The journey to Self-knowledge
This e-book aims to help you figure out what you really want in life and finally realize your true purpose.
If you’re serious about finding and living your true purpose, I want to be clear; it will take some time, energy, and focused attention.
It’s a process that you have to surrender to trust fully and wholeheartedly.
Because from my experience there is no secret pill or magic button that will just transport you to the place that you want to be in life.
Before we go any further, it’s important to internalize and fully prepare yourself to DO THE WORK.
Don’t worry though, it’s a fun process.
So I will be totally honest and transparent, “if you’re here to find an easy “life hack” then this e-Book may not be able to help you”.
Personally, I’m only interested in the deeper and more profound insights that are available when you reach new and exciting heights, and to really squeeze the “real juice” and essence out of this life.
I only search for holistic solutions that can be more permanent and can last through an entire lifetime, and possibly beyond this reality.
Most people today have no patience, they don’t have the bandwidth or tolerance to set long-term goals and watch the seeds of their deepest intentions bloom into radiant beauty.
The need for instant gratification and quick Insta-success is rampant throughout our culture.
This is a shame because many people lose themselves in the plethora of distractions and constant flow of “shiny objects”, which are doing a fabulous job of distracting us from ourselves and ultimately our true purpose.
So, if you’re genuinely interested in finding your true purpose in life, then you need to be constantly vigilant of external influences and outside distractions that aim to steer you off your path and away from your destiny.
It will require you to remain unwaveringly steadfast, perseverent, and remain true to your purpose like a modern-day warrior.
Learn to persevere and endure through almost anything
Now, let me guide you through a short exercise that offers some insight and will help you to strengthen your ability to endure pain and simple hardships.
The reality is that most people are just unable to do this, which are largely part of our overly domesticated and sheltered lives.
Now, find a chair, or go to the park and find a bench to sit on, it’s better to be in nature.
Once you’ve found a place, sit straight up (trying not to slouch) and in complete silence and do absolutely nothing.
Aim for at least 5 to 15 minutes at first.
To make the exercise easier, agree with yourself on a fixed time (start with 5 minutes), you can even set a timer on your phone so that you know when the exercise is over.
This simple exercise of sitting in silence can be extremely difficult. The impulse to stop sitting and start doing and pull away and just do “something”, or anything, like check your phone can become extremely intense.
The key here is to just become aware and perceive your senses and watch what’s going on without reacting.
Draw your attention and focus within so you can feel your inner being; like your thoughts, your body, and the various feelings. Just observe everything without judging or criticizing.
When you sit down with the intention to “do nothing”, as easy and uncomfortable as it may sounds, an intense urge to control may shortly arise. Many pictures and images will start to pop up in your mind, it may be a rainbow of feelings or a freight train of thoughts – just feel your body and all the senses in it, nothing more.
Try to sit and do this exercise at least once a day. The time of day doesn’t really matter, but sticking to the same time every day is best, this way it can become a habit.
Just sit, and observe, nothing more.
This exercise is particularly effective in situations in which you feel a strong need to distract yourself by eating junk food, surfing the internet, staring at your cell phone, to much work, to much thinking, the need to always occupy oneself, or anything else.
The power behind this exercise is that it can make time and create space for you to become silent and go within to find and discover your true purpose in life.
It’s easy to always search on the outside with the hopes of achieving self-knowledge and finding the real meaning of life.
But that’s not the way, because what you perceive on the outside is just a mirror of your own inner reflection and state of mind at any given time.
The most direct way to realize your true purpose in life will be found inside your innermost being.
The exercise we just did will take you one step closer in this direction.
I can’t emphasize this enough, you have to stop doing and become still and silent, to be able to perceive the universe of creativity that dwells inside of you.
All the answers are inside you.
Just like an acorn contains all of the genetic information it needs to sprout and grow into a magnificent oak tree, you also have many different seed intentions that you can also grow into beautiful artistic creations.
Now, let’s move on to the next step.
I hope what I’m sharing with you is relieving in a sense. You may realize that you no longer need to search outside of yourself for the answers.
It can all be found within.
At any time you can just sit back and relax, pause, and close your eyes and you instantly connect to yourself on a profoundly deep level and can access and receive unlimited insight from your inner guidance, or your intuitive intelligence.
The solution is inside of you
The answers have always been there, waiting for you to grasp them, feel them, touch them and implement them.
However, that doesn’t mean the outside is superfluous and of no use. Not at all, this eBook is a tool that you received from the outside world.
It can be used to help you to find your way and walk further along the your path.
It’s just one piece of the puzzle that you can use to help you find the next step on your life path and take you a little further.
In life, you will receive many messages that are like signposts. Pay special attention and listen very closely to these clues, they usually contain life-changing insight that can positively alter the direction of your life.
For me, it was learning and exploring the art and science of meditation, but it didn’t come easy and took much time to learn in the form of many books, courses, meditation retreats, and hours of actually meditating.
Over the years I have tried several types of meditation techniques, some of them were beneficial and gave me results, while others didn’t do much at all for me.
But. I eventually found the unique style and flow of meditation that I currently practice on a daily basis.
If there’s one thing that I’m totally certain of, it’s that meditation is the most important universal tool to help you discover and fully realize yourself.
It will help you to become more aware of your true self, and all the amazing qualities that you were born with, and to ultimately recognize your purpose in this lifetime.
Learn the gift of meditation
Make a commitment to devote your undivided attention to learning the skill of meditation and make a sincere effort to grasp and retain as much as you can, if you do, it can positively amplify every area of your life.
Here’s an article that I wrote that will show you exactly how to meditate.
Now let’s move on.
As I said, there is no life hack or magic pill that will give you all the answers and solutions you need.
Learning to uncover and realize your true gifts is a lifelong process that you have to be patient with, just stick with it and never ever give up.
Ask yourself what is the next step that you need to take to really get ahead?
First, it requires figuring out what your deepest desires are and setting the right intentions that will help guide you to them. These intentions can be like the thread that weaves through your life and guides you to a truly fulfilling life that keeps you truly satisfied and satiated on a soul level.
One way to figure out your dreams, intentions and desires is to create a vision board, learn how to make one here.
The first step is to become aware of your dreams, wishes and intentions. But many people unconsciously deny this deep because to really be true to yourself and realize your biggest dreams takes a lot of courage and will more than likely challenge you to the core of your being, and that involves more effort than most people want to put in.
The following exercise can be helpful with figuring out what it is that you actually want out of life.
Discover your dreams
First, you need to become super clear on what you want. Find a pen and paper and write down all the things that you really want life, including all your biggest dreams and deepest intentions, and anything else that comes to mind.
Just start writing without thinking too much about it. This is more about brainstorming and capturing what crosses your mind.
You can also use the following categories to help you uncover some of your dreams, and intentions in relation to your life for example; my intention is to ….. I truly wish to have…. I dream of being….
1. Emotions and feelings
2. Family, love, and partnerships
3. Friends and social circles
4. Body, mind, and sexuality
5. Health and nutrition
6. Vocation, travel, and passion projects
7. Money and material possessions
8. Freedom and hobbies
9. Creativity and self-expression
10. Spirituality and God
Write your top 10 to 20 most important wishes and desires from each area of your life and sort them by the degree of priority and importance.
I want you to pay special attention to the dreams on your checklist that really speak to your heart, perhaps make it skip a beat, and give you butterflies and chills down your spine.
What is pulling a heart string?
The reason being is that everlasting happiness only happens when we follow and listen to our hearts. And our ego-driven desires usually only lead to frustration, disappointment and short-lived gratification.
So, after you complete the exercise, continue on to the following exercise, it will help you to refine and better distinguish if a particular dream or intention comes from the heart, or originates in the head.
Where does it come from?
Next, apply the following questions to all of your wishes, dreams, and intentions;
- Do my dreams and intentions come from the depth of my heart, or do they come from the mind and ego?
- How do I feel on the inside when I think about each dream (feelings and emotions)?
Depending on the way that it feels inside your body, and the various sensations that you may experience – you can distinguish if the dream or desire came from your head or heart.
This will help you to get to the source and root of your dream.
It will help you see if it’s a real, authentic dream of yours, or if it was acquired from the head and external influences (like your parents and peers).
If the dream came from the head and “outside influences”, then the happiness that you will experience will more than likely be short-lived because it wasn’t a true dream of yours.
Whenever a dream leads you outside of yourself, then it’s already clear where it’s coming from.
The more that you do this exercise the more natural and intuitive it will become for you to recognize your truest intentions and to shed more light on what you really want to live and become in this lifetime.
The following exercise will take you to the next step.
Describe what your perfect day looks like
Before you can start to manifest and work towards your dreams and ideal lifestyle, you first have to imagine what a typical day in your desired life looks and feels like.
Imagine what this day is like down to the very last detail, for example:
- What is your day like?
- Where are you waking up?
- What does it smell like?
- What do you eat for breakfast?
- Where do you live, and with who?
- What do you see when you look out the window?
- Do you have a job or are you a freelance writer, gardener?
- What do you do with your time?
- Who do you imagine yourself talking to, kissing, and exploring the world around you with?
- Be free and write everything that feels good to you.
It’s important that you write everything in the present tense as if it was already happening in your life.
Internalize and feel it with every ounce of your being.
That’s the real key, it’s about you living your life exactly the way you want so that you have absolutely no regrets at the end of your life when you’re laying on your death bed.
This is really important to remember, once again:
Live your life on your own terms so that you will have no regrets whatsoever.
It’s never too late to start realizing and manifesting your little and big dreams. And, it’s never too late, and never too early, the perfect time to start is right now in this very moment.
Never forget, or allow it to slip your mind, this life is beyond precious, and it’s not meant to be lived just laying around watching TV, or stuck in a rut (unless that sort of thing brings lasting fulfillment to you). Remind yourself that you have eternity to sleep once you pass away.
If you’re still reading this e-book then I know you understand exactly where I’m coming from.
Life is way too short to not be doing the work that doesn’t speak to your soul or doesn’t make you come alive and jump for joy, and fill your heart with sense of passion and purpose.
The best time to go after your dream like a lion hunting its prey is right now.
To give you another idea of just how important your life is, please proceed to the following exercise.
Why are you still here?
Take some time for a moment, and ponder on the realization that you (and everyone else) are currently on an amazing journey, as a person on this one planet “aka” (spaceship earth) and you are alive right now.
You are totally awake and fully conscious.
There’s universal energy pulsating through your veins and projecting out through your eyes.
Breath by breath, moment by moment, you are floating through time and space.
You have been gifted this body, this vessel, to experience and fully express your gifts and talents to the world around you, and beyond.
Your presence and just being alive is enough. You don’t need to do, be or achieve anything. This is the awareness and understanding to move and breathe from.
Once you understand that, look yourself in the mirror, or the reflection of a placid lake and ask yourself the following questions;
- Why are you still alive?
- What else do you really want in this life?
What kind of experience do you want to have? What is your purpose for being? Try to answer these questions from the bottom of your heart.
Ask your inner guidance to give you the insight and the answers that you need.
Ask for it.
Anything is possible, there are no limits, only the ones that we place on ourselves.
Finally, use your wishes, dreams, and intentions to find your genuine purpose in life, and to live it and embrace it totally.
To keep it simple, anything in life that brings you joy is part of your purpose in life. I don’t mean fun in the sense of video games, or getting drunk and going out with your friends on the weekends.
Open your heart
Open your heart and try to feel what dreams really move you, which ones touch your soul. Ask yourself the following questions about your dreams:
- Does my wish bring a smile to my face?
- Does the dream open my heart so you can feel more love?
- Do I feel enthusiastic about it?
- Do I get into the flow state (where I lose track of time, and you become totally immersed in what you’re doing)?
- Does my dream help the people around you?
If you can answer these questions with a “yes”, then it’s very likely that you have found your purpose in life.
When something touches you, enlivens you, and gives you a jolt of energy, then that’s a sure-fire sign. Think of these as subtle messages and guides on the path.
We learn and receive insight and inspiration everywhere, especially during meditation, and from the people in our lives, animals, nature, and sensations in the body, and what we learn in the form of books and movies.
Sometimes, when I read an excerpt from a book, or see a powerful scene in a movie, or have experienced a profound emotion, or get flooded with an epiphany, I am deeply touched and it can instantly bring me to tears.
That’s why it’s important to be present and mindful through the many moments of our lives.
Being present allows life’s little teachings to speak to us, and sometimes tug a heart string and offer an epiphany and new insight at just the right time.
It’s essential to pay special attention to feelings, sensations, and messages and ask yourself how exactly do they move and or touch you? What gem or flicker of insight can you reap from it?
Many times it’s the simple and seemingly ordinary and mundane moments that have the most teachings infused in them.
From now on strive to be more alert and aware, especially if something grabs an emotion in the “felt sense” because it may be trying to tell you something.
Experience your meaning in life
I recommend taking at least one hour for this exercise.
Open a new page in your journal and write down the following heading The Meaning of Life ”.
Next, write down everything that comes to mind and you can think of, based on what the meaning of life really means to you (not anyone else).
It’s important that you don’t “overthink” your ideas or try to force them. Instead, try and let the ideas and inspiration flow through you.
Just relax and allow it to flow.
This will help you to access the subconscious state of mind.
Try to pay attention to your emotions and the sensations in your body. How do you feel when you write? Notice the ideas that invoke and bring about positive feelings and emotions when you write.
The more that you write the easier these kinds of exercises will become. You will start to develop the ability and sensitivity to more easily perceive and read the signals in your body.
Understand that everything that triggers your feelings inside wants to tell you something.
My hope is that this e-book has offered you a little more insight and a few tools to get started defining your path.
Discovering your dreams, wishes and life intentions will help you to navigate your life in the direction of your wildest dreams (depending on bad you want it).
They are directly related to what is important to you and what brings you ultimate joy and happiness.
Doing these exercises that help you to connect and communicate with your heart can help guide you through your unique life journey, and is something that you can rely on and always trust.
All the best