go on, just like it did for Arnie.

I don't know if I'm over-analysing or over-reacting, but I don't want my awakening process to pacify my purpose. It's almost as if I am willing to suffer as an ego (at least for the foreseeable future) just to nourish my current drive before I inevitably seriously pursue enlightenment after which a significant part of my LP will hopefully be realised.

I should also mention that my life purpose is not as self-centred as Arnie's (i.e. becoming that most muscular man in the world) and more selfless/focused on helping others, but I feel my hunger to realise it comes from my egoic paradigm. 

Anyway, a part of me senses that I am making an issue out of a non-issue and that this is because I am still neurotic and fundamentally unfulfilled by my current life/self. Also because I think my theoretical understanding of enlightenment is still confused at the moment. But I kind of feel like I need to fill the void in me before I can transcend it. 

Would appreciate any advice.

Thanks. 

Edited December 27, 2017 by doucey24

[Nahm]

@doucey24 nuerotic is usually a term for one’s history of negative thinking. If you’re seeking the truth (nothing wrong with that at all) then you haven’t experienced it yet and don’t know what it is yet (nothing wrong with that either). But, consider, you are fearing something that you don’t know even what it is. The problem isn’t the truth, or it’s potential, the problem is the fear it’s self, which is just the result of lazy thinking. I find writing things on paper, and putting them on the wall - things I want to stay focused on, and be without resistant thoughts about - works very well. 

[Joseph Maynor]

If your Life Purpose is aligned with your deepest passion — you should have no problem mustering the work ethic of Arnold.  

Have you tried?  If not, why are you assuming there is a problem when you don’t even have cause to believe there is one?  The Mind is looking to forge some limiting-beliefs to justify you being blocked to take action.  Can you see that?  The Ego does not want to deal with your Life Purpose head on — it would rather dodge it, or find some excuse to block it.  That’s what you’ve been doing up until now, is it not?  See?  

Edited December 27, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[WelcometoReality]

@doucey24 If you get enlightened then yes you probably won't lift weights 6 hours per day to become mr universe. Life will take another direction without a you in the middle of it. This drive you talk about will disappear and in its place another kind of drive will emerge. It's not a drive, more an aligning to what is true.

Edited December 27, 2017 by WelcometoReality
Of -> to

[Pierre]

@doucey24 An excellent question, and, believe it or not, one that's also been bothering me!

Though he probably never had any spiritual preoccupation ( if he had, I'm sure he would be one of the foremost teachers of our time ), Arnold is really a Master of life.

I guess he has always been in a state of flow, manifesting life, desire, energy, with a minimum of internal conflict or any need to force himself. In that, we could say he is the opposite of neurotic.

Few people have that kind of congruence, and it certainly cannot be faked. I think the best way to really be driven would be to identify your deep desires and let them shine. The question whether they are "spiritual" or not is not relevant.

 

[zazed]

It doesn't matter, there is no duality in doing/enjoying worldly things.
If you are enlightened should you be sitting like a vegetable all day, doing nothing?

The neurotic need to exercise will go, but you can still choose to work out constantly. There is no reason to, nor is there a reason not to, so you might as well if it is beneficial to you. If you make a conscious choice to be buffed as an enlightened person, i believe you will be unwavering from that goal.

 

[krazzer]

@doucey24 you fear that after enlightenment you will lose progress. You might. You will lose the desire to make progress, but also the fear of not making progress. Whether you still make progress in any field after enlightenment is completely up to you, you simply won't cling to it anymore.