Saba

Hi everyone! I have been writing for Thought Catalog and my own personal blog for years, but in the last year I decided to try writing professionally. I just graduated from a degree in Neuroscience and Psychology, and I have the time. But to have a successful blog, you have to market yourself. And somehow, marketing takes the passion out of it for me. I hate pimping my content, and it most marketing tactics seem futile. I also worry that maybe I'm too unique in my interests, too obscure in what I write about. 2 Questions: 1) How do I market my blog while keeping my passion for it? How can I stay passionate while making my passion profitable? 2) Do I have to write more palatable content, or just keep marketing? Does anyone have tangible advice for marketing a blog? I also need real criticism. My friends and family just say "good writing", etc. I need some to hear some harsh truths about how I can improve. My blog is https://sabastudies.com/ . Thanks guys

Guys. This is the most important scientific theory of our time. Science has broken through the paradigm of physicalism. Leo, you have to watch this interview. It explores Gödel's incompleteness theorems, 5-MeO-DMT, meditation, INFINITE permutations of consciousness or "conscious agents"... everything.

@Willie @The Lucid Dreamer I'm so glad you guys had the chance to watch it, and did so with an open mind! I also recognize he doesn't have everything perfectly understood, but seeing science go so far is astounding. *I don't mean this about either of you*: As an aside, I am sometimes worried that Leo's fans will become a cult of their own, discrediting anything Leo discredits or adopting all of his ideas without thinking about it themselves. Which, of course, is what he explicitly tells us not to do. Critical and independent thinking can be a very deceptive thing! Onwards!

@luckieluuke My pleasure glad you found it helpful!

@The Lucid Dreamer you're exactly right, he hasn't left the math behind yet. Like I said above, he actually uses the theory of natural selection to disprove natural selection itself, and move beyond physicality. Likewise, he's using math to get beyond math.

@Leo Gura Maybe I didn't do it justice with my description. I think if you watch it in full you will see that he's moving towards to an actual theory of infinity, with consciousness being the fundamental and irreducible building block. He speaks about how "the math" is leading him to believe there are infinite "conscious agents" which exist in any and every permutation, giving rise to an infinite reality. He also speaks highly of others' 5-MeO-DMT experiences, and he's seeking to consult people with those experiences to help him see differently. I understand that math is within consciousness itself -- in the same vein, he actually uses the theory of natural selection to disprove natural selection itself, and move beyond physicality. Likewise, he's using math to get beyond math. I think for a renowned scientist to make the bold leap to explore the metaphysical is quite remarkable! Has anyone actually watched it with an open mind, and in full? Or are we dogmatically discrediting everything based on one lone sentence or prior prejudice? The ego is easily deceived.

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Hi all! I am giving a talk on secular meditation tomorrow and I remember Leo said something PHENOMENAL about beliefs/religion: Something along the lines of "you have all these dogmas/beliefs and you still act like a f*cking animal" I've watched the videos I thought it'd be from, but I can't find it! I want to quote him directly. Can anyone remember when he said this?

Leo's latest video, "How to Escape Wage Slavery", was phenomenal. Every point he made was salient and applicable to my life, as a recent university graduate. However, Leo, you were wrong about one thing. You said the only reason people would be sad if you died, is because of the value you provide. I am not naive, I understand that your audience (myself included) has certain expectations for our "relationship" with you. You're a mentor for us. Like you said, Actualized.org is akin to a university. But I would object, because I really do love you, not in a weird fan-girl kind of way. I'm not going to send you chocolates or anything (mostly because I know you wouldn't eat white sugar ). Speaking as someone who has followed you for ~4 years (again, in the social media sense), I can 100% say that I love you and appreciate you simply for your existence as an individual. If in some dystopia, you lost your voice, ability to reason, and didn't have any money, you would always be welcome to stay with me. Yes, I got to know you through the value you provided to me. But now that I know you, the value you can offer is minuscule compared to your intrinsic value as a human being that is my (virtual) friend. I also just completed my first 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat, and I thought of you with gratitude each day I was there. Anyways, I just wanted to say that you're not quite right - we do love you, simply because you are who you are.

Recently, I've been pondering what death will be like. Such a fun way to go about the day I guess I've never truly tackled this topic head-on, though I've always thought I had an opinion on the matter. While I never really gave it much thought, because I assumed there was an afterlife or something, I was confronted by my own experience, when I fainted in a nightclub (true story). It was probably a combination of the strobe lights and the RedBull, both of which I hadn't encountered before. That's neither here nor there. When I fainted, I suppose I lost consciousness for a brief moment. But the insight that struck me today, was what happened *during* the fainting episode. I was trying to remember what it was like while I was on the floor, unconscious: and it was nothing. I panicked as I thought, what if that is what death is like? One moment, I was dancing with my friends, and the next, I was being yanked off the ground and carried away. In between, was nothing. No darkness, because even darkness would be something; no experience whatsoever. Just total oblivion. It was different from a dreamless nap, because after a nap, you have some sense that time has passed. But from fainting to re-awakening, I had absolutely no sense of anything happening in between. There was just before and after, no during. Nothingness. And so, that brings me to my point: death is oblivion, *unless* consciousness is unrelated to an immaterial soul, which lives on eternally. So long as we don't believe in some sort of untethered soul, some aspect of ourselves that is unaffected by consciousness or a lack thereof, then we can only ascertain that oblivion is what follows death. And if we do believe in an immaterial soul, that cracks open the massive can of religion, and will require much more research... for the opinions on life after death between religions are as vast as infinity! Thoughts?

Hey -- What you have is a great vision, and who's to say it will stop there? We never "arrive", anyways." Go as far as you can see, and when you see farther, go farther" (or something like that). They say that when humans try to conceive of themselves being 10+ years older, the part of their brain that activates is the same part that conceives of a stranger. Even thinking of ourselves 5 years ahead makes us feel detached and impersonal subconsciously, so it's really hard to set meaningful goals beyond a certain point. And by changing yourself into a more conscious person, you will change the world. Think of the impact it will have on your friends and family to see this radical transformation: from no degree to degree, to being fit and healthy, fulfilling career... etc. Finding your Life Purpose will also change the world - Leo has a whole course on it Best of luck! Saba

Hey guys So I recently bought a deck of Tarot cards. I mostly did it for fun, and I don't really take any of this stuff seriously. But at the same time, I find it useful. So I'm sort of a hypocrite. Do you think these tools can actually predict the future? What are your thoughts? Also what are your thoughts on psychic predictions? I'd love to know.

Hey guys, I find myself caught between two opposing desires: one, to be recognized and validated among my peers; and two, to be authentic, purposeful, and mindful of time. I feel like I can't remain relevant without partaking in the social media parade; without posting photos from a club, or with a clique of pretty girls, or with a boyfriend etc. This desire to maintain a facade has even made me date people just for appearances, just to be accepted. And I know how wrong it is, and how silly it is. I post photos to get 'likes' from people I don't even really know, so that I can feel worthy and acknowledged. Yet I want to be authentic, I want my life to actually *be* full, rather than just seem full. I want to focus on living my life and forget about what other people think. But then I have the urge to share my life on social media. I know it's a gigantic waste of time, but sometimes it helps when I feel invisible or irrelevant. And if I'm being honest, I feel like such an anomaly, like such an outlier. Because my peers don't do what I do. 99% of them don't eat like I do (super healthy), or read nonfiction/self-help, or bother with meditation. I feel the more I develop myself, the more fulfilled I become internally, but the more isolated I become externally. And sometimes that leads to feeling lonely, even though I enjoy my solitude. So social media is a way of... keeping a foothold in society, I guess. How do I reconcile any of this? (Not sure this made sense.) Saba

Leo, I am LOVING your blog posts. I know you've mentioned before that blog posts aren't your forte, but I think you've underestimated yourself! From Understanding Karma: "When you get into a fight with your Mom, when you get into a financial difficultly, when you fail at school, when you get into a car accident, when your spouse cheats on you, when you get a health problem, when you feel like quitting your meditation practice, when you distract yourself from self-inquiry — these are all messages of growth, calls to adventure, calls to your highest self. Guess what? The universe is not going to send you an email or text message saying, "Wake up!" It's much more elegant than that. It embeds the message straight into your life. How can you tell you have a message? Your suffering is the universe's "you've got mail"." Could you please clarify, what could the messages be? For instance, I'm having a rocky time in university, "suffering", if you will. I have an inkling that I'm off-course, and I know the universe is trying to send me a message but I can't decode it! I always ask, "send me a sign, show me what I need to do", but I never feel confident that I've received a sign in any answer. How do I work through the suffering to become polished? How should I interpret the "messages" into action? I hope my question makes sense... On an interesting note, I once wrote: "the universe gives you what you really want, not what you think you want", after having the most synchronistic turn of events. It sounds like Law of Attraction semantics, but really it's some crazy mysterious stuff. Thanks in advance Saba

I can never tell whether it's my heart speaking, or my lazy ego. For instance, if I am having a hard time in school, and I hear the message "quit, do something else", is that my lazy ego talking, or my heart guiding me in a different direction? @Arkandeus

A few months ago, I had this very strange dream that didn't feel like a dream at all. I just sort of nonchalantly realized that I was already dead, and that my "reality" was just me watching my life, so to speak. It is really hard to describe. It was not dream-like, it felt very real and profound - hence why it's stuck with me months later. And this makes sense in light of "time" not existing (the theory that the past, present, and future are all happening simultaneously). Apart from being sobering and shocking, it really instilled in me a sort of fearlessness - now when I am afraid to do anything, I just remind myself that I'm already dead. Has anyone experienced something similar?

(Ah, sorry, I probably should've posted this under Philosophy..)

“Self-actualization is not man's ultimate destination. It is not even his primary intention. Self-actualization, if made an end in itself, contradicts the self-transcendent quality of human existence. Like happiness, self-actualization is an effect, the effect of meaning fulfillment. Only to the extent that man fulfills a meaning out there in the world does he fulfill himself. If he sets out to actualize himself rather than fulfill a meaning, self-actualization immediately loses its justification.” "As the boomerang comes back to the hunter who has thrown it only if it has missed its target, man, too, returns to himself and is intent upon self-actualization only if he has missed his mission." - Viktor Frankl, Will to Meaning

@Leo Gura I was looking forward to your input! It really shocked me! I was half-asleep in my Positive Psychology lecture when this quote popped up, and I thought: oh no... self-actualization gives my life meaning! What now? Have I *missed* my real mission, so I'm just using self-actualization as a band-aid or distraction? So many thoughts. But yes, I think self-actualization is making the most of oneself, unraveling every latent talent, and squeezing the juice out of one's life. Which is pretty packed with meaning, in my opinion. And @John Flores, I couldn't agree more! We never arrive, there is no destination, which is why it is so frustrating to watch so many people chase things! There is nothing to catch, the road never ends.

Hi everyone, I've been playing violin for 16 years. I used to be able to perform on stage as a child and pre-teen, but somewhere along the line, I've become so neurotic and anxious just in daily life. Now, each performance throws me into a panic attack, and ends up as a disaster. I just performed today -- and as embarrassing as it was to be a shaky mess, I decided to keep going, because I love violin and I won't let fear or anxiety cut it out of my life. But it's getting very frustrating. I cut out coffee, I meditate daily, I even drink a natural sedative tea with melatonin + valerian beforehand! I just don't know what to do. I'm at my wits end. I don't want to take meds for something chronic like this. I just want to be as confident as the other students who get up and play with expression and character. Why am I so full of neuroses? I don't seem to have control over my physiological response to performing. I'm also pretty anxious in my daily life, and meditation hasn't really helped me in that sense, either. I've been meditating daily for ~1.5 yrs. Anyone know how I can tackle this frustrating issue?

Hi guys, Recently I've been thinking about the importance of watching my language, particularly my self-talk. I've vowed to never use the phrase "I don't have time" as an excuse for anything. Instead, I'm shifting it to "it's not a priority", which is much closer to the truth. If I'm thirsty, the chances of me going without water for very long is quite slim. Because it's a priority. Also, when using "it's not a priority" instead of "I don't have time", you really call yourself out on your own BS. So many people say they don't go to the gym because they don't have time. But if they said instead, "I don't go to the gym because it's not a priority", they'd see how silly it sounds. They'd think: "oh snap, my health isn't a priority? Then what is?" The other reason why using time as an excuse is absolute BS, is because it NEVER CHANGES. We ALWAYS have 24hrs in a day -- there is no surprise there! So how can you be over 10 years old and still use TIME as an excuse? Shift your priorities if you "don't have time". Thoughts?

Thanks everyone I have deleted Instagram from my phone, and I'm limiting my Facebook to once a day for administrative purposes. Onwards!!

@Joel3102 SAME! I started having nights of total insomnia, which has never happened before in my entire life! Not sure if it's causal, correlated or anything at all... just strange. It's as though meditation offers a deep rest which significantly lessens the need for sleep.

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