EternalForest

@solr You helped 100s of people, why let 2 people stop you? Completely ignore the trolls and move forward. Leo has a video about this too!

Go with her to the mall one day, walk around and talk to her about her life and what she wants to do in it. Don't judge, just ask curiously. She may have more things planned out than you realize and be better off than she appears. But at the end of the day, it is her life and she can choose what to do with it and you must accept that.

Instead of typical self help or "how to start a business" books, I'd focus on reading business books written by legendary businesspeople, or autobiographies of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Mark Zuckerburg, Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, etc.

A video about the long term positive effects of keeping a daily, productive schedule would be awesome! (how to make a schedule, how to keep a schedule, benefits, traps, etc.)

Ask them if they watch Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones, a few episodes of those is about the length of an Actualized.org episode. Or if they're an anime fan it's about 4 to 6 episodes. Or about the length of an Avengers movie. If you re-contextualize it that way it's not very much time at all.

Free or paid. Could be any category, self help, success, spirituality, educational, etc.

He did this a little bit in his How to Raise Rockstar Kids episode, but a dedicated video would be awesome

Couldn't access any pages on actualized.org from either my studio location or at home all week last week, could finally log in again this morning and it's working fine! Browser used: Google Chrome Number of locations: 2

@Salvijus Yeah, maybe some reading, mindful listening or contemplation beforehand would put me in a better mindset, good idea

I'm having a lot of trouble meditating every day without missing a single day. I'm really good when it comes to meditating in spurts or short bursts. Every couple weeks when I'm in the mood, I'll sit and meditate for an hour and its an amazing, peaceful, insightful experience. Sometimes I'll build momentum for a few days and meditate for 45 minutes the next few days too. But when I'm not in the mood, like the other 20+ days of the month, it's difficult for me to meditate for just 15 minutes sometimes, and even harder to do it daily. I'm just not feeling it, and I know that sounds childish, but its true. If I meditate when I'm not in the mood, I feel like I'm wasting time, what's the point if I'm not vibing with this, this is boring, etc. Is there any solution other than to brute force it (something I don't believe in when it comes to spirituality?) Leo recently said in his latest video that the reason for this may be that I don't fully recognize the significance of doing this. And it's not that I don't realize the significance, I think I do, (I enjoy meditation when I'm in the mood to do it), it's just that significance doesn't translate to motivation or a change in my behavior in my normal everyday.

@Leo Gura Self-discipline is a tricky thing My mind plays tricks on me and I tell myself "Yeah, I'm self-disciplined, look how much I just meditated, I can afford to be lazy now for a little while", and I make myself believe that lie over and over again. It also makes every re-attempt more difficult in terms of self-confidence. Not to say there's anything wrong with taking a break, but I do want to at least see the effects of a non-stop 90-day trial, which I haven't done yet. But thanks guys, I think a retreat would be a good solution. I guess I just haven't really "broken through" yet.

Please suggest any fictional stories which made you question reality for days after you finished watching. Anything that made you philosophize about the true nature of your world and your purpose here is welcome. I'd also love to hear why (no spoilers!) I'll start off with a few late 90s classics: The Matrix - Even more relevant today with the speculation about simulation theory. Fight Club - So many great quotes in this one. I especially like "The things you own end up owning you." The Truman Show - Incredibly relevant today with mass surveillance, and begs many questions about the world in which you believe you live in your direct experience.

You've got 20 minutes to change your life in 100 ways. Go. This is the premise of an exercise I tried once, when I was feeling stuck in life. I wasn't sure what was amiss, but the routine I had fallen into was not satisfying the inner voice in me that insisted there was something else out there for me. (See also: Change Your Life With Storytelling) After trying (forcefully) to understand what was going on, reading self-help books, filling out aptitude tests, and working with business and life coaches, I was given a suggestion that became a catalyst for some pretty big personal changes. Here is how you can change your life in 20 minutes, step by step: Clear all distractions. Turn off the phone, the TV, the computer. Lock your door, and go to a quiet place. Sit down comfortably at a desk or table, with a blank piece of paper and a pen in front of you. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Go. Write down 100 things you want to do. Or careers you want to have. Or people you would like to meet. The sky is the limit. Don't be realistic. Dream big. Write down the craziest things you can think of, as well as the things that you don't even think bear mentioning because they are so simple. Write it all down. Work quickly. 20 minutes isn't very long, and you have 100 items to get through, if you can. Don't think about whether or not to write down an idea — just write. Write everything that comes to mind, even if it doesn't make sense. Just keep on writing, and don't stop until that timer goes off. Something happens after about 10 or 15 minutes if you employ the exercise to its full potential. You stop caring about what specifically the ideas are, and you start to release an inner creativity that may have been locked away for a while. In an effort to get through 100 things in 20 minutes, you start to write outlandish things down that you aren't even really sure you want, but that are ideas that came to you nonetheless. Ding! The timer goes off. No matter where you are in the process, or how many items you have written down, stop. (OK, if you are really on a roll and have a few more to write down because the juices are flowing, keep going. I won't tell.) Leave the list alone for a day. Try not to look at it, and certainly don't revise it in any way. The following day, sit down and look at your list. How many of the items on it are feasible? Can you see your way to accomplishing any of it? Did anything come out of the list that you hadn't actually really thought of until you wrote it down in a hurried attempt to get to 100 items in the time limit? Any surprises in there? The point of this exercise is not to create a giant and outlandish "to-do" list that never gets ticked off. Instead, it is simply to open up your mind to the idea that anything is possible, and to give you ideas that will help you to become unstuck in life. Personally, after feeling stuck and making out my list, I identified a few ways to make positive changes in my life at the time; I joined Toastmasters because an item I wrote down was to become a public speaker. I also eventually started a blog to satisfy an inner wordsmith in me that has blossomed into a career. And ultimately, the list helped lead me to the decision to sell off everything I owned to live out my dreams of travel and adventure now. And it all started with 20 minutes and 100 ways to change my life.

Wanted to get your opinions. To me, it seems the best way is to just learn martial arts. Ignore verbal abuse, and if physical abuse begins, use self-defense techniques.

@Sahil Pandit Agreed. Thanks for responding to all my threads, even though I don't always respond back, wanted to say I appreciate it. @SpaceCowboy Hm, never thought of it that way. @Eric Tarpall lmao @Epiphany_Inspired @Salvijus Sending love back is definitely valuable. @Matt8800 I'm going to start learning it very soon. @Wyze Report them to HR.

Tell people how to create a board composed of a collage of photos of their dreams, goals, places they want to go, things they want to do, and what they value, in a place they can look at everyday. There's power in seeing your goals visually every day, making them real to you.

Every few weeks I get these intense bouts of nostalgia thinking about all the people in my life, the memories I've made with them, all the things I've done, all my regrets, all my proudest moments, how things have changed, and what I'll do when they are gone. I think about the times I've had with them and how irreplaceable those times are, but its not your typical/normal type of nostalgia. In these moments I am almost brought to tears by eras gone by and feel so grateful to have been a part of them and have this feeling that no one else around me can understand the depth of what I am feeling. It's this sort of warm, deep feeling for the people and memories that is impossible to put into words. I'm not feeling this right now, so I thought it would be a good time to be objective about it and discuss it. There is also sometimes an even more intense element to it, where I feel as though I took it all for granted and want to just live it all again, and the fact that I can't sometimes brings me to tears of sadness. It's an era that will never come back and I'll never truly relive it the same way again, and nothing since can or will ever replace it.

Meditation (plan a retreat this year) Concentration Contemplation Self inquiry Reading Researching Journaling Exercising Yoga Saving Money Plus, keep on track with your life purpose and your top values. Make your mark! Have a great 2019 everyone.

@Andreas Creativity. Through the thick and thin of life you can always create. Suffering often fuels creation, so even in suffering creativity can thrive. And in joyfulness and high consciousness, creativity feels like a free flowing euphoria from the soul, in all artforms, visual and audio, stories and songs around the globe. Edit: It also gives a lot of meaning to one's life, when all practical things have been taken care of such as food and shelter and where logical ends, creativity begins. It gives meaning to life when all practicality has been taken care of.

@CreamCat Never knew about that, how disgusting. Trying to stifle a sincere, ambitious company because you own a piece of paper which you aren't going to do anything with. Life's too short for that bullshit

Just the opposite, doing more spiritual work and education will enhance the rest of your life, including hobbies (including gaming), relationships and life purpose. Once you have a strong purpose you'll be so into it you'll barely have time for games, but in the time that you do spend gaming I think you'll appreciate it a lot more. Good luck.

It's alright, I probably haven't even fully integrated 25% of the techniques and mindsets he talks about in his videos yet, a new one can wait

I know, I know, the title is pretty out there, but hear me out. Leo has said in the past that art is a sort of "pseudo-spirituality", and I agree in the sense that a piece of art allows you to see the beauty of a certain aspect of the infinite. For the sake of this post let's assume video games are art, which I personally believe, but I know some take issue with. When I think about the concept of an engrossing, high quality open world game it gives me the same sense of wonder and openness that meditating or camping and spending time in nature does. That natural sense of exploration and awareness of your surroundings is emulated well by the best games. Examples of games that give me this feeling are Skyrim, Minecraft, Super Mario 64, Final Fantasy X, Breath of the Wild, Ocarina of Time, Ratchet and Clank, Kingdom Hearts 2 and The Witcher 3. Now I know art is subjective and everyone probably has their own list but these games are definitely on the more open world/artistic side and bring out that "feeling" for me. When playing these types of games consciously (not from point A to point B, but fully taking in the surroundings and the experience), I see a lot of potential for them being used as a tool for spirituality. These games can also give us insight on how we get "lost" in our everyday life when in many ways it is no different than getting lost in the game! In the sense that it too is an illusion. Here is an interesting technique by Michael Highland which expands on this point and shows the potential of using video game play as a spiritual practice. QUOTE (source: http://www.awaken.com/2013/08/using-video-games-as-spiritual-practice/ ) I wanted to provide a simple guide to those of you interested in actually trying this out. First I think I should clarify what I mean by ‘spiritual practice’. I want to relieve you of any fear that that this exercise has anything to do with religion or god. It does not, at least not inherently. When I say spiritual practice, what I have in mind is a any activity that, through repetition, brings an individual greater objectivity, equanimity, and love. Countless such practices have been formalized by spiritual teachers for thousands of years. Shinzen Young is a meditation teacher whose recordings I highly recommend. He makes this important distinction about spiritual/meditative practice: “Formal sitting is to meditation as playing scales is to music. Even great musicians still play scales, but scales are not the purpose of music. In the same way, even experienced meditators still do formal sitting practice, but formal sitting practice is not the goal of meditation. The concert is the goal of music practice; living one’s life fully is the goal of the meditation practice.” I believe this should be true of any spiritual practice – the goal is simple to live as fully as possible. Simple enough. Background I’m basing this experimental practice on my relatively superficial knowledge of meditation techniques (yogic and zen) as well as some first hand experience with dream yoga (lucid dreaming practice) as it’s approached in Bon Buddhism. This is the beta version for lack of better terminology. This practice is intended for gamers – if you’re new to video games, it’d be especially challenging because much of your mental energy will be dedicated to processing and controlling the game. You should be past the point of checking which is the ‘X’ button, and ideally choose a game you have some familiarity with. The primary goal of the practice is to maintain a heightened awareness of two things, the idea that the game is an illusion, and of yourself the feelings you are experiencing while playing. Let’s discuss each in a little more detail. Awareness of Game as Illusion The first awareness is a purely mental recognition of the game as purely an illusion. Imagine being in a dream, and then recognizing, for whatever reason that you are dreaming. It’s an ‘Ah ha’ moment, a mental understanding. You can reinforce this idea through an internal dialog, something like “This is a game, it is an illusion”. It will be challenging to hold only this thought in your mind while playing. Don’t punish yourself if you realize you’ve become distracted. Rather, take a moment, breath deeply, and refocus your mind on that recognition. In fact, each time you lose touch with the awareness it is an opportunity to experience how easily we lose ourselves in the virtual world. Awareness of Your Thoughts and Feelings The second awareness is a a sense of what feelings (physical and emotional) and thoughts are arising in your body. You should play in a comfortable position, but try to let the awareness of your physical body promote an energized rather than sleepy feeling in the body. If you’re too tired to hold yourself up, try the practice when you have more energy. As you play take notice if your body tenses or reacts to events in the game. Notice if you experience any internal dialog or thoughts. Notice what emotions arise. This part of the practice is simply an exercise in observation, you should not try to control or limit how you react to the game physically, mentally, or emotionally. Rather just observe and continue playing. The Practice Find a comfortable place to play, ideally somewhere without any other distractions. Turn off background music, lower the lights. Attempt to make the game as immersive as possible. Plan on playing for at least 30 minutes. Choose a game that you know well, that you can play ‘on auto pilot’. I’ve been using MF2 multiplayer in my own practice and it seems like a good choice. Likely though, any game could work. Before you start playing, try to gain some somatic (bodily) awareness. Take a few deep breaths through your nose, feeling your torso expand and contract. Roll your shoulders and neck. Shake out your arms and hands. Take a few moments to simply observe how your body feels. Now set an intention to remain fully present and aware while playing. Say it to yourself: “I will remain present and aware of myself and of the illusion of the game” If you are new to the practice it can be helpful to use a timer to remind yourself to refocus. You can vary the delay but I recommend 5 minutes. If you are using a timer, set it. Begin playing, first maintaining only an awareness of your body, thoughts, and emotions. As your mind begins to shift from the thoughts and stress of the day into the game world, keep a gentle awareness on the recognition of the game as a game. When the timer goes off check yourself, did you get lost in the game? If so, observe that, and re-establish both the awareness of your self and of the game. You can continue to reset the timer for 5-10 minutes if you find it helpful. Otherwise simply self monitor. Take note of how challenging it is to hold the first awareness in your mind. It’s helpful to set a stop time – 30 minutes is good to start. If I don’t use a timer, I have a tendancy to play to a point where I am mentally fatigued and the practice is no longer effective. It’s much better to end the practice while you are still sharp and then go back to playing like normal if you still want more later. When the stop timer goes off, quickly shut down, or pause the game. If you can lie down on the floor, or in a comfortable seated position with your eyes closed. One last time observe how your body feels, what your mind is focused on. Lie still and let your mind relax. There is nothing to focus on now, no effort. Stay in that relaxed place for 5 or 10 minutes, letting the effects of your practice settle. When you feel ready slowly wake your body up and return to the ‘real’ world. Try the practice everyday for a week, and take note if you experience any change in your day to day experience. Goals The practice is certainly an end in itself. And because I am still initially experimenting with it, it’s hard to say what the long term effects will be. My hope would be a general increase in awareness of one’s feelings and thoughts, and potentially a greater sense of objectivity – the ability to look at all things as separate and virtual in a way. Philosophically, I personally resonate with the idea of looking at real world as a game that is designed by me to challenge and reward myself. A game that I am choosing to take part in, similarly to playing a video game. And please keep me posted if you’re trying this out! Source: GamerThink.Com

@TheAvatarState Oh sure, nature is more fulfilling, ultimately, @Hellspeed is correct. I was just mentioning that I've had experiences with certain video games that are similar to experiences I've had with nature, but of course not in the same league.

@Anton Rogachevski I am not projecting or judging. There may be lessons to be learned, but when you get those lessons it is assumed that you are getting the full package, not just cherry picking. I've seen countless comments from experienced practitioners not to use techniques without going all in with the philosophy, as it could be very dangerous. I don't want to use psychedelics. I've never been drunk or high. I'm not assuming anything. I'm aware of their effects and side effects and it's not something I'm interested in being a part of.