All human beings have these egos, this mind-made conception of who we are. And it only survives when it feels important. And when this ego feels threatened, because it is comparing itself to the wealth or success or looks of someone else, it suffers, and it makes us suffer immensely. To really get to the root of this suffering, we need to recognize that we are not this ego, and…
Most of the time, when people think of spirituality and finances, they tend to focus on how to deal with money worries, how to make more, or how to manifest more. That’s a big theme in the spiritual landscape we see online these days. But today, I want to talk about the opposite issue that a lot of people face. And that is our attachment to, and identification with, our…
Most of thel problems in our lives are generated by our thinking mind. When we’re depressed, we are constantly thinking dark, negative thoughts. When we’re anxious, we’re constantly thinking insecure, anxious thoughts. When we’re caught in the drama of life, we are usually retelling that story of drama in our minds, again and again. To be free from this compulsive thinking is to be free from much of the suffering…
When asked if I have an ego myself, I'm reminded of the scene from Fight Club, where Edward Norton shoots himself in the head, trying to kill his alter ego, Brad Pitt. The fact of the matter is, we all have a thinking mind. And it's important for surviving in this world. That thinking mind is where problem-solving, working through complex situations, finding solutions, and creativity come from — and…
I had dreams of people visiting me in the forest and feeling like, "Oh no, I broke the rules," and they were trying to tempt me to come back to society. But it was one of the most beautiful, profound, enlightening experiences of my life that I would never trade for anything.When I was a kid, I remember hearing that Jesus of Nazareth went into the desert for 40 days…
Most of us take life too seriously. We put so much pressure on ourselves that it hurts our ability to do our best. Because we know that when we are relaxed, we are confident, we're not second-guessing ourselves, and we are thinking in the clearest way possible. When fear and pressure cloud our judgment, we are not going to be our best."Holding grudges" is such a great phrase, because we…
Q: I need to be accompanied by friends all the time. I am so desperate and needy and unhappy. Help!Human beings are social. We're social creatures; we thrive with close connections. And it is because we needed each other to survive. So, we are naturally drawn to those close bonds that make us feel safe. Sometimes, when we have felt unsafe, we may use friends and pets and other devices…
Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people? And more importantly, why can we have everything in life and still feel empty inside? Is karma why some people seem to have all the luck? Is there cosmic justice in the afterlife? Some kind of Heaven or Hell? Is life totally random? Or is there some other explanation? In today's podcast, I explore…
Changing our mindset changes our reality because our reality is created by our perception. The way we see the world, the way we see our life unfolding, determines how we feel about our lives and shapes how we think about the situations happening around us, those we often call “happening to me.”If we are peaceful, life appears peaceful to us because we stay at peace in our mind. We don't…
Life only gets out of control when the doing is out of balance with the being. Therefore, when we are constantly doing, constantly receiving a bombardment of information and messages from society, from advertising to social media to the friends and family we are surrounded with, we are always being bombarded with trillions of informational data points that the brain processes and uses to create a model of the universe around…
“I thought my biggest fear was growing old and dying in prison. In truth, my biggest fear was growing old and not knowing myself.”
- Rick Smith, Albama inmate
Path to Peace - A newsletter not just for your mental health but also for your spiritual health.
