There I was, sat on the bus, on my way to meet up some old school friends (late as usual).

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“Drive faster!” I thought, attempting to control the uncontrollable, unable to relax into the moment.

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“Just let go” said a soft voice from within…

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“It’s out of your hands now”, the voice continued.

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And so I tried…

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The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle…

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I had been attempting to read this “deep” book as an 18 year old, math and gamer nerd.

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Peace… that is what I was searching for.

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Yet no matter how hard I tried, I would read 1-2 lines of text only to notice that the words were not entering my brain.

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Again…

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But still, no information was absorbed.

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Again…

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“Why is it not going in?”

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Again…

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“What the F is he talking about?!”

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The frustration increased in heat as I failed at the simple task of reading.

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When in that moment I noticed something rather peculiar…

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It appeared to me that the information was not entering my mind.

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But in reality there was more to what was going on here.

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Very shortly after I would begin to read, my mind would drift off to an image of my friends, angry and annoyed at my “late-ness”.

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My attention was drifting…

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That is why I struggled to absorb information.

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It was not that “I could not read”, as I had originally thought.

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The frustration and inability to absorb words was due to the scattered nature of my mind.

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So…

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Again…

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This time I brought more attention to the page.

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I strained my mind as though it was lifting weight.

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And this time, I noticed the impulse to envision my friends, angrily and impatiently waiting for me.

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Rather than taking the bait into this “mental movie”, I brought my attention back to the page.

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2 lines down…

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The mind, again began to drift but I was sharp enough in this moment to notice.

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“Come back” I said, quietly.

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“It’s out of your control now, just, be, here…” I said to myself.

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The pages began to turn.

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For the first time in my life I could concentrate without a screen shining bring in my eyes.

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Without hordes of digital enemies and the threat of losing lives anchoring me to the present.

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I was simply riding the bus, reading my book, and learning (through practice and experience) how to focus, concentrate and remain upon the present moment.

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The possibility of my friends angrily waiting for me still existed.

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But my attention had not been on it for long enough that the fear and anxiety of such an outcome no longer consumed me.

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And that is when I noticed, for the first time in my life…

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Freedom from a problem does not necessarily mean solving it.

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Suffering Is Majorly Mental

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Sometimes (more often than you might like to admit) the problem is not what is happening…

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The problem is in your anticipation of what might happen.

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I thought (and had reason to think) that my friends would be angry with me.

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That they would disapprove of me, and that there may be a conflict of some minor sort.

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But there was no absolute certainty in such an outcome.

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For all I knew, I could have arrived at my destination only to be greeted with smiles and hugs.

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The mind has a way of creating worst case scenarios and presenting them to you.

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Not only this, it tricks you into believing that the catastrophe you envision is a certain truth.

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The reality however is not the case.

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It it resides within the future, you know not the exactness of that outcome.

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Therefore in most cases, anxiety about the future finds its remedy in the present moment.

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Mental Fitness

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Believe me…

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I do not make such a claim as though it is an easy feat.

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If you’re anything like I was, with a mind that drifts a lot and struggles to concentrate…

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If you’ve tried reading and given up because your mind just won’t take in the words…

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If you get easily bored and frustrated with not being able to focus on that which you must…

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Then it’s going to take some commitment and work.

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Concentration is more than within your grasp.

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However, it takes training, persistence, and a willingness to move through frustration just as you would when learning any new skill.

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Learning to play guitar was one of the most frustrating journeys I’ve voluntarily subjected myself to.

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If you play a musical instrument then you know what I mean.

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Learning to concentrate is no different…

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In the sense that your progress depends upon education and repetition.

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Treat it like the gym for your mind.

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There are many ways to lift “mental weight”.

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Or to train your mind by subjecting it to “mental resistance”.

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The simplest way is to read…

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The next simplest way is to write…

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And the way that brings me and my students most positive results is the practice of stillness meditation.

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What Is Meditation?

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Most people do not know this…

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They believe meditation to be some sort of a religious, paeanistic practice that is exclusively held tight by Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism…

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Without meaning to discredit or insult such religions, this could not be further from the truth.

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Meditation in my understanding means simply “to be”.

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You might respond to this by saying “The gym is my meditation”.

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Or “gaming is my meditation”.

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Or that some other activity is “your meditation”.

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I would like to respectfully challenge such claims.

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In these cases, you might feel as though something is meditative because it fully occupies your mind.

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During that activity, you are not thinking about your problems, nor are you trying to find solutions.

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You are simply in the activity.

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This comes close to meditation, but it is not quite it.

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Why?

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Because all of these activities require “doing”.

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And “doing” is not the same as “being”.

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Real meditation requires “no doing”.

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This will make more sense as you continue to read this series of letters…

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Meditation, once again means simply “to be”.

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An Age of Distraction

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In the business of city life, distraction is our method for achieving peace.

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We’re always “doing something”.

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Human “beings” have become human “doings”.

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So much so that the idea of “just being” is alien to us.

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“What should I do if I’m not doing anything?

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“I can’t sit still, I’ll get too bored and fidgety!”

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Although our productive capacity has increased, we are less fulfilled than ever before.

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Why is this?

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Because sure… achievement and “getting things done” is rewarding, but…

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What we (including you) are really looking for is inner-peace.

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For as long as I can remember, whenever my mother’s birthday arrives I ask her, “what would you like for your birthday?”

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Her answer is always the same…

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Inner peace.

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So why doesn’t she have it?

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And why don’t you have it?

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It is simply because you have become so hyper-focused on “thinking and doing”, and have grown terribly unfamiliar with “feeling” and what it means “to be”.

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Thinking and Doing are the more “masculine” or “Yang” modes of human operation.

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They are both important and essential for thriving on Earth.

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Feeling and Being are the more “feminine” or “Yin” modes within which we can also operate.

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And these too are essential.

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Yet our society is built with a disproportionate, dominant leaning towards the more masculine modes.

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Note: This is not some lame rant about “toxic masculinity” and the oppressive “patriarchy”.

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Men are the leaders of this world.

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Yang leads Yin…

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However I will say, we are terribly out of balance as a society, and therefore individually as men and women.

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Pick it up and put it down

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If you feel what I’m saying here, and you’re longing for inner peace but struggle feel it for longer than a few moments, here’s what you need to do.

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Continue being your usual productive, “doing” self.

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But add to your life an intentional practice of releasing all doing and coming back to your “inner being”.

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Learn to pick “doing” up, and to put it down when necessary.

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Do the same for thinking.

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And do the same for feeling.

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These human modes are faculties which you possess innately.

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Gifts that create the wonder of human experience.

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But when such faculties rule your life, or when some are disproportionally dominant compared to others, imbalance is inevitable… and imbalance can not be sustained for long.

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All creation and all of nature require balance.

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This is not a “want”… it is an essential “need”.

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Without balance, your car would explode.

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Without balance, your lungs would collapse.

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Without balance, the earth would implode in on itself or explode into nothingness.

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And without balance… you’re an anxious, miserable mess.

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Restore your balance by “learning to be”.

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It is the secret super power that only a mere 1% of people know about in the modern world.

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Do this… and you will surpass everyone around you.

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Do this… and you will become unstoppable in creating the life you dream of.

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Do this… and you will find the peace you so long for, while remaining a productive mother “effer”

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And how exactly do you learn to “just be”?

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Keep reading this series of letters and you’ll find out exactly how.

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I’ve been teaching this for nearly 10 years.

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Perhaps now it’s your time to learn…

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If you want to take the fast track path to getting yourself out of misery and saving years of unnecessary pain, then I have something you might like

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Check out my offerings in the summary below if you’re interested in what I’m talking about.

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Summary

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Society is more technologically advanced than ever, yet suffering even more.

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Should our advancement not lead to an increase in our physical and mental well-being?

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Indeed it should…

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The next stage of human evolution is learning how to balance ourselves within the advanced society we have built.

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This balance is achieved through learning “to be”.

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It is in learning how to pick up and put down the varying modes of human operation.

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Thinking, Feeling, Doing and the ultimate… Being.

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Keep reading this series to learn exactly how you can achieve such balance.

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Or if you’re interested in the fast track road to inner-peace, here are some options I know you’re going to love.

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Alpha Mind (cheapest option) - If you want to master the art of mind control and level up your focus, concentration and inner-peace, learn more here about how you can do that. (Learn more)

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The Unchained Method (1:1 coaching) - If you’re tired of taking one step forwards and three steps back on your discipline journey, and want to become the version of you that you most admire, here’s how I’m doing that for myself and can help you do it too. (Learn more here)

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5 Element Yoga System - Developing a daily yoga practice changed my life forever from the inside out. Here’s how you can get started today. (Learn more here)

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Congratulations, you’re one of the chosen few.

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You made it to the end of this letter and were able to hold concentration until the end.

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What a blessing.

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Keep going…

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You’re doing great.

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Stay sharp, stay blessed

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@usman_unchained

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