Doing the True Will requires self-knowledge. In particular, we need to be aware of our core values in life in order to make good decisions and do what we truly want to do. So, do you know what your deepest personal values are and how you prioritize them? If you are uncertain, you can take the following quiz. Of course, this test covered only a few out of hundreds of different value dimensions, but based on your results, you can now see whether you are more open to change (freedom, … [Read more...]
Everyday Mindfulness: Awareness Over Feelings
Every time I feel bad, I "try" to become aware of the feeling (or rather, my True Will is to become aware of it). If I succeed, I feel good about myself: about succeeding, about my awareness, about having caught myself feeling bad. "O what a good catcher I am!" Becoming aware of a bad feeling as I'm feeling it is a victory for my consciousness and evidence that my mindfulness practice works. When I become aware that I'm feeling bad, I automatically feel a little pride, a little good, too, … [Read more...]
How to Take Action Without Judging
The more I meditate, the more I become aware of my frantically judging mind. I do not deliberately make judgments; they are my ego protecting itself to keep me operational, to keep me relatively emotionally stable for the moment. In the next moment, I judge anew. I incessantly talk to myself silently as my mind evaluates and reevaluates my self-worth, moment by moment, without cessation. It makes me wonder: Do I need these judgments? Would I become inert if I were to mindfully let go of them? … [Read more...]
Sexual Abstinence Challenge – Part 4 [100/100 Days]
People are imperfect. They make bad decisions from time to time. And so do I. For example, I made a bad decision by taking up a 100-day sexual abstinence challenge. Spoiler alert: The main lesson I learned is that I will never do it again. Do I counsel you to chastity? Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many almost a vice. [...] To whom chastity is difficult, it is to be dissuaded: lest it become the road to hell—to filth and lust of soul. (Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake … [Read more...]