Self-Realization
5 Brutal Truths of Life, I Realized Before 30
Life has it’s own way of teaching you.
As I transitioned from my late twenties I began realizing fundamental truths of life.
Certainly “knowing” and realizing are not the same.
You may know something but letting it sink deep and being more aware of it is a different thing altogether.
It changed my perspective about how I looked at life. It’s true there is a right timing for everything. when that right time arrives in your life. It makes you wiser and whole, you start seeing the world through a completely different lens. Nothing can replace the experience life teaches you.
Your age doesn't necessarily define your emotional maturity, you might be 60 and still lack emotional maturity and wisdom. it’s something that comes naturally to some by divine grace.
Here are 5 brutal truths I learned along the way as I grew up —
1. You’re going to die —
The only fear I have at the back of my mind is death, death of this body and my loved ones. I think we all fear death. it’s a natural human tendency.
Whoever is born here on this planet will eventually die and what’s more unpleasant is we don’t know when.
death doesn’t give any invitation letter. any minute we can be gone forever. it’s terrifying. the fear of leaving everything and everyone we have ever known
when you realize, you’re not invincible, just like any other thing on this planet Earth we’re going to wither off one day. our time on this planet is limited. what’s important is how we utilize this time to make our life worth living. every second you spend wasting your time on things that don’t matter to you is like giving away your precious limited time away.
this fear invoked in me a sense of urge to be aware of how and with whom I spend my time. and not waste time on things that don’t matter to me.
2. Everyone you love will eventually leave you—
It’s a hard pill to swallow. we humans have a habit of leaning on others. we need assurance for everything in life.
I remember when I realized this it left me a question. if everything/ everyone I now have will be taken away then what’s the point of living this life?
I questioned repeatedly, what’s the purpose of this life?
why are we here, who created us, again knowing and realizing something are two different things. when you come to the terms that everyone who you love will be taken away from you when the time comes. and you don't know when it frightens you.
This is the reason I went through an intense period of anxiety in the year 2023.
The feeling of What if my mom leaves me, this mere thought used to give me panic attacks. this fear of losing your loved ones won't leave haunting you until you come to a certain level of awareness and train your mind.
I still fear death but acceptance of your mortality and others around you is what makes you live your life with full potential.
this little mindset shift allows you to cherish every moment and do the best for your loved ones, you can while they’re still with you.
Most of us get stuck in living a life in automatic mode, forgetting the perishable nature of this human body.
what are you really waiting for? go spend time with your loved ones, hug them, and express how you feel for them. don't take this life and your limited time here for granted.
3. There is only one person who can help you and i.e ‘YOU’
After reading more than 50 self-help books, and spending uncountable hours watching podcasts and documentaries.
This is what I realized there is only one person who can help you, ‘YOU’. no body literally nobody can pull you out of darkness unless you want to.
No doubt others can help you, and encourage you at a certain level, but it’s you who has to implement that in your life to make the change happen.
if I ask a smoker to quit cigarettes and provide him with sufficient knowledge as to how it impacts his body and how he can combat his cravings.
no doubt external help is beneficial but the final decision is always yours.
when I realized this, my mindset immediately shifted from being a victim to taking charge of my life. taking responsibility for my actions and not playing the blame game. because at the end of the day, it's your life and you are the one who has to take that first step in the right direction.
4. You can never be happy or satisfied with material possessions
have you ever experienced this?
Your YouTube channel just hit 1M subs, your videos are garnering enough views for you to earn the cash you always dreamed of.
or
you just bought an extravagant car. the car of your dreams, it’s ‘the’ moment for you.
All this feels good and exciting for the first few days, but then the gimmer fades.
It becomes just another car that takes you from point A to B.
The point is once we reach a certain level of success that we dreamt of, the feeling of accomplishment and pride doesn't last long. because there is no happiness in possessions. and that’s true.
once you hit that $100k benchmark or get that dream job, your desire would be to make double the amount of money or get a promotion in your current job as soon as possible.
The truth is there is no end to human desires, the more we get, the more we desire. it’s like a mirage, you think happiness lies in attaining this, but when you finally get it. it does not seem as exciting as you thought it to be.
This realization just lifted a huge amount of burden from my shoulders.
There is just no limit to desires. we can be on our deathbed and still have unfulfilled desires. I’m not against being ambitious. it’s about finding your true values and knowing where to put a full stop and be satisfied with what you have.
5. Change is the only inevitable
Everything is bound to change.
our bodies have changed from the time we were born till today.
Do you know the exact day when you slipped into adolescence from a teenager? no right. The relationships, and friends we once adored are nowhere now.
change isn’t always easy. sometimes we hold on to things, people, and situations in our lives so dearly that it’s hard to let go.
when I look back and see myself now I see a huge transformation. It blows my mind when I see how I was and what I’ve become.
The point here is the sooner you accept this, the better you fare off in life.
Bottom line
These are some of the lessons I happen to realize over the course of my life. when you come to terms with life’s greatest truths, something within you changes forever. you start seeing the world through a different lens. you start questioning your reality. what’s my purpose?
life makes no sense the more you dive deeper into it. I thought the same until spirituality entered my life and everything changed. there is something beyond the physical world that we can’t see. the subtler aspects of life that you can only experience once you transcend the physical.
Thanks for Reading!
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