There are certain moments in life when you realize that discovering your true self and having yourself by your side is one of the most important things that you can have. There’s nothing you can’t do or accomplish.
How do you discover your true self?
Imagine that your life is like a journey through a forest. The forest can be in any size, density, climate. You get in that forest the moment you are born into this world. Just like life, the forest is unknown teritory, sometimes dark, sometimes sunny.
You start the journey by following a very simple path. Then, as you gradually venture deeper into the forest, you are presented with multiple simple paths which you can take. These paths lead to some very interesting, memorable places, that you most often can’t resist and you take them. Some of these are fascinating but bad for you, and some are good.
What is in common for these paths is that they all have their ups and downs. Inbetween these ups and downs, is a peak which allows you to, peak above the forest.
Some of these ups and downs are extremely difficult. Taxing your body, your spirit and heart. But all offer that peak above the forest.
One of these types of peaks lies in the north west part of Macedonia – Ljuboten. You see it from Skopje the capital, every morning, getting basked in the first light that the sun provides in this country. You imagine what would be like to be up there.
It’s the same with our forest and the peaks that you find in between the ups and downs. If you want, and you have that burning desire, you will climb that peak. There, you will be presented with a view, seeing:
- The path you took.
- The path before.
- The place you are right now.
Most importantly you are presented with a choice. Where will you go now? You realize that the next peek is going to be a tad bit more difficult than the one now so you think about what you want to take there with you.
You know you can’t take everything so, albeit hesitant, you leave things behind.
Then, you climb the next peak – the same story all over again, only with a slightly different setting. The peaks that follow, get more difficult. The things you carry, become less and less.
That’s when you begin climbing this one peak which even though it looks like most others, it’s far more difficult than anything you’ve ever imagined. You just can’t see the arduousness from the trees you’re traversing. This is The boss level climb which pushes your capacities to their limits. Its difficulty is so high, that you’re stripped down to your basic senses and instinct to survive.
But you manage to climb it. Which makes you wonder, how did I manage to get here? How, even though I had almost nothing with me compared to what I was carrying before?
While you’re pondering and keeping your mind busy with that simple question, an unspecified feeling starts to overwhelm you. A feeling that scares you, but at the same time, a feeling that makes you feel secure. You feel as if someone is watching you, but at the same time, you observe him as well. It’s a feeling that is the perfect mix between every emotion possible and you are perfectly balanced, even though you’re having these extremes within you. Completely unemotional, but at the same time, every emotion plays a part at that moment up there.
How is that even posssible?
You feel that way because at that moment, on that extremely difficult baren top, you’ve met one of the most important people in your life. Yourself.
You realize that that undefined feeling is actually the presence of yourself. The only thing (one) that you needed to climb that top, and every other top behind you. You just discovered your true self.
Sup dude!
You meet yourself in those difficult moments and you understand why it was possible to climb that peak and all others, despite having nothing because you had everything you needed. You had yourself.
Then, if you’re one of the curious ones, you ask yourself why did you ever take anything with you? Why did you think that those things would help you in any way when the most difficult path of all, required nothing at all?
It all comes down to a simple perspective on things, that you are allowed to look through when chillin’ on that top.
The more you leave behind, the easier will be to traverse the path ahead and climb any peak. The easiest way is to have nothing at all because then you have everything you need. That’s how you discover your true self and how to know who you are.
It is what it is.
Or is it? Whoever you think yourself is, check out the list of 5 things that helped me gain a different perspective on things this week:
- Book: The Red Queen
- Some days are just not your days and all you need to do is just lay low, lay down, and read about the astounding number of single sex species that have and still do, exist on this planet. Joking aside, Matt talks about the ominous effect of the Red Queen, which is progress is relative – as soon as you think you’ve done some, you have to do some more – because a lot of other people are doing the same thing as you.
- Lecture: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology
- Never thought that a low-quality youtube video with a distinctively boring title could be so mindblowing. Does behavior affect human biology? Or is the other way around? The answer is out there and Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky (which is the professor you all wanted to have during studies)
- Mix: Yasiin Bey and Marvin Gaye
- They never met, yet this mix sounds as if they never left the studio. Thanks to Amerigo Gazaway and his studio, these two, and a lot more like biggie vs James Brown, sound like they jammed together and the result was something spectacular to the ears and general mood.
- Marketing: SEO Roundup By Matt Diggity
- The usual Matt package, delivered in his newsletter, packed with articles and tools you will probably forget to use, but ultimately, they are there in case you need them.
- Quote: Attamen tranquillus – Nevertheless calm.
Cheers,
Viktor
P.S. Oh and, while you’re climbing peaks, sweating, leaving stuff behind, in pain and bruised up, some people just chill by the road in the forest.
P.P.S.
