Mental Slavery.

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds"
-Bob Marley

Your mind is your home. You are the only one living inside of your head. A wild thing. You’re the engineer. The captain. Pilot. Ultimate operator. You. Only you. Mental slavery refers to how we self filter, and either imprison our thoughts +emotions, or set ourselves free from what was recieved. Unhappiness is mental slavery. Not letting go of unpleasant thoughts, is mental slavery. What is difficult about walking away from thoughts?

Not having a resolution to a perceived problem. Or feeling satisfaction from the conclusion. The relief. Relief fufills our need to breath more confidently. The repitition in thought.. thinking so much as if this problem will go away.. can be a sneaky trap. Sucking you in, convincing yourself that you “really” don’t feel a certain way, or that there’s a better answer.. so you keep searching your mind for that at ease moment. And yet, we generally never find it. Only more confused, more upset, and trapped than when the original problem arised.

Give yourself a break.

When things come up, come at you, or present themselves in finicky ways. In order to combat the repetitive thinkery, welcome the things that don’t feel good. Whether thats a workout, a rough conversation, disagreement, etc.. welcome it and sit with the feelings it brings in. Understand your root as to why it causes you to be a certain way. Allow it to flow through you, and pass.

Holding on to grudges, things that won’t quickly change, and pent up aggressive thoughts + energy does nothing for us, but keep us down. There’s no sense in holding on to the things that do not serve us or keep us elevated and growing. Even the difficult times are here to bring you up to that next life level. That’s if you can let go of the unnecessary thoughts and patterns.

Mental slavery was not designed for man. It is a state of suffering for those that are lost. We were born to be free, it’s okay to let your mind breath.

And let the wild things roam.

Hurt Is Blind.

"A man is not hurt so much by what happens, as by his opinion of what happens".
-Michel de Montaigne

It’s not the physical pain that matters. It’s the mental and emotional pain that comes with things that have hurt. How we perceive the world around us, interpret our experiences, and understand pain through every process… it another chance for us to grow closer to the human being we serve. OURSELF.

Giving yourself a chance to process emotional and mental pains, take time. As experiences happen, it’s easier to digest how we feel. When we go through physical trauma and beat up on our bodies, it’s easier to understand when and how the healing will flow. Usually we get a nice timeline to expect our bodies recovery from what’s caused it harm. A broken bone? A nice cut? A strained muscle? Typically a few weeks of rest, good hygiene, and personal care… fix that sucker up. Depending on severity.. maybe even a surgery or so. But things are generally FIXABLE.

However, what about the pain your eyes, memories, and feelings see? No doctor, friend, or confidant can make clear on what your overcoming looks like. It’s up to you, to fight. And to not depend on others, to fight the process for you. It’s okay to reach for someone to help you manage the pain,

Not all of us, but I know most hurt souls try to bandage and mask the pain through what I call a “quick high”. The immediate release of hurt masked by the affirmation that they are okay through an external sourcing. We live in a time that everything is at the brink of our fingertips. EVERYTHING. Most stuff is a push, call, click, or tap away from being delivered and meeting your fast demand.

Emotional and mental healing, is not waiting for you to call it in. It is earned. It is waiting. You must find it. And you must be ready for it’s call. Life has it’s own way of dialing a needed connection.. in order to mend a broken spirit. “Things” don’t happen deliberately or on purpose to inflict pain and struggle. Unless that is the message in which needs to be heard, to finally overcome internal processing and live a happier life in your next chapter.  

Going back to understanding why things cause emotional and mental scars.. it is all in perception. How you shift your mindset around what has happened in a traumatic experience, will be how your scars sit within you. Being honest with the pain, processing it’s truth, and settling with it’s call to you. We often find ourselves wanting to run, hide, and bandage the hurt. Covering it up. Shutting it out. And pretending like it’s not happening. That only gets you so far before it shows right back up in another form.

Healing our inside takes some time. It’s not clear. Or provides that quick clarity. Clarity awaits at the finish line of this journey. Give yourself time to sit in it. Think on it. And be alone with it. Whatever you do.. don’t let it consume you for too long. Be really honest with it. Be questionable and direct. Dwelling in it’s nature brings back those cyclical experiences. We don’t want to repeat history, or let it continue on a continuous warpath to us, through feelings we are used to. Rip that E-Stop. You’ll know when it’s time. It rings.

Don’t hang up. Answer it’s call. Alright? It is okay. You needed it. In order to see a little bit further into where you belong, while taking forward steps to achieving wholeness.

Trust. And pick up. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath.
Calm the mind. Nothing is permanent.

Everything is going to be just fine.

The Art of Letting Go.

“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not a destination.”
-Carl Rogers

This quote easily brings me to one of my most beloved publishings. “The Art of Letting Go”. It embodies our constant restraint against ourselves. The constant need to fight or demand immediate clarity in understanding our purpose. Versus letting go, taking a deep breath, and letting our arrow propel us the the next checkpoint, season, or phase of life understandings. Below is a snapshot into this article that deep dives a little more into what the art of letting go may look/feel like.

arrow: ar·row | 1: a missile shot from a bow and usually having a slender shaft, a pointed head, and feathers at the butt. 2: something shaped like an arrow; especially : a mark (as on a map or signboard) to indicate direction. 3: a painful or damaging experience or occurrence that is likened to being shot with an arrow.

Letting go, is an art.
Cascaded by many forms.
Pain. Forgiveness. Relief.  Potential. Projection.
Quit the strangling. Clenching of your own reigns. The ones that burn so deeply within your grip. Searing your palms. Leaving them blistered and still afraid. Let them go. The reigns that are meant to run wild.

Become weightless. Let go.
Knowing what no control actually feels like.. A storm of cut throat beauty.
By disconnecting, you stay fully connected. Only to one thing. The most important 'one thing'.

Yourself.
The person you've held captive for so long.
Let go. Be cleansed.
Heal from constant strain. The unknown. The heartache. The past. The lessons. 
We let go of the misunderstood, becoming the captain of recognition. 
Break from the molds that enclosed your freedoms. Ripping the arms off of setbacks, old habits, dirty truths. 

Let go. Free your purpose.

It will find you, latching itself upon… continue reading

Poker Face.

“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.”
-Jack London

You can’t control the cards in which you’re dealt. Call it science, fact, or life’s most peculiar hand. The only thing we have the ability to control is how we play the game. Execute the best protocol, and live with circumstance. The moment we try to control any situation, which is generally not a good idea, we have a tendency to jump and steer in many ways… usually with little or no guidance. The impatience to find definitive answers stabs us in the foot with definitive quick highs and even lower blows.

When things happen that are out of our hands, take a moment. Be collective, not detective. Be proactive, not reactive. Give your body and brain time to process the information. Receive, retrieve, re-think. And re-think again. Run through as many, but not too many, scenarios on how to approach a situation that will result in a better outcome than the initial cards dealt. Use the cards as a catapult into the next phase of your life. Not dwell on a shitty hand. Life doesn’t deal a poor set of cards for the fun of it.. at least we can only hope not.. but it deals cards to see how much we have learned, grown, and can implement new procedures. New adaptations. New stress tolerance. And a test of new inner + physical strength.

If you find yourself weathering battle grounds on a consistent basis, than maybe it’s time you question where you are at in life. Am I happy? What patterns are showing up? What past lessons have I honored? If you struggle with giving yourself concrete yes or no answers, than continue on the battle ground. Life is testing you and building your beautiful stress bandwidth. Keep rolling with the tides, just don’t let them crash. The moment you can’t swim, you’ll drown.. and find yourself a few more future testing tides. Which is okay. Some of us are lucky to withstorm pretty gnarly experiences, to come out with a pretty gnarly adaptation and appreciation arsenal. The harder the experience, the harder the soldier.

No matter what, you’re going to be okay.
Deep breathing. Deep listening. Deep digging.

Receive the cards. Play the game. Poker Face, ON.

As Good As Dead.

“Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually,
we are as good as dead.”
-Morihei Ueshiba

Life has a funny, unexpected, and sometimes…. tragic way of showing up when we need it to. Resistance. A word that a lot of us struggle with. Or resist. Resisting the resistance to what/where/how our inner voices, feelings, and desires are navigating. The gut tremors that rattle our bones, is a guide. That pitted feeling we all get from time to time. When it’s down to the wire to make quick or important decisions. We may listen, we may not. Reflecting on all the chaos that is going on around us, this is a great time to dive inward. And remind yourself on where you are sitting. Where are your surroundings. Where is your comfort. Where is your home? What does ‘that’ mean to you?

Over the time of evolution.. humans have adapted to new ways of living. It’s survival. Be that through technology advances, social stigmas, medicine, etc etc. We have come a long way from our ancestral days. However, that’s not to say we aren’t ruminants of our ancestors. What I mean by that… is we still have our hardwired bodies, brains, and biomechanics.. ancestrally rhythmed to primal bow-hunting, naked spear-fishing, badassery within all of us.

As time continues to go on, socially we adapt. Adapting to modern cultures on what may be perceived as “acceptable” or “not”. However, with so much adaptation around modern times, I feel we have lost touch for what life truly means… and feels like. Social media’s growth over the past 10 years has had a substantial economic and cultural shift in how we function within society. It’s been a great way to connect to headline news, people, friends, family, and indulging in the guiltiness of capital gluttony. But when do we reach a point of fading too far from a platform built on connection? Not self-disconnection.

Life is growth. Growing with the aches and pains of chaos, success, failures, and overcoming. Too often I find that humans fall victim to comparison of “growth”. And then facing the inevitable detachment of purpose. *Insert the awakening spirit here.. Beginning the journey in finding our true selves. For those who never find it, are commonly the ones who continue to get lost in comparing to others, on what’s “supposed” to be the norm, or fitting a scrolled stereotype… and never fighting for “what is” the norm. Everyone’s normal is different. And if we all fought for the same one, this world would be a hell of a lot more boring. Each of us is so uniquely different in many ways. Be little quirks, birthmarks, abilities, and gifts. If you haven’t found what free’s your soul. Don’t settle. Keep fighting. Keep believing you are more than a shell body. Keep aiming. Rolls with the misses… then shoot again. You will LAND. We all have to. We are more than data, a follower, and physical matter. Not letting your true spirit grow, is self robbery. You are better off dead. Embracing the quest of LIFE, means embracing SELF.

The reason we are all different in many ways.. is to learn from each other. Continuing to grow as human beings. Appreciating everyone’s spirit and how it’s not quite like yours, gives you a better understanding for how individualized we truly are. The beauty in loving, respecting, and honoring someone’s differences is what makes life worth living. Constant growth and appreciation for all.. especially in the midst of uncertainty and confusions makes the uncomfortableness a little less scary. Because you have an eye for understanding. With understanding, comes adaption. With adaption, comes growth. Mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Never stop learning. Forever a student to life. The listening teacher.

Constantly in evolution of self.

The moment you stop, you are as good as dead.