martin_malin

18 months ago, Tiger Woods was laying in bed after a spinal fusion (his 4th back surgery). At the time, he had no idea if he would ever be able to play the game again, let alone walk pain free. Everybody thought he was done. Today, he put on an incredible show and finished only two strokes behind the winner in the PGA championship. The 42 years old legend reminded me (and I'm sure millions more) of the unlimited potential that lies in each of us. How great is that gift? When asked if he could have imagined himself having a chance to win not one but two majors in 2018, Tiger deadpanned, “With what swing? I didn't have a swing at the time. I had no speed,” he admitted. “My short game wasn't quite there yet. My putting was OK. But God, I hadn't played in two years. So it's been a hell of a process for sure.”

Joseph Campbell writes: ‘’Mythology starts where madness starts. A person who is truly gripped by a calling, will sacrifice his security, will sacrifice even his life, will sacrifice personal relationships, will sacrifice prestige, and will think nothing of personal-development; he will give himself entirely to his myth…Maslow’s five values are the values for which people live when they have nothing to live for.‘’ The Turquoise and the hero are both viewed as crazy by the crowd. They both transcend psychological models. They both help raise the consciousness of the planet. They were both unconscious at one point. So, is the hero turquoise? Or is the hero too attached to his myth?

I think this situation arises a lot when you're not free to be fully authentic (eg: artists who make a living off Fiverrr).

I can relate. When I was 18, I was popular and had a ton of confidence. But at 20, for whatever reason, I had dissociation episode that left me stuck in my head and miserable for two solid years. I had lost it too. While wanting to comeback to your former self is comprehensible, it's not going to happen. Why? Because you are evolving. We never comeback to who we once were. I know it's cliché, but the shit you're going through right now is happening for you. The pain is forcing you to take a good hard look at yourself and your life. You are diving into the abyss of your soul. Treasures lie there. Joseph Campbell would urge you to find your myth and give yourself to it.

The question isn't whether self-disciplined and duty-bound people can have a happy, meaningful life ; it is whether those who lack self-control and who are convinced that nothing is better than they are can have such a life. William B. Irvine, A guide to the good life

What is it we are questing for? It is the fulfillment of that which is potential in each of us. Questing for it is not an ego trip; it is an adventure to bring into fulfillment your gift to the world, which is yourself. Joseph Campbell

Poker was sole my job from 2007 to 2014. While it's not unethical for the reasons others mentionned, it's a very stage orange activity. May it be online or live, you have to deal with some of the most shallow/unconscious people on the planet. Therefore, it's an environment that can easily corrupt your values and drain your life energy. Just like wallstreet speculators, poker players don't provide any real value to society. They serve the ego, not the truth. And for that reason alone, I think playing poker for a living is a great way to waste one's precious life.

This is a situation where Eckhart Tolle would simply go ''Ah, it's not there yet''.

I like it. The section about values is very solid.

You rarely witness a guided meditation on a late night show...it was pretty cool to see the audience following along. A taste of what is to come.

To me self-love equals kindness and forgiveness.

At least you are aware of it. That's a fantastic start imo. The mind is fighting for it's life during arguments. It thinks it will die if it loses I have a challenge for you : Next time you start arguing with someone and you know they are wrong, change your tune and tell them they are right. It will be like a gun shot to the head, but you won't die.

@Viking Have you ever read ''A guide to the good life'' from William B. Irving? I open it at least twice a week.

I don't know about Turquoise, but each time I buy a piece of meat, I thank the animal for its sacrifice and I try to acknowledge the shitty life it lived. I hope we get to see lab meat soon.

Great post Robert! To me, a true hero is a person who is fully engaged in his myth while knowing it's just a game. As for Joe Campbell, he really seems to have been quite advanced. Take for example these two quotes from Pathways to Bliss : ''There is no experience of life that doesn't have dualism and yet doesn't have the experience of oneness behind the experience of dualism.'' ''Normally, Yahweh is the god of a moral order where there is good and evil. But look at his justification of his actions to Job, and you realize this is a power beyond morality.''

I despise all birthdays and holidays. I particularly resent having to call my mom on mother's day (even tho I love her to death!!!) That said, I find April Fools' to be tolerable. It's the expectations that kill all the fun.

Hi, I’m Martin and I’m addicted to stimulation/technology. During the next week, I’ll be facing the pain I’ve been avoiding. This challenge is inspired by a chapter from The Way of The Superior Man by David Deida: ''Austerity means to eliminate the comforts and cushions in your life that you have learned to snuggle into and lose wakefulness. Take away anything that dulls your edge...By eliminating the safety net of comforts in your life, you have the opportunity to free fall in this moment between birth and death, right through the hole of your fear, into the unthreatenable openness which is the source of your gifts.'' My rules for the challenge Wake up at 6 am Check emails/texts once a day at noon (strict minimum each time) No social media, Internet surfing, TV, podcasts or video games No masturbation or sex No alcohol or drugs (Except 1 cup of coffee in the morning) Eat perfectly clean Meditate 60 min everyday Cold showers Read no more than an hour/day Work no more than 4 hours/day I can’t promise I won’t tell a lie or gossip. But if I do (or should I say, when I'll do...), I’ll write everything down and paste it here once the challenge is over. If I fail or cheat in any way, I’ll send 100$ to the first three persons who leave a comment in the thread. The challenge starts tonight at 10 PM ET and will end on the 17th at the same time. My goal is to see what’s hiding behind the boredom and increase my self-awareness. If anyone wants to join me in this challenge, you are more than welcome to do so! Just write your own rules.

The 4 hours dedicated to work will be used for writing a play. Aside from that, I don't have much planned. I'll probably go take a walk or two in nature and lift some weights at the gym. I basically want to go with the flow and spend a lot of time just being. Like you, YouTube is my biggest addiction!

@SpyAquamarine I can't imagine I'll be able to live a week without catching myself telling a little lie or saying a stupid/low consciousness remark. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. That said, I'm going to be monitoring my speech very closely. I'll keep this video of Leo in mind.

You find your niche by being 100% authentic. You want to be a creator, not a competitor. Take Leo these days. He doesn't shoot videos in order to get hits/be popular, he simply shoot videos on subjects that he finds fascinating.

As a former online poker pro, I pretty much had the lifestyle you're looking for. In my early to mid 20s, most of my friends were jealous that I could take a month vacation whenever I wanted. I was free to do anything or go anywhere. It was also very exciting to be playing for big money. At first, I won't lie, it was a lot of fun! But eventually, the lack of meaning became unberable and I finally gave up everything to pursue my LP in a field where there's no guarantee. In doing so, I faced a ton of adversity but it felt AMAZING to finally be living at my edge. It made me realize how overrated confort and pleasure is. Hedonism is a trap. Be careful.

@Etherial Cat Is it true that book is 10x better? Maybe Leo could confirm.

I recently cried while observing a week old baby (or should I say, being stared at). It really felt like God was looking at me. It's like the little thing was saying ''Yup, I am you man''. I also thought about Hitler and every other ''monsters''. Those monsters had to be Godlike too. You are right, babies are amazing spiritual teachers.

Meet Barbie and Ken.