A few years ago, I hit rock bottom.
Depression, anxiety, regret, the whole package.
And unfortunately for the vast majority of us, it’ll take an intense experience to shake the brain into “take action” mode.
When you’re climbing out of a deep hole, it gets dirty. It gets painful. It gets emotional. You’ll want to quit at times.
But ask yourself:
“Which kind of pain do I prefer? The pain of climbing out of the hole or of staying in.”
Yes, quite frankly, there is no choice. And I applaud you for making the climb.
You’ll need bravery, consistency, and the ability to forgive yourself and others while on your personal development journey. You’ll need to take conscious action and make concrete changes.
But most importantly, you must go deep inside.
Only through deep reflection will the path appear. And this was what I had been putting off for so long.
I put all my energy into external priorities, projects, and people. I lacked self-love, self-confidence, and refused to forgive myself. I suffered because of it and so did my relationships with the people I loved most.
Everything began to change the day I opened “The Book of Life” by Krishnamurti.
“In a world of vast organizations, vast mobilizations of people, mass movements, we are afraid to act on a small scale; we are afraid to be little people clearing up our own patch.” We say to ourselves, ‘What can I personally do? I must join a mass movement in order to reform.’ On the contrary, real revolution takes place not through mass movements but through the inward revaluation of relationship—that alone is real reformation, a radical, continuous revolution.”
He goes on to say:
“When I understand myself, I understand you, and out of that understanding comes love.”
I was so focused on trying to heal the world that I neglected my own health. I was so intent on maintaining external relationships that I abandoned my inner relationship.
This was the realization that changed the trajectory of my life.
So, I began the climb.
I left harmful habits behind and implemented beneficial daily actions. I cleaned up my diet. I started exercising regularly. I read self-help and motivational books and expressed my thoughts in a journal. I tried meditation and breathwork for the first time.
Krishnamurti helped me understand that “the world is the projection of ourselves.”
You cannot love others if you do not love yourself.
Heal yourself, become aware of your thoughts, and question your feelings. Put your passions above societal demands. Prioritize your health. And accept the consequences that come with you putting you first.
Once you change your lifestyle, you may lose some friends. Your family might not understand. It doesn’t matter, keep going. Water the flower that is inner knowledge. Trust your intuition. Implement the practices that give you mental clarity. And I promise you that your external reality will become peaceful, fluid, and alive.
Conscious living means paying attention to what you think, how you feel, and why you do what you do.
Developing a sense of awareness is essential. You can no longer constantly coast through life on autopilot. Understanding oneself requires effort and energy.
But know this. You have the power to pull it off. And you don’t only have the God-given ability to become aware of thoughts, feelings, and actions, but also the capability to change them at will.
Next time you become aware of an interesting thought or worrisome emotion. Write them down. Ask yourself some questions about them. Reflect. And if needed, make a change.
For example, write down:
- what you fear and why you fear it
- what you first thought about after waking up and what you’d rather think about
- how you felt after a particular interaction and what you’d do differently next time
“One has to become aware of the set and peculiar habits of thought-feeling which come with age, and by understanding them make away with them. Inward riches alone bring peace and joy.” — J. Krishnamurti