You Don't Have To Struggle To Achieve Your Goals.

Really?

This is a common narrative that gets pushed around. I was also someone that believed this as well for a very long time. (It's only very recently that my perspective has shifted.)

This is a common narrative that gets pushed because in order to succeed and achieve your goals one has to step outside of their comfort zone.

And stepping outside of your comfort zone is... well... uncomfortable.

Personal growth, speaking from experience, typically feels very painful. A lot of uncomfortable emotions tend to come up.

The reason why growth typically feels painful is because we are so attached to our identity. We are deeply attached to the beliefs about who we are. We are deeply identified with our beliefs about the world and how it is or should be.

You see this often when people have someone disagree with their beliefs; they feel like it's a personal attack on them.

When we step outside our comfort zone we challenge these beliefs therefore challenging the ego-mind identity.

We challenge the stories that we are attached to about ourselves and the world.

It feels painful.

It feels like death.

Because it is death in a sense... for the ego-mind identity.

At least for a little while until we wear a new identity and believe new stories.

But then it's time to grow again.

To reach new heights.

Get to new levels.

Then it becomes painfully uncomfortable again when we outgrow the newly formed identity.

The trick really is to not identify with your thoughts—with your stories.

Don't identify with the emotions that come up.

And don't resist them either.

No suppression or repression.

Allow them to come up.

Just watch them.

Observe them.

It may feel painful but try to take a bird's eye view and watch them without identifying with them.

You will begin to create a separation between you and the painful emotions.

A new dimension opens up.

You begin to realize that you are not the emotions that are coming up.

You are The Observer. The Witness. The Awareness.

You aren't the character on the screen.

Think about it.

Your personality has changed throughout the years. You aren't the same person you were 5 years ago and you won't be the same person 5 years from today. Every one of these personalities has felt like it was you but eventually it becomes someone foreign. Even your body is constantly upgrading as cells die off and new ones are born.

So who's the real you?

(It's the one behind the mask. 😉🧘)

There is an essence to you that has remain unchanged. The same awareness you had as a kid is here with you now. Can you sense its presence?

And no experience can put a stain on Who You Really Are.

In the same way that a TV screen is unaffected by whatever is being played.

A drama, a horror movie, a romance.

The pixels of the movie happen within the screen, but they do not affect the screen. Your thoughts and emotions happen within you, but they are not you. Thoughts and emotions come and go but you remain.

The more you practice this the more this dimension opens up.

Spaciousness.

When you realize that no experience can touch Who You Really Are...

Then there's nothing to lose.

And nothing to gain.

There is no struggle because Who You Really Are is already whole and complete.

The pressure is off. Life becomes a fun game that you play for the experience of it but not because you need something out of it.

You can play the character of the game but you know that you are not the character in the game.

You aren't the character in the video game, you're the one holding the controller.

You may see their thoughts; you may feel their emotions.

But at the end of the day you know that everything is going to be okay because you—the one holding the controller—is unaffected by the contents of the video game.

You simply allow the contents to come up without judgement.

You can play the character however you want.

To achieve any goal—to get to any level of the game—you need to level up your character.

Your character will act in accordance with the beliefs and stories they hold about themselves.

Borrow new beliefs and stories—learn any skill that is needed to create the ultimate character—to get to the desired level.

The trick to not suffer is to play the role without becoming entangled in the movie.

Play the character without being entangled in their stories.

The less you identify the more you can flow from one thing to the next because you are not attached to the story of who you're supposed to be or how the world is supposed to work.

You flow effortlessly from one thing to the next.

Wherever your heart is calling you. ❤️‍🔥

FYI: This is a process. I still lose presence and get caught up in the stories of my character from time to time. This is still a valid experience. No judgement. But I am more aware than ever before and I continually practice this awareness. The more you do this, the lighter you feel. The more you do this, the more this dimension opens up to you.

Do you want to continue playing? 👇

(Things that inspired me this week.)

🎙 Podcast: Nathan Baugh - The Secrets of Creativity 

This inspired new ideas within me for where I want to take my content and my writing. Definitely will be studying storytelling in near future to improve my writing. The games have just begun. 😤

🎙 Podcast: Billy Oppenheimer - The Work Is The Win

It's crazy I listened to this after I wrote this newsletter up but I think in some ways it parallels the essence of this piece. Plus it's just a really great listen. I'm just crazy inspired right now to keep studying anything and everything that has to do with writing. (This kid is the research assistant to the best-selling author Ryan Holiday.)

📝 Article: Headline Templates and Formulas You Can Use In Your Own Writing

Useful article for creating headlines that grab readers' attention.

🎥 Video: David Hawkins Letting Go Technique Explained

I love the way he explains it; plus he just seems like a hella cool dude.

🤖 AI-generated content: Joe Rogan Podcast with Steve Jobs + other AI-generated podcasts

Mad cool. It'll be interesting to see how advanced this stuff gets in the next few years.

💬 Quote: From Zack's (@behaviorhack on IG) newsletter:

Specifically this part:

It's something I think about from time to time as I continue sharing my story and creating content. It's just wild to think that I will be apart of people's lives in this way and I will hardly know anything about them. 🤯

If you enjoyed this newsletter you might also enjoy the 'Life is a Video Game Podcast' check it out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts.