ZenSwift

I honestly believe personal development is like split between self-improvement, and the other half being self-love, which comes from deep compassionate understanding and even acceptance. In my experience I had fears around being herded along like the rest of the sheep, which honestly is a healthy fear to have in my opinion if it really motivates you to take massive action. Taking massive action is going to be what sets you apart. But you may end up realizing that this uniqueness of you will not actually leave. Sure it may not flower as much if you do not give love to it, but I don't think it'll actually completely disappear. Just notice where you're being authentic to pursuing excellence and where you are being neurotic of trying to not fit into the crowd. Every year I find myself establishing even deeper groundwork for what self-development actually is. I almost feel like I'm starting over every year, but on more firm ground. Or sober ground.

@Zeroguy wouldn't that be the best part though? Being so conscious that you are actually just all the people in the room? Just that level of consciousness is satisfying enough. Let alone fucking with that level of consciousness! Bucket list goals right there

Made me smile

Mind blown 🤯 It almost sounds like God-Realization is the only game in town. Like of anything to do ever in life that is of any value.

@Zen LaCroix Thankyou very much I appreciate it

How would you describe what the word "enlightenment" points to, with your current understanding of reality? Becoming conscious of no-self? (I feel like words may fail entirely here.)

@Zen LaCroix Thankyou for the post. I found some great insights to chew on. Could you please elaborate on each of these insights? I'd love to understand these deeper. "Need a sense of urgency that it has to happen now" "All change happens when you step out of your current identity" "Make love to every word you say" "Easiest way to change your life is through hypnosis" <especially this one "Create a second personality" "You need to be able to communicate with full self-belief" "Need a sense of urgency that it has to happen now" "Unless you light a fire under your ass it ain’t gonna happen" Thankyou.

I can't wait to loose my mind with none other than Leo himself. I've had many trips where I thought, "man, it would be nice to have Leo to be right here to guide me through all the noise."

Leo is there a list somewhere, already like a checklist you could go through to question each attachment your mind may have, comprehensively unraveling the mind piece by piece?

Only place I can get genuine insight on my deep metaphysical, epistemological musings from my trip reports and such.

The type of people that I would meet at the retreat alone would be a crazy experience in itself. Let alone the value Leo would bring into the retreat.

In this case then, I don't mind hiding the posts and wiping the image completely from this site.

Sorry Leo, my intention was to spread humour. I can understand that this can be way too serious of a thing for to even joke about for you, given your position of influence. @Zen LaCroix(My phone won't stop tagging you when I make a reply in this thread sorry)

@Zen LaCroix This is literally going to be the first hour: Followed by cries that look like timestamp 3:00

These are traps I’ve noticed myself and/or others falling into, even with the desire to be a “good student” of Leo’s work, even with Leo explicitly creating warnings. These are some pitfalls I’ve noticed. Note: I originally wrote this myself, then asked ChatGPT to polish it slightly for clarity while preserving at least 95% of the original text’s integrity. The ideas and experiences are still fully mine—this is just a cleaner version of what I wrote. Don’t mind the em-dashes guys! 1. Wage Slavery With the increased awareness of the idea of wage slavery, I’ve seen individuals—myself included—use this as an excuse to avoid getting a job, without having the courage or readiness to start a business either. The result? They just get stuck. I think following Leo's content on this topic can sometimes lead to a demonization—and even a fear—of working a regular job. But what many fail to recognize is that wage slavery is primarily a mindset, not just the act of taking a 9-to-5 job. If you're employed and work a 9-to-5, yes, technically you’re part of the system. But that doesn't mean you're a wage slave. A wage slave is someone who is unconscious of how the system is using them. That unconsciousness is the slavery—it's mental enslavement. If you're working a job and aware of your situation, with plans to transition out of it in the future, then your mind is not enslaved. You're simply playing the game strategically. And the reality is, you might need to work that job for years before making your next move. In some cases, working a job might be the best thing you can do for your mental health—it gives you structure, stability, and keeps you from falling into apathy or depression. Yes, be wise about how you plan your life so you don’t trap yourself long-term. But also, don’t let fear keep you from stepping into the survival pressure cooker if that’s the most logical next step in your growth. 🔗 Watch Leo’s video: How To Escape Wage Slavery 2. Academia After watching Leo’s “Should You Go To College?” video, where he flat-out says “college is for stupid people,” I agreed with what I believed was the essence of that message. But I also realize now that I used that message to justify avoiding the discomfort and effort of academia. It took years of demonizing academia before I finally surrendered to the idea that maybe getting a formal education might not be such a bad thing. I discovered that I’m not a natural self-starter or entrepreneur. I am ambitious, but within the limits of my comfort zone and personality. At least at this time. I now see that becoming a licensed therapist and going through the necessary education is a reasonable step on my path. The trap here was that I locked myself into this “Actualized.org identity” where I felt like I was supposed to reject the crowd, say “fuck school,” and reject the system’s indoctrination entirely. Sure, if I studied academic philosophy, I’d probably end up epistemically and metaphysically corrupt. But when it comes to topics like psychology or social work, there’s still value in conventional education. Yes, I’m chasing a credential so I can get employed—but that’s where I’m at, and I accept it. I will see how I feel when I start to enter into that world. I also kind of miss school. Part of my journey has been learning how to regulate my brain so I can actually focus on what matters. I’ve got at least 50 books on my shelf—mostly from Leo’s book list—that I haven’t even cracked open. I’m ashamed of that. But it’s the honest truth about where I’m at in terms of motivation and discipline. I want to be like Leo in that video where he leans on 200 books, saying, “Look how cool I am.” But for whatever reason—maybe personality type—this has been a massive challenge for me. Still, as time passes, I’m learning that I’m healthiest when I’m actively making room for structured extra-curricular learning. 🔗 Watch Leo’s video: Should You Go To College? - Common Traps & Mistakes How to Do Real Personal Development - - Peak reading goals. 3. Pickup / Dating Dynamics This is something Leo has spoken volumes about, especially in his 3-part series on How To Get Laid. He’s also dropped insane knowledge bombs on the forum over the years—some of which have fundamentally shifted my understanding of dating, sexuality, and male-female dynamics. And the most valuable insight of them all? That I needed to actively train myself to become a social human being. Embracing this healthy approach to socialization has had a genuinely transformative effect on my life. That said... There’s an uncomfortable truth here: to be conventionally successful with women, a certain level of deception and corruption is often required. And for me, that’s tough. I find it especially hard to do anything that feels morally wrong—even if it would satisfy a base sexual need. It feels like I’d just be shooting myself in the foot... like spitting in the wind. That’s not to say I always make the most noble choices in my dating life—far from it. I’m no angel. In fact, I’m a devil—a fucking vulture—as Leo once called me. But I’ve noticed that when it comes to certain dynamics, it’s hard for me to be a full-on “player,” or to act like a dick—even though being that dick would probably get me laid. I’m just too nice. The truth is, I haven’t been “slapped around” enough by women yet to fully understand what makes them respond with genuine attraction. I simply don’t have that level of real-world experience… yet. I think a major trap here is simply not accepting the arduous process of making yourself vulnerable and exposing yourself to a ton of real-world experience. I see way too many people who just don’t fully accept how massive an undertaking it actually is to become successful with women. The Expectations are not set correctly. Setting Proper Expectations How To Get Laid - Part 1 - The Foundations Of Success With Women 4. Demonizing Survival (Not Accepting It) This one is so damn common—trying to get to Leo’s level, or Sadhguru’s level, while you’ve still got a mountain of survival challenges and karma to burn through. You’re not going to become a yogi overnight. You’ve got to master being a devil first. You’ve got to master survival. There’s a deep, often subconscious, desire to be “above” our animalistic nature—to transcend being a horny monkey who craves power and status. But the truth is, that part of you must be acknowledged, worked with, and integrated. You can’t just meditate your way out of it. You can’t bypass it through spiritual ideology. If you try, you’ll end up in delusion or repression. The sooner you face it, the sooner you’ll understand what actually needs to be done to burn through those primal parts of yourself. Even if you want to burn through it with REAL Spirituality. I still think that this can be too tough for most people. Most people are not going to be actually motivated to do the hardcore REAL spirituality. They are not yet (me included at this time) conscious enough to see the value of it to actually put it into practice in a rigorous, industrious manner. Not only that—but if you skip over survival and dive straight into spiritual bypassing, you’ll probably miss out on valuable life experiences that would shape and grow you in unique ways. I’ve noticed a lot of deep insights about yourself are hidden behind the obstacles you face when solving the maze of your survival situation. What is Fake Spirituality? ( Real Spirituality Defined in this Lecture) Life is a Maze Hope this provides productive insight for some of you. Feel free to share your thoughts. Love you guys.

This is super exciting.

Someone say Vulture Game?

My mind is open. I'm interested.

I'm solipsistic. I've temporarily experienced states of extremely high solipsism. Realizing that I'm the only player in this game of life. Just fooling myself that I'm not alone. I am currently asleep to this truth. But it still lingers subtly in the background of everyday life. But I can foresee, after enough trips, I feel that this state of solipcism will only deepen. Just like how my awareness of no eyes, no face, no head, has deepened. What a killer shift in perception! On my last trip, it was painfully obvious for a bit, having me saying: "HOW THE FUCK ARE OTHER PEOPLE POSSIBLE? THERE NOT!!! 🤡😂🤡😂🤡😜🤡🤓🤡🤣🤡 " 😩🤯😰😱

@Leo Gura This reminds me of something I lightly intuited from a trip... It appears that selflessness (from ego dissolution) equals intelligence. Selflessness = Intelligence Am I on the right track? What could I contemplate to deepen this inquiry?

I can't wait to get myself a PHD on something that's absolutely a joke. And still reap the survival and power benefits.

Wayne Dyer. He's a huge inspiration for me of the kind of guru/ teacher I'd like to be. Dude was an absolute Juggernaut.

I definetly have a ZenSwift ego. I want ZenSwift to be liked and appreciated. BTW I've never even studied Zen 😂 I wouldn't even mind changing my name here.

I appreciate this distinction. This is something I sometimes fantasize about creating for myself. But it also conflicts with my top value of health a lot. Also there is genuine wonder about "is this something only I can be born with or is this something that I can install into my mind?" Which is why I am really looking forward to Leo's mind programming course. Honestly at this point I am just willing to look at other courses that are close to this.

Why ZenSwift uses the forum: - Posting Trip Reports in a place where I feel it would be appreciated: here - Reading what Leo Posts (I am floored with how much I've learned from this alone) - Reading what other people say, especially the people here that appear to have a significant amount of Awakening/realization under their belt. Gives me good food for thought. - Finding much more conscious perspectives around various topics - Stumbling upon GOATed resources that people occasionally drop. - Distraction