"Don't believe, try, or hope! Know, do, and trust instead"
1. Be present and embrace the now:
There is only the now, so be present in every moment because while in the present, you can't feel bad. It's only when you think about the future and the past that you can feel bad. The future and the past don't exist; they're just in your mind.
2. Embrace the dance of life:
Life is not a journey; it's a dance.
Accept what is and don't try to force anything. Go with the flow.
Life is spiritual.
3. Create your own reality:
Everything is an inside-out experience, not the other way around. You create your own reality 100% of the time, and you always have a choice in how to think, feel, and respond in any moment. Acknowledge that you are the observer of your thoughts and emotions, and that everything is energy vibrating at different frequencies.
There's no such thing as good or bad; everything just is. It's up to you how you choose to perceive it.
Don't believe, try, or hope! Know, do, and trust instead.
4. Connect with nature and embrace your interconnectedness:
Walk barefoot in nature, bask in the sun, bathe in the waters, sit around a fire, smell the flowers, enjoy every weather, play in the snow, and dance in the rain. Be quiet and just observe that everything in nature is connected, and nothing is forced. You're not outside of nature; you are nature.
Separation is an illusion but part of the human spiritual experience. You're connected to everything, and you will feel it if you allow yourself to feel it. "Psychedelics help."
5. Choose love, joy, and exploration:
It doesn't matter what you do, only how you do it. Again, you always have a choice in how you want to think and feel about anything in every moment.
Choose love and joy; it makes everything so much easier and more fun.
Explore both your inside and outside; take as many trips as possible. You won't regret it.
6. Nourish your body, follow your passions, and embrace failure:
Stay healthy, exercise your body, practice mindfulness, and eat high-vibrating plants and mushrooms.
Follow your passions and dreams. Don't be afraid of failure; it's a great teacher. Failure is inevitable and part of life. So it's better to fail while doing something you're passionate about than to fail while doing something you're not into.
Get into momentum, and you will get shit done and be in a nice dopamine cycle.
7. Expand your comfort zone and embrace abundance:
There's great potential outside your comfort zone.
Know that there is an abundance of everything.
Be grateful for what you have, then you will get more to be grateful for.
8. Foster meaningful connections and cultivate compassion:
Find someone to share your life with. Be honest, open your heart, mind, and soul to each other. Have tons of sex. Evolve and grow old together. Create a family together because having kids is like a several-year-long ego death. That is beautiful.
Take the time to introspect, learn from your experiences, and strive to become the best version of yourself.
Friendship is beautiful; it's better to have one true good friend than a hundred shallow acquaintances.
Be compassionate towards yourself and others. Understand that everyone is on their own unique path, facing their own challenges and victories. Approach yourself and others with kindness, empathy, and understanding. By cultivating a compassionate mindset, you contribute to a more harmonious and loving world.
9. Embrace non-action and letting things take their course:
Lastly, my favourite quote from Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired.
In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.
Less and less is done
Until non-action is achieved.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
The world is ruled by letting things take their course.
It cannot be ruled by interfering.
Written for my good friend at Advice for Lions.