Bringing Consciousness, Presence, and Awareness into Entrepreneurial Journey

[wyattnorton]

@MJ DeMarco I read your mention of Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth in The Great Rat Race Escape as well as your mentioning on podcast episodes of reading Michael Singer.

How do you see bringing this consciousness, presence, and awareness into creating, building, growing, and scaling a business?
It is known that doing what you hate is prime with your teachings (and I agree with) as well as to do what is hard now to make your life easy in the future. However, how do you coincide these two?


Does one need to suffer to build their business? Can they bring what Eckhart and Michael Singer teach into doing what you teach?

Last curious question: Looking back on your journey, do you believe you could have brought more consciousness and had less suffering (mind made and egoic) along your path?

Thank you, I appreciate your time,
Wyatt

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Wow, a pretty loaded questions. Be happy to answer but let me chew on it.

 

[wyattnorton]

Wow, a pretty loaded questions. Be happy to answer but let me chew on it.

Perfect, I appreciate it!

 

[mikecarlooch]

Wow, a pretty loaded questions. Be happy to answer but let me chew on it.

this thread was a while ago, but would love to hear some of your thoughts @MJ DeMarco (& others of course)

Thanks!

 

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[rjdgreat]

Bump

 

[Saad Khan]

@MJ DeMarco

Bump

 

[Black_Dragon43]

While I'm not MJ (obviously), I will share my own views here on the topic, because I find it quite an interesting subject.

How do you see bringing this consciousness, presence, and awareness into creating, building, growing, and scaling a business?

They are at odds with each other, for the most part.

The philosophies that emphasize awareness, consciousness and presence do NOT value money and business success. Buddhists, Tolle and yes Singer would look at business success as unimportant. If it’s there enjoy it, if it’s not, enjoy that.

So while some of their techniques could be repurposed for business success, the VALUES underlying those techniques are at odds with success.

Does one need to suffer to build their business?

This is a loaded question imo because it all depends on what you count as suffering. Pain isn’t necessarily suffering. Some people love lifting heavy weights for example, even if it’s painful.

It’s true that there is no growth without pain, but suffering really depends on the individual. I think if you’re doing something that is aligned with your values and the life you want to live, then you’re not suffering, and all your so-called suffering is mental and self-created.

Looking back on your journey, do you believe you could have brought more consciousness and had less suffering (mind made and egoic) along your path?

I’ll answer this about my own journey. I’m on target to hit $1M this year, seeing truly exponential growth over the past 3 months, and there is no stopping line in sight yet.

Could I have brought more consciousness and had less suffering along the way? Probably. By taking things less personally, both the good and the bad. Also by sweating less about the small stuff. By knowing what’s truly important. By not having my mind repeatedly chew over negative things. And so on.

Looking back it’s easy to say those things, much harder to do in the moment.

Imo rather than worry about this, if you want to be successful you should focus on the principles of the fastlane instead. Solve big, meaningful problems, and make money along the way.

I say make money along the way because you should be able to make a lot of money even before you solve the problem — ie, while you’re in the process of designing your final solution.

Test your assumptions with the marketplace all the time. Look for a business where you can test fast. I love technology & media because the testing cycle is super fast. You can’t go from $150K to $1M+ in say landscaping in 1-year. Testing things there is slow, there is also little differentiation, less room for innovation.

Tech, media, and ecommerce all have really quick testing cycles which enables you to test your assumptions fast and iterate on your business model much faster. I explain how to do this for an agency here:
NOTABLE! - MARKETING - Does your Agency have the foundations to scale to $1M+?

I hate businesses that involve lots of people, and ESPECIALLY businesses that involve physical work. Physical work ain’t scaleable. Much easier to move electrons than to move atoms. All these factors come into play when thinking of scalability.

Of course this is all assuming we live in a capitalist market, which isn’t the reality… we live in a political market so it’s also possible to go the other way and build a business off the back of your connections. Lots of people have.

Get a web design contract from the mayor of New York, you’re probably a millionaire just from that heh. That’s less about business strategy and a lot more about how well connected you are, and basically being a damn good politician. There’s so many businesses out there who grow big just from referrals. The owners have never done any marketing and have no clue how to do any marketing, nor how to sell, nor how to differentiate because they never had to.

But yeah, to summarize this, I believe consciousness is only tangentially related to success, and there are far more important things… whether you play the capitalist game or the political one.

 

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[heavy_industry]

How do you see bringing this consciousness, presence, and awareness into creating, building, growing, and scaling a business?

We do not know what consciousness is, so this question cannot be answered.

As for being present and aware, those are key factors in being able to run a large scale business. You won't be able to achieve success if you're sleepwalking through life. Maximum awareness and focus are required.

Does one need to suffer to build their business?

Good actions create good results. Cause -> Effect.

That's all that needs to happen.

Any emotions that you may experience along the way, be them positive or negative, should be the tools that you're using to bias you towards taking the necessary actions.

If suffering would lead to success, everybody on the planet would be a billionaire, because we do live in a world of endless suffering.


This is a very difficult and ambiguous question, and I don't think there's a simple answer for it.

How do you combine business and spirituality? You pursue what is meaningful to you. I do not view them as mutually exclusive. I don't see it as a dichotomy.

Turning your dreams into reality is the most meaningful thing I can imagine.

 

[wyattnorton]

The philosophies that emphasize awareness, consciousness and presence do NOT value money and business success. Buddhists, Tolle and yes Singer would look at business success as unimportant. If it’s there enjoy it, if it’s not, enjoy that.

Interestingly, Michael Singer ended up building a multi-million dollar software company for hospitals. The book he described his journey in mentioned this "pull" he had to a computer the first time he went into a computer store. He ended up teaching himself coding, software, etc. because he felt this "connection" while doing it. He also built houses during this time for resources as well. He ended up building software for friends and then friends of friends and it took off from there.

Now, does this justify just "swaying" through life like a leaf in the wind, letting it take you wherever it desires? Not sure, because it was pretty apparent Michael Singer was not chasing money, looking to be financially free, or start a software company. He just did because it happened that way.

Personally, I do not like this mentality or lack of mentality. I am a man of intention within everything I do. Of course, we cannot predict life and what happens next or the opportunities we come upon. But there is some substance to Singer's philosophy.

Could I have brought more consciousness and had less suffering along the way? Probably. By taking things less personally, both the good and the bad. Also by sweating less about the small stuff. By knowing what’s truly important. By not having my mind repeatedly chew over negative things. And so on.

For sure I have brought more consciousness as I explored the readings and lessons of the authors above. Their lessons have allowed me to become more calm when the shit hits the fan. I cannot say I do not feel "negative" emotions, but I deal with them much better than before.

I tend to look at them as just another emotion. The same must be done for happiness and joy.

This was the biggest lesson I was able to connect between Andrew Tate and Tolle/Singer/etc.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

Interestingly, Michael Singer ended up building a multi-million dollar software company for hospitals.

I am aware, I have read his books apart from his newly released one which I have started but haven’t got far into.

The point is that his goal was never to build a billion dollar company (the med software biz) or a million-dollar company (the construction biz).

He wasn’t a leaf in the wind either though. He was dedicated 100% to his spiritual quest, and these things were just tools in that process if anything.

He ended up losing most of his fortune in the FBI scandal, but hasn’t been found guilty of anything.

I tend to look at them as just another emotion. The same must be done for happiness and joy.

Yes I think this is pretty much the attitude of a professional. A professional isn’t emotionally involved in his work. Whereas an amateur takes things personally. Has nothing to do with Stoicism, Buddhism or New Age philosophy as far as I see it. Those philosophies are guided by very different attitudes & values, which are absent for the professional.

 

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[wyattnorton]

Yes I think this is pretty much the attitude of a professional. A professional isn’t emotionally involved in his work. Whereas an amateur takes things personally. Has nothing to do with Stoicism, Buddhism or New Age philosophy as far as I see it. Those philosophies are guided by very different attitudes & values, which are absent for the professional.

The question then arises, does the beginner need to be emotionally involved to learn not to be later? Probably. I think there is an emotional learning curve as you learn to not get angry over what these client's "intentions" were or what this email meant.

Those philosophies call the values and attitudes different names but they all boil down to the same principles...

 

[MitchC]

I’m not sure if this is related or exactly what you are asking but I’ve started meditating semi regularly.

We have a little group who meets up once a week and does it, and then I’ll do it in my own time as well.

The thoughts and insights that come to me in these meditations are priceless.

I think there’s a lot of ceos and business owners that say it’s the best thing they do.

I’m doing Joe Dispenzas guided meditations, I didn’t like them at first but they are starting to grow on me.

One of the guys in our group loves them so that’s where I got them from. He swears by it and has seen a lot of success which he credits to them.

I think slowing down, thinking tactically and letting thoughts and ideas come in will benefit anyone.

There is opportunity everywhere, but if you don’t slow down and allow yourself the space to see it, you never will.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

Wow, a pretty loaded questions. Be happy to answer but let me chew on it.

I realize this is quite an old thread @MJ DeMarco , but any insight on the question?

I've had a very long debate on this with a friend yesterday it's an interesting topic. And hard to get clarity on it because most people who are into "spirituality", from my experience, tend to be broke couch potatoes who use it as an excuse for not having money (and not doing anything about it!)

 

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[socaldude]

I've had a very long debate on this with a friend yesterday it's an interesting topic.

I know that you are into Philosophy so what I'm saying might resonate with you.

It's called Teleology.

Economic systems are Teleological. Which means entrepreneurs are Teleologists. This is the closest thing I can think of that matches what these guys are talking about here.

It's kind of like the deeper intuitive meaning behind "Everything happens for a reason!".

It's like Leibniz's principle of sufficient reason and best of all possible worlds principle put together.

 

[socaldude]

The thoughts and insights that come to me in these meditations are priceless.

This is a taboo subject, and it really invites a lot of critics.

But I've experienced very deep states of consciousness in so many different ways. It's rare, but I have experienced them.

I've solved these super complex problems in my sleep. Yes. while I was sleeping. If I don't get a pen and paper and write down what I saw then I forget it forever. Yes. it's gone forever. How the heck can you be asleep and yet awake enough to know you are sleeping and solving a problem at the same time?

Another time I remember going through a tough time. A lot of stress and sadness. I lit a plain white candle before going to bed and then prayed to the universe. The next morning I remember waking up in a very lucid dream like state. Like dreaming but clearly being awake. I could see an alternate version of our reality but it was very beautiful and showered in this weird dust like substance. It was bizarre but felt magical and very real.

Then you have these periods where you just don't experience anything like that again for a long time. It's rare. Your'e back to this materialist world.

 

[wyattnorton]

I realize this is quite an old thread @MJ DeMarco , but any insight on the question?

I've had a very long debate on this with a friend yesterday it's an interesting topic. And hard to get clarity on it because most people who are into "spirituality", from my experience, tend to be broke couch potatoes who use it as an excuse for not having money (and not doing anything about it!)

It also appears when this topic is discussed with most people who have learned about it, they tend to give memorative answers, rather than experiential.

They'll say shit like, "You are not your thoughts. You are the observer of your thoughts." or the classic, "Be still and know that I am God. Come back and focus solely on your breath."

I understand this from both an experiential and a conceptual level. I went on a 2-3 month obsession with "being present." I would wake up, meditate for an hour+ and read Michael Singer, Eckhart Tolle, Buddhist books, and more. I was so focused on having no thoughts, no emotional reactions to life that it changed me.

And then after that, a 3-4 month of an almost feelingless, desireless phase of my life where I was wondering "Why do I even want this? Why do I want to be muscular? Why do I want to make money? Why do I want to do this or that?" When this came about, I had little desire to make anything of my self... as I was thinking "Who is the self?" Blah blah blah. It put me in a mode comparable to laziness, where I would just sit on benches and in my apartment doing nothing because I was being "present". Sure, I may have had some crazy meditation sessions, but I didn't truly feel like I had done anything.

To be honest, I see why people would want to feel fully present. It feels great just only focusing on the "now"

But to be fair, this egoless state does not help a young man in America do anything. Since then, I have redeveloped my ego. I actually lost the ego I had of who I was... a bit weird to type that out.

Slowly, I have been re-realizing how I want to be as a man. With women, with business, with money, with family, etc.

The presence movement is good, no doubt, but for me... I'll wait a while longer to be the present guru.

 

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[Black_Dragon43]

It also appears when this topic is discussed with most people who have learned about it, they tend to give memorative answers, rather than experiential.

They'll say shit like, "You are not your thoughts. You are the observer of your thoughts." or the classic, "Be still and know that I am God. Come back and focus solely on your breath."

I understand this from both an experiential and a conceptual level. I went on a 2-3 month obsession with "being present." I would wake up, meditate for an hour+ and read Michael Singer, Eckhart Tolle, Buddhist books, and more. I was so focused on having no thoughts, no emotional reactions to life that it changed me.

And then after that, a 3-4 month of an almost feelingless, desireless phase of my life where I was wondering "Why do I even want this? Why do I want to be muscular? Why do I want to make money? Why do I want to do this or that?" When this came about, I had little desire to make anything of my self... as I was thinking "Who is the self?" Blah blah blah. It put me in a mode comparable to laziness, where I would just sit on benches and in my apartment doing nothing because I was being "present". Sure, I may have had some crazy meditation sessions, but I didn't truly feel like I had done anything.

To be honest, I see why people would want to feel fully present. It feels great just only focusing on the "now"

But to be fair, this egoless state does not help a young man in America do anything. Since then, I have redeveloped my ego. I actually lost the ego I had of who I was... a bit weird to type that out.

Slowly, I have been re-realizing how I want to be as a man. With women, with business, with money, with family, etc.

The presence movement is good, no doubt, but for me... I'll wait a while longer to be the present guru.

Very interesting. What did you find helpful as reading or guiding material to reconstruct your ego? I went through a similar experience when I was very young, 19 or 20, and it definitely pulled me back, I had a hard time reconstructing my ego back then.

I think the presence movement is better for older people, young people need to get used to handling stress.

 

[Kak]

Biblical parables of hard work, faith in the process, and proverbs for wisdom > Tolle, Singer and other Oprah book club new age flavors of the month.

I’ve actually said before that I’m more Ayn Rand and Nicotine than Singer.

Inaction is unfulfilling. There’s nothing quite like the rush of being in motion and making cool things happen. A purpose or a calling make it even more spiritual. I believe I was made for more than letting life happen to me because I was given more free will than that. Yet, I’m happy to see God in it all and enjoy the journey I have been led on. Sometimes I’ll admit I let frustration and discouragement get the best of me, but I’m also an imperfect human.

As a Christian, I see attempting to be all that I was made to be as an act of worship and not just a purpose, but the exact opposite of waste.

Put me down as someone who believes business is an incredibly spiritual journey to go on, particularly when things get hard, sacrifices need to be made, and you need to dig in deeper.

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

The missing ingredient is sacrifice.

You accept pain today for comfort tomorrow.

Pain is only bad if it is destructive. Pain is good if it's building something.

 

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[wyattnorton]

Very interesting. What did you find helpful as reading or guiding material to reconstruct your ego? I went through a similar experience when I was very young, 19 or 20, and it definitely pulled me back, I had a hard time reconstructing my ego back then.

I think the presence movement is better for older people, young people need to get used to handling stress.

For sure both Tate brothers, Justin Waller, and a few other guys within that realm.

My father also. He's a rough dude and I realized I turned into a complete pussy in my and his eyes. Spent a year working with him after college and my work ethic 10x, my work and stress capacity 10x, my skin thickend, mind sharpened.

Hard Times Create Strong Men By Stefan Aarnio has been a recent read that has also doubled down on this mindset.

Another aide was a mindset shift in realizing - it is good for me as a man to desire more in this life.

Every male animal in the world wants to be the one in charge. They want the power. For a male gorilla, that is dominating the best territory with the best food, sleeping situation, access to water, etc. It is mating with the best female gorillas, it is having strong kids and protecting them. it can also be having the best other male gorillas around to keep a strong group. (Not sure if gorillas do this but I do know chimpanzees do -> refer to Chimp Empire documentary)

I realized that it is completely natural for a man to want to make money, be strong and look physically strong, have beautiful/intelligent/loving women around him, and own things that other men cannot.

I used to try and suppress feelings of sexual attraction towards cute girls. I don't mean just wanting to jump in the sheets with them, but go out on a date, kiss, etc. etc.

I tried to suppress this natural feeling of desire. Now I am more open to it. I was 19, 20, 21 at the time. At 22, in the past year, I have redeveloped my ego back into being the type of man I have always wanted to be.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

For sure both Tate brothers, Justin Waller, and a few other guys within that realm.

My father also. He's a rough dude and I realized I turned into a complete pussy in my and his eyes. Spent a year working with him after college and my work ethic 10x, my work and stress capacity 10x, my skin thickend, mind sharpened.

Hard Times Create Strong Men By Stefan Aarnio has been a recent read that has also doubled down on this mindset.

Another aide was a mindset shift in realizing - it is good for me as a man to desire more in this life.

Every male animal in the world wants to be the one in charge. They want the power. For a male gorilla, that is dominating the best territory with the best food, sleeping situation, access to water, etc. It is mating with the best female gorillas, it is having strong kids and protecting them. it can also be having the best other male gorillas around to keep a strong group. (Not sure if gorillas do this but I do know chimpanzees do -> refer to Chimp Empire documentary)

I realized that it is completely natural for a man to want to make money, be strong and look physically strong, have beautiful/intelligent/loving women around him, and own things that other men cannot.

I used to try and suppress feelings of sexual attraction towards cute girls. I don't mean just wanting to jump in the sheets with them, but go out on a date, kiss, etc. etc.

I tried to suppress this natural feeling of desire. Now I am more open to it. I was 19, 20, 21 at the time. At 22, in the past year, I have redeveloped my ego back into being the type of man I have always wanted to be.

Happy to see you’ve made these changes, I think you already feel a lot more successful, and I’m sure that a few years down the line you’ll travel very far.

I think there is very little guidance on how to actually be successful out there. Everything is made to be politically correct.

A lot of young guys get trapped by the mindfulness movement, and if not there are other traps. I even consider Stoicism a trap, because it can, for many, promote indifference to material success — ie, virtue is all that matters, whether you have relationship success, financial success, etc doesn’t really matter.

So almost all the literature young men come in contact with is corrupting in my opinion.

 

[wyattnorton]

Happy to see you’ve made these changes, I think you already feel a lot more successful, and I’m sure that a few years down the line you’ll travel very far.

I think there is very little guidance on how to actually be successful out there. Everything is made to be politically correct.

A lot of young guys get trapped by the mindfulness movement, and if not there are other traps. I even consider Stoicism a trap, because it can, for many, promote indifference to material success — ie, virtue is all that matters, whether you have relationship success, financial success, etc doesn’t really matter.

So almost all the literature young men come in contact with is corrupting in my opinion.

Absolutely.

I agree with Stoicism being a comparable rabbit hole to the “Presence Trap.”

In my experience with both, it is how you use them.

I can say with 100% certainty that I have improved immensely with understanding my own feelings, how little they affect me most of the time.

The same with indifference. I could not give a F*ck less about the results, good or bad, or something.

Does this mean I half a$$ my work?

No, absolutely not. I work my a$$ off to try and get the best result possible every time. I want the good result, as everyone, even Stoics, do.

I will do the things necessary that lead to the best result in business, Fitness, relationships, etc.

If things do not go as planned or I have not learned enough to produce that best result, good, that means I must keep going.

Act. Assess. Adjust. As @MJ DeMarco says. This can also be done with indifference.

I messed up on an ad campaign and it was not targeting the right people or it went to the wrong landing page. Okay, I learned a $500 lesson.

Now every time before I launch, I make sure it is 100%.

This is where Stoicism’s four virtues come in extremely handy.

To me, the goal should be exuding these virtues in every scenario.

To be courageous with business risk. To be just dealing with employees. To be wise with planning and listening to mentors. To be temperant with spending and working hours.

I do see what your point is. People use both of these teachings as a self-given crutch or excuse to not pursue or work hard.

You can be an emperor and still be a stoic. (Marcus Aurelius)

You can be a rich, prominent figure and still be a stoic. (Seneca)

You can live in your tiny house with the minimalist lifestyle. Fine, not my style.

But, don’t be the dude masturbating in a barrel because all of societies rules are made up.

 

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[Black_Dragon43]

Biblical parables of hard work, faith in the process, and proverbs for wisdom > Tolle, Singer and other Oprah book club new age flavors of the month.

I’ve actually said before that I’m more Ayn Rand and Nicotine than Singer.

Inaction is unfulfilling. There’s nothing quite like the rush of being in motion and making cool things happen. A purpose or a calling make it even more spiritual. I believe I was made for more than letting life happen to me because I was given more free will than that. Yet, I’m happy to see God in it all and enjoy the journey I have been led on. Sometimes I’ll admit I let frustration and discouragement get the best of me, but I’m also an imperfect human.

As a Christian, I see attempting to be all that I was made to be as an act of worship and not just a purpose, but the exact opposite of waste.

Put me down as someone who believes business is an incredibly spiritual journey to go on, particularly when things get hard, sacrifices need to be made, and you need to dig in deeper.

How do you recommend for someone born into the faith but who hasn’t taken an active role into it to get back in it? I’ve been very influenced by secular culture in the past few years, I’m not sure how to cultivate back belief and faith. (Feel free to DM me if you feel this isn’t appropriate to discuss on the forum!)

The same with indifference. I could not give a F*ck less about the results, good or bad, or something.

Does this mean I half a$$ my work?

No, absolutely not. I work my a$$ off to try and get the best result possible every time. I want the good result, as everyone, even Stoics, do.

Interestinng way to see it. That way you can practice both indifference and high performance.

 

[lollo]

It also appears when this topic is discussed with most people who have learned about it, they tend to give memorative answers, rather than experiential.

They'll say shit like, "You are not your thoughts. You are the observer of your thoughts." or the classic, "Be still and know that I am God. Come back and focus solely on your breath."

I understand this from both an experiential and a conceptual level. I went on a 2-3 month obsession with "being present." I would wake up, meditate for an hour+ and read Michael Singer, Eckhart Tolle, Buddhist books, and more. I was so focused on having no thoughts, no emotional reactions to life that it changed me.

And then after that, a 3-4 month of an almost feelingless, desireless phase of my life where I was wondering "Why do I even want this? Why do I want to be muscular? Why do I want to make money? Why do I want to do this or that?" When this came about, I had little desire to make anything of my self... as I was thinking "Who is the self?" Blah blah blah. It put me in a mode comparable to laziness, where I would just sit on benches and in my apartment doing nothing because I was being "present". Sure, I may have had some crazy meditation sessions, but I didn't truly feel like I had done anything.

To be honest, I see why people would want to feel fully present. It feels great just only focusing on the "now"

But to be fair, this egoless state does not help a young man in America do anything. Since then, I have redeveloped my ego. I actually lost the ego I had of who I was... a bit weird to type that out.

Slowly, I have been re-realizing how I want to be as a man. With women, with business, with money, with family, etc.

The presence movement is good, no doubt, but for me... I'll wait a while longer to be the present guru.

First of all,
congratulations on the clarity of your thoughts, very well put.

The greatest misunderstanding is that by being present you cannot or you lose interest in achieving your dreams/goals.
The greatest misunderstanding is believing that if you are present, you cannot give your 100%, sweat, and tears to a purpose, a vision.

You can.

Being present is simply realizing something: what are you pursuing these goals for?

Do you want to achieve them because you hope they will complete you?

Are you looking for your identity in them?

"Tell me who I am" --> says the ego. The money in your bank account, the number of women you sleep with.
Are you pursuing these things because you still feel a feeling of NOT ENOUGH? Are you looking to complete yourself, to achieve "happiness" in the future?
If you believe that outcomes, results, situations, or experiences, will tell you WHO YOU ARE, that is delusion, you will always want more.

If your goals and ambitions come from presence, you don't care about the results, the outcome.
Sure, you have a goal in mind, something you want to achieve, a vision, a plan, a mission statement.
But is the DOING that matters.

You are present, you are in the STATE OF FLOW, you are completely focused on what you are doing, you love the journey, the movement, the growth, the evolution--------------> not because you are hoping to achieve a result that will complete you, but simply because you like doing what you do.
You are not trying to find or complete yourself:
you are already complete, you do not NEED to add anything.

You may WANT to add goals, results, and experiences: that is completely fine.
But you do not NEED to add them. They will not change who you are in your essence.
Being present is realizing the illusion, what you are not.

I see that every day in my life:
My dream is to become a successful entrepreneur.

The ego thinks:
"Once I become a successful, rich entrepreneur, everybody, my family and friends will admire me, I will earn so much money and I will finally MAKE IT. I will be at peace and enjoy my life".

The ego thinks that this goal is of ABSOLUTE IMPORTANCE:
if I achieve it I am a success,
if not, I am a failure, and I have to achieve something else to compensate for this failure.


The truth is, I do not NEED to be a successful complete myself. I do not NEED to add anything to my identity.
I do not NEED to be rich to be at peace, I do not NEED to achieve any goal (number of girls, countries I travel in, experiences, career).

Do I still want to achieve my goals?
Do I still want to make a lot of money, create great products, change the world, F*ck bitches, achieve great shit, travel the world, go bungee jumping, seeing the Northern Lights?

HELL YES!

Do I work every day for this? Do I make plans for the future? Do I STRUGGLE ("suffer") every day in order to achieve these things?

HELL YES!




Do I NEED these things? Will achieving these things complete me, or change WHO I AM?
If I achieve them, will I be superior to before? Will I be superior to someone who did not achieve them?

No. That is delusion, that is the voice of the ego, the voice in your head, looking for identity, looking for something to identify with, looking for proof that YOU MATTER, that YOU EXIST.
The ego hopes to find identity in external goals: TELL ME WHO I AM, TELL ME THAT I AM NOT INSIGNIFICANT, TELL ME THAT I MATTER.