The Five Levels of Attachment
Five Levels of Attachment reminded me of a satirical piece I wrote in 2016 called Religion because the five levels of attachment range from being essentially detached at the first level through to fanatical attachment at the fifth level and I had also structured the 5 levels from essentially detached to fanatical from my own observation. However, Don Miguel Ruiz explains each level of attachment with clarity and examples we can relate to. This is no satire and contains valuable Toltec knowledge. The early part of the book is a recap of some key points from The Four Agreements and follow-up book, The Fifth Agreement and there is a good…
What It Takes to Be Free
The book popped up as a recommendation and I had not come across Darius before taking a chance on this book. What I discovered was a succinct journey into yourself to help you achieve your own personal freedom, however you may define it. The book is in three parts: Awareness, The Price, and The Plan. The third part is the magic ingredient in this book. Awareness The first part talks about what happiness is and what it takes of ourselves to be able to set out on the road to personal freedom. Each chapter is short and to the point. The first question is simply “What is freedom?” and the…
The Motivation Manifesto: 9 Declarations to Claim Your Personal Power
Narrated by Brendon, this audiobook is akin to having a pep-talk from the author himself. He encourages you to rise above mediocrity and reclaim your personal power and strive to make a difference in the world, at whatever level this means for you. He covers similar ground to other books of this ilk, so you will find some of it familiar territory if you read in this genre, but his choice of language and delivery in the audiobook is inspiring and a very deliberate ‘manifesto’ in the real sense that you can use as the template for your amazing life. Having listened to it twice now (and I will again…
Finding Authenticity – On Becoming Human One Year On
In late 2018, I decided I needed to learn more about business as I was running a small restaurant group and needed to fill in a few gaps in my skillset. I also felt overwhelmed and had experienced a series of – for me – significantly stressful events in the course of the business operation. I was working 80+ hours a week with no days off (and have done for 5 years now). I was not in my happy place but resigned myself to the fact that it was “just business” and that’s what being an entrepreneur was all about. But something gnawed at my soul. I saw other entrepreneurs…
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
This book has been in print for 25 years, and the audio version for a good percentage of it. It has become an international phenomenon and has spawned numerous variations for specific sub-sets of people and now boasts an app with a quiz which you can share with your partner to find the best ways to communicate in your languages of love. This is a juggernaut of a book. I am not a psychologist and I respect the work that Gary Chapman has put in to distil years of clinical notes down into a pattern which emphasises 5 different ways we communicate love to each other and explains how we…
Self-Help Books – Further Thoughts on the Journey
A short while ago I wrote a post titled Why Self-Help Books Don’t Work. I have been reflecting on this and found an alternative angle to better understand it. The human experience is complex. We each have different life events and each affects us individually. This map of experience is often uncharted and key points along the timeline have a significant impact on us. These can be positive or negative and I discuss the concept of reviewing your life story further in Finding My Authenticity: Breaking My Chains. I have always had an interest in astronomy, even from a young age at school, and went on to work on cosmology…
Struggling with Negative Emotions? There is a Path to Joy
Do you feel you suffer from depression, jealousy, anger, hatred, overwhelm, or even just boredom? Maybe not all the time, but from time to time? We all do. It’s normal. But you can raise your spirits and get out of the doldrums. Here’s how. Abraham-Hicks Emotional Scale I have been reading Super Attractor by Gabrielle Bernstein and chapter four discussed the Abraham-Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale in depth. It is an elegant tool which maps out a path from depression at the lowest end of the scale to joy at the highest end. Here is that scale: Joy / Appreciation / Empowered / Freedom / Love Passion Enthusiasm / Eagerness /…
Rewriting Your Past – A Tool to Understand Yourself
In her new book, Everything is Figureoutable, Marie Forleo presents a free writing exercise for 7 days which helps you figure out what you want in life. It’s a great and valuable exercise when you’re really not sure where you want to go, and I suggest you pick up a copy of the book and check it out (it’s at the end of Chapter 6). Free Writing vs Rewriting However, if you’re feeling stuck and think you might have some unconscious self-limiting beliefs which are holding you back, all the free writing in the world won’t help you overcome these blocks and let you hit the target that ignites your…
Finding my Authenticity: Breaking My Chains
When I first had the idea for this blog I settled on the title “The Boy Who Forgot To Live” for the site. This is my journey from being a guy who was not happy with his situation in life – despite many on the outside thinking I “had it all” – to one where I would be very happy. That is still very true of the journey I am on and how I feel, though I changed the name just before launch to “Finding Authenticity” as this seemed more relevant and succinct for what I was doing and what so many others also seem to be seeking. I am…
Why You Should Make Your Life Spectacular
Transcript You know, as we come to the end of this phase of our life, we find ourselves trying to remember the good times and trying to forget the bad times, and we find ourselves thinking about the future. We start to worry, thinking, “What am I gonna do? Where am I gonna be in ten years?” But I say to you, “Hey, look at me!” Please, don’t worry so much.Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting. And if you’re ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky when the stars are strung across the velvety night. And when a…
Becoming Whole Again
