I was about 17 years old when I first heard of the December 2012 phenomenon. Although skeptical of doomsday theories and esoteric predictions, it was the trigger that led me down the internet rabbit hole, where I spent hours upon hours of research on subjects ranging from alien beings communicating with planet earth, to our debt-based monetary system calling for a mass revolution.

I have never been the same since. I knew these ideas seemed far-fetched to most people, yet within this maze of alternative information; I still was able to find gems of truth reminding me that there was more to life than what I’d been told. That I wasn’t “broken” just because I didn’t fit in this world or had talents that weren’t valued in school. That maybe it is society that is broken… and that my mission was to help transform it.

I am now 26 years old, and I still stand by what I said. I still feel deep within my bones that we are in the midst of a mass consciousness shift where the status quo is rapidly losing credibility. I still believe that a world where we destroy the earth for profit and hoard wealth while others starve is unnecessary. I still believe I am here to shake things up and make a change. Yet I also believe that the whole new age / conspiracy whirlwind of information out there may be slowing down the very same personal and collective evolution it promotes.

“I can stand here and talk to you about the field of infinite possibilities, but what do you DO with that?” – Dan Millman

New Age & Conspiracy Information: Distracting Us From Our True Power And Purpose?

Don’t get me wrong. In no way do I want to discredit the value in information that helps highlight society’s ills and open the mind to new possibilities. It has been a crucial part of my own path… but one that I had to outgrow in order for me to truly grow up.

Let me explain. Learning about the latest government scheme, astrology forecast and health craze has its place, but ultimately; it is not the thing that will MAKE you a better human being. It is not the thing that makes you a more caring and loving person, or bring you strength, spirit and resiliency in challenging times. Dissecting the subject of quantum physics, knowing the names and colors of all your chakras, waiting for an extraterrestrial disclosure or scrutinizing a politician’s every move won’t necessarily help you be a positive player in your community, or bring you the focus and practical wisdom needed to get your life together. Information lives in your head. It is the quality of your being that determines how well you participate in the dance of life.

“Ultimately, information is as valuable as its usefulness to our daily lives.” – UpliftedLife.com

A Friend And Mentor Who Taught Me To Embrace The Basics

Ideas, words and concepts are everywhere, flooding our newsfeeds on a second-to-second basis. The trick is to ask ourselves: can I put this information to good use? Will this benefit my life? Can this help me grow into the best version of myself if I apply it?

My dear friend and mentor Kosta Stoyanoff, the founder of Uplifted Life, continually reminded me of this ever since I met him back in 2015. He would also remind me that all the inspiring quotes I post on Facebook or truths I intellectually understand will never replace the value of even the tiniest and seemingly ordinary steps I can take within my own life. Things like washing the dishes with care, eating a meal slowly, being grateful for what I have, taking more deep breaths throughout the day, being attentive and caring to my wonderful mother, and taking more time to really be there for the “little things” in life.

He would tell me that these small humbling shifts in my attention, perspective, thoughts and attitude would not only add up to a HUGE shift in my health, abundance and happiness levels, but would become the solid foundation on which I could begin doing truly meaningful work from a space of love rather than ego.

“The beginnings of all great things are small.” – Cicero

Now you’d think Kosta’s loving advice made it easy for me to commit to making those fundamental shifts. But the truth is, I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t slow down my monkey mind just yet. Although I nodded in agreement, my ego squirmed at the idea and I instead spent about one more year searching for more. For something “bigger”, more glamorous and revolutionary than simply getting in touch with “ordinary life”…

I thought I needed to spend more time digging into childhood traumas and past lives to justify my wounds. I still searched for miracle supplements that would fix the health issues I was experiencing. I got involved in ambitious projects that I believed would change the world… without me having to change. I searched for everything and anything except what would bring me face to face with my own power and responsibility to transform from the inside out.

At the end of that year, I was more confused and disillusioned than ever before. My health had plummeted. My stress levels were still high. I was everything but at peace with myself—even after all the dizzying “self-work” I thought I was doing. That’s when I reached out to my good ol’ trusty friend Kosta again and said “I finally get it. I am ready to go back to the basics.“

“You don’t truly understand something until you apply it. Same goes for wisdom.” – UpliftedLife.com

When I Finally Began To Walk The Talk

Little-by-little, I began contemplating the ways in which I lived my life. I noticed just how much of my attention was fragmented in dozens of useless places—from ingenuine relationships to mindless smartphone usage. I began observing how often I would engage in defeatist self-talk despite all my “positive” Facebook posts. I saw how my mind would create an abundance of stories about what’s “missing” in my life, while ignoring the wonderful blessings all around me. And finally, I realized that the same amount of power, belief and attention I put in negative thought patterns, I could instead use to fuel more positive perspectives and beneficial day-to-day habits. It sure sounds simple, and it is! But it seems like for most of us, the challenge of a lifetime is to let go of our attachment to an old story of self that gets in the way of us remembering and applying the most basic of truths.

“It is easy to think about complex things, but often difficult to apply the simplest things. The former can be entertaining, but the latter is where we get to grow and transform our lives.” – UpliftedLife.com

It’s Not About You

We think that “self-development” is all about getting our own lives straight. And yes, that’s a wonderful benefit! but the real beauty in becoming the best version of ourselves is how it positively impacts the lives of those around us. Whether you are a stay-at-home Mom, serve coffee for a living or are CEO of a company; evolving into your highest, most loving and kindest self is no small feat. It means children who will grow up to be wiser and more loving citizens of earth. It means customers who will go back to their workspaces and families with a lighter heart. It means companies who will shift from self-serving motives to a greater purpose.

This is why going back to the basics is more than just a “cute thought”. When applied and embodied, they change your life. And when millions live by them, they change the world.

“Whether you accept it or not, each life is linked to all life. Your state of being, thoughts, words and actions create a ripple effect; much like a stone thrown into a pond. The quality of that ripple effect… is your legacy.” – Kosta Stoyanoff

Click here to start seeing content like this in your newsfeed 🙂

If you resonate with my story and believe the world needs more of such reminders, you will enjoy what Kosta, myself and the team behind Uplifted Life have been working on for the past few years. Uplifted Life is a hub of transformational resources, but not the fluffy pie-in-the-sky type. What you will discover here are simple, practical and effective tools and teachings revealing the fundamental principles to living life well and leaving a beautiful legacy behind.

Check out our first introductory video below and like us on facebook to follow our evolution and be supported in your own journey of becoming the best version of yourself! 🙂

Yesterday night, I realized that I’ve been way too hard on myself when it comes to getting past old wounds and insecurities. I saw that most of my stress and struggle were not because going through so-and-so emotion or challenge was so difficult. It was because of my incredibly stress-inducing reaction to every new dis-ease coming my way.

Here’s an extreme example of such a reaction:

“What’s this emotion now? Where is it from? OH, not those daddy issues again? I thought I was over that! Is there something else I don’t know? Maybe I should buy this book about abandonment issues. Maybe I should go meditate and dig some more into past traumas… or maybe past lives! Or maybe i’ll just go eat a whole bag of chips and 2 chocolate bars. Actually… I’ll just go post a meme about it. With my bag of chips and chocolate.”

“What happens when you begin to feel uneasy, unsettled, queasy? Notice the panic where you instantly grab for something.” – Pema Chödrön

It seems that many philosophies in the spiritual/personal development realm are all about endless psychoanalysis of our emotions and digging into ten thousand “hows” and “whys” — all aiming at explaining why we feel a certain way. I’m not saying there isn’t value in understanding the roots of our wounds. Actually… it is a must! But once you’ve touched it, once you’ve fully seen it and felt it… you don’t need to keep touching it. You don’t need to keep poking at it further whenever there is a little flare up, or fuel it with a hundred more stories about why you are so wounded still. You can just LET. IT. BE.

This is something I am basically just learning now. Having a strong and stubborn intellect, I’ve always been into “trying to figure it all out”. Trying to fix things with my head. But there is a time and place for putting the mind at use, and there is a time and place for simply allowing ourselves to be as we are; present, open and gentle with ourselves.

You don’t intellectualize your way into loving and being there for a child, for example. You don’t read books about psychology to a kid that simply needs you to be there and hold their hand. In the same way, we sometimes just need to BE there for ourselves, without saying anything. Without trying to fix anything or talk ourselves out of whatever we may be feeling. Sometimes, to heal, we just need to be there, and that’s it. And I don’t mean curling into the foetus position and cry a river because “we should throw ourselves into a dramatic purging process every time an emotion says hi.” You can do that if it feels natural to you, but where I am getting at is that shifting from one state to another can also be accomplished with the lightest of touches, as my wise friend Kosta Stoyanoff would say. With a gentle acknowledgment of what you are feeling, a smile of compassion, and a willingness to continue moving forward even if you aren’t feeling “perfect” yet.

“As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion. ” ― Pema Chödrön

See, the only reason I’m writing this blog right now is because last night, I’ve decided to put the cellphone and distractions down for a few hours and just be there with what I’m feeling. I recognized my anxious feelings of not “being enough” and of this moment not “being enough” as products of an old train of thought that has never before led me to a happier and more fulfilled space anyways. So instead of treating it as this big ol’ monster requiring 10 more hours of psychoanalysis and anxious “figuring things out”, I simply let it be. I sort of said “Hey, I recognize you. You can stick around or whatever, but I’m just going to feel this out and not listen to your suggestions of finding yet another way to run away. I will just stay here and be okay in this moment with myself.”

Doing this shifted me out of this overwhelming fight-or-flight mode and provided me this single insight that I swear is going to be a game changer for me from now on. I already feel more relaxed. I already feel like I can move forward and be a better friend to myself. Growth doesn’t have to be a constant battle with yourself. It can be a wonderful, supportive relationship between your mind and soul. This is what I want to build my life on. No wonder I’ve been struggling with internet addiction, attention-seeking, sugar cravings and distraction binges lately. I’ve been beating myself up for it wondering what’s been wrong with me… but the truth is ANYONE would want to escape from the stressful and pressuring relationship I’ve been having with myself. It is even understandable that my poor mind would want to take a break from myself with food, social media newsfeeds or whatever else can take my mind off the bully inside of me. But that bully is me. It’s always been me against me. The beautiful thing though… is that it can also be me supporting me. Me loving me. Me being patient, kind and gentle to me. We all hear and say that we need to be more kind, gentle and loving people… no reason this shouldn’t apply to ourselves. 🙂

“The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.” ― Pema Chödrön

I believe that being more gentle and easy with our internal ebbs and flows is what provides us the perfect environment and space to actually heal and flourish. It’s kind of like providing a child with the love, patience, wisdom, care and space he or she needs to thrive and grow into the best version of themselves. You don’t punish a child for falling down when they are learning how to walk. You don’t ignore them or run away in fear either. You understand that they are just calibrating their balancing muscles and are learning as they go. Growing as a human being is also a process of learning as we go; a natural one. You don’t grow a flower by pulling on it. You simply give it sunlight and water and let it flourish at its own space. You can’t control your own or anyone else’s growth, you can only support it.

Would you rather have a controlling or a supporting friend? A controlling or a supporting parent? If you’re like me, you probably resonate with the latter. So let’s go ahead and be what we seek. 🙂

“There are more than enough voices in this world that will weigh you down by telling you that you are “not enough” of something or other… Don’t let yours be one of them.” – Kosta Stoyanoff

And we don’t have to be president to help make the world a better place either.

For a very long time now, we have wanted change to be served to us on a silver platter. And I’m not just talking about “the sheeple” here; who still believe in the current political system. I’m mostly talking to us, “conscious”, “awakened” and informed “truthers” as we sometimes call ourselves. See, we might complain about others sitting on their couches, being brainwashed by the news and cheering for a next savior. Now let’s make sure we aren’t just sitting behind computers, waiting for “the people to wake up” before we can ourselves embody the love, compassion, kindness and healing we wish to see reflected in the world.

We are “the people”, aren’t we? So why should we expect so much of “them” (whether we are talking about the government or “the people”) as if they are this separate “thing” that, once changed, will allow US to change?

As Mrs. Nagy said in this beautiful letter, decision-making is far from being a job exclusive to a president. Actually, the biggest decision-making job has always been ours. All of our small choices and actions combined are what make society. Nobody is forcing us not to show compassion, help the needy or cooperate with our fellow brothers and sisters for a better community and world. Nobody is forcing us not to raise our children with wisdom, love and compassion so that they become better stewards of the Earth.

Our egos may readily want to dismiss this (and I know because mine did for the longest time)… but the truth is, we change the world by HOW we live our lives, not what we intellectually understand or spend time arguing about.

Our Main Project Should Be…

When we understand that the world is like one big body, and each and everyone of us are a cell within it, we understand that our primary “project” isn’t so much about external doings. Our primary project is ourselves. It’s about being that one healthy cell. And as we evolve into our most authentic, kindest, wisest and most compassionate self; our actions and the way we use our gifts will not only uplift the world around us, but will have that much more power. Coming from this space, we allow life’s higher intelligence to flow through us. We let go of the countless self-limiting and fearful stories we have told ourselves. In other words, we “get out of our own way”. This is when floods of synchronicities, soul mates and opportunities to do what we came here to do (and most importantly be who we came here to be) enter our lives. And this is when we get to be the change we wish to see in the world.

“These little decisions you make that you think aren’t a big deal, are the biggest deal. These things that feel lighter but we ignore, are all part of the big picture. Are all part of a sign towards what you’re really here to do. The more you listen to your calling rather than your old story, the more it’s going to guide you to an incredible amount of you impacting the world.” – Kyle Cease

Trying to “change the world” without seeing ourselves as part of that equation is as if we are one unhealthy cell trying to “fix” all surrounding cells. Biology shows us that it takes one healthy cell to trigger all nearby cells to start healing. What if our actions came from a place of inner-transformation, as opposed to us trying to transform the world while we remain unchanged? Imagine if more of us chose to be that one healthy cell…

Easier Said Than Done

Yes, Of course. I know, because I have preached about “world change” for years before I very recently realized that the quality of my state of being, actions and relationships did not reflect the degree of love, harmony and compassion I wished to see in the world.

It is hard, because it requires a personal revolution. A personal “detox” of everything that has been holding us back from being our greatest expression here on Earth. And as we all know, detox symptoms aren’t always easy. As we open our hearts, our egos might tell us it is unsafe. As we think about being generous and giving, our egos might scream “what’s in it for me?”. As we seek to collaborate with and help one another, our egos might sense a threat to its own “success”. As we choose to be fully authentic and true to our calling, our egos might fear there won’t be anybody to catch us “on the other side”. That is because a sense of scarcity, lack and “not enoughness” has been drilled into our skulls by a culture that runs on the glamorization of superficiality and lies. A culture that pits us against ourselves and each other.