“You need not leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You need not even listen, simply wait. You need not even wait; just learn to become quiet, and still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”

- Franz Kafka

What if I were to tell you that you could learn how to make the right decision in every single situation, every single time? Would you believe me? Would you think I’m crazy?

Actually, you don’t have to learn how to make the right decision every time, you already know how.

Now you must really think I’m crazy.

You Already Have Everything You Need

Each one of us has been blessed with an internal compass that lets us know whether or not we are about to make the right decision in any situation. I like to call this compass “universal intuition.”

This “universal intuition” quickly takes into account all of the factors and outcomes involved with a certain decision, computes it in the universal super-computer, and quickly gives us feedback in the form of a feeling within our bodies.

This speedy wisdom comes from within us, but is not exactly human. It’s a wisdom that is in touch with the universe at large. It understands how a decision we make reverberates throughout the universe, and the effect it will have in the grand scheme of things.

The longer we choose to act in violation of our “universal intuition,” the longer we will be dissatisfied with our results in life. Every time we choose to disobey the universe’s wisdom, we are choosing to pit ourselves against the entire force of the universe. No longer will it be working for us, instead it will begin to work against us.

Talk about an uphill battle! It’s no wonder most people are unhappy with their lives.

What is Universal Intuition?

If we wish to gain the cooperation of “universal intuition,” we must learn to accept its advice. It has been present inside of us since we were born, but as we’ve grown up we’ve been conditioned to ignore it. We’ve been taught to use our “heads” to think through things, and to be rational. All of this has put us out of touch with universal intuition.

Often times, this drives us crazy. We can think, and think, and think through a decision, but most of the time we’ll come up with nothing. When I was deciding whether or not to drop out of college, I thought about it for nearly a year before I realized “thinking” was driving me nuts, and was ultimately futile.

I finally decided to stop thinking, and start feeling. It was so simple, yet so profound. As soon as I acknowledged the feeling associated with each of my options, I achieved incredible clarity. The right choice had been right underneath my nose all along.

I was so miserable in school, and the universe had been telling me so for an entire year. During that year I continued to fight this wisdom, and school progressively became more draining and more tedious day by day. Once I made the decision to drop out, I experienced an immediate and substantial release of tension. It felt like everything was right again.

Our huge brains are double-edged swords. They are miraculous in that they give us access to so much raw thinking power, but they are a hindrance in that they put us out of touch with our hearts (universal intuition). When our hearts are trying to tell us something, our thoughts cloud our minds and often times cause us to make wrong and painful decisions.

How to Listen to Universal Intuition

Listening to universal intuition is only as hard as we choose to make it. The more we deny its existence, and the more we choose to let our thoughts dominate our decision making process, the harder life will be.

Life is not meant to be excessively hard. Life is not meant to be overwhelmingly draining.

Life is meant to be enjoyable. Life is meant to be invigorating.

The next time you face a tough decision, sit down in a quiet place and clear your mind. Rid yourself of the conflicting thoughts racing around inside of your head. Be still. Try to feel the wisdom of the universe by your side. This feeling may be extremely faint, but you’ll find that it’s always there, pointing you in the right direction.

It may be telling you yes, or no. It may be saying stop, or go. It may be telling you that you need to quit your job, or that you need to end your unsatisfactory relationship of 5 years. It may be telling you the business you are trying to get started doesn’t truly stir your passion, and that you need to pursue something else. It may manifest itself as a feeling of discomfort, advising you not to make a certain decision. Or it may manifest itself as a feeling of comfort, advising you to make a certain decision.

Acknowledge this feeling, and understand that when you listen to it, you cannot make the wrong decision. Have faith that something more powerful than you can understand is working for you behind the scenes. Choose to act in accordance with this universal wisdom, and the entire universe will have no choice but to roll in ecstasy at your feet.

It’s that simple.

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“Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. It is not enough that a thing be possible for it to be believed.”

- Voltaire

Faith is a byproduct of self-confidence. Self-confidence and faith are attributes we are all born with, however, they are both suppressed through constant societal conditioning.

If you were to turn on the news right now, chances are you would hear about something exceptionally bad going on somewhere in the world.

When I was a kid, I was told to “be careful” by my mother before stepping out of the house. I was constantly reminded by family members and loved ones that money was scarce, and in order to feel security I would one day need a full-time job.

Everything is a risk, I was told.

I was being conditioned to believe that the only way to make it in this world was to live inside my comfort zone, and surrender to a life of mediocrity. How is a kid supposed to develop self-confidence in conditions like this?

Let me tell you, it’s not easy. However, I’ve found there is a methodical way to unearth your buried self-confidence, and get in touch with a powerful faith within you never knew existed.

Have you ever wondered how people like Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, and MLK Jr. managed to make a profound impact on the human race? What set these people apart? Everyone has their share of God-given talents, hardships, and shortcomings. There must have been a reason for these prolific figures’ success other than the usual, “They’re just lucky” to explain why they rose to the top of society while others with similar levels of brilliance didn’t.

The only difference between you and these individuals is your levels of courage, self-confidence, and faith. Consciously or unconsciously, these people developed their courage by constantly stepping outside of their comfort zone, thereby building their self-confidence, which ultimately led to their unwavering faith.

Courage is Critical

Before you can develop sufficient self-confidence, you’ll need to get a good idea of what you’re capable of.  By developing the courage to step outside of your comfort zone, you’ll be able to test and figure out exactly what your limits are.

This process of exploring your limits requires the courage to ask penetrating questions so you can take a deeper look at yourself.

It requires the courage to get past your pride, and realize your life isn’t everything you know it could be.

It requires the courage to identify your purpose in life, and then take action on it.

It requires the courage to say, “I’m going to do whatever it takes to make my dreams a reality!”

Know Thyself

I have been questioning my true nature for the last three years of my life, and learning the answers to my questions has given me a tremendous amount of self-confidence. The penetrating questions I’ve been asking myself consistently are:

• What do I truly believe?
• How do these beliefs show up in my day-to-day actions?
• How do these beliefs limit me from reaching my true potential?
• What are my deepest values?
• Which values do I need to prioritize in my life?
• What should I be doing with my life?
• What am I exceptionally good at doing, and how can I use these talents to my advantage?
• Is what I’m doing right now what I would be doing if money was not an issue?
• What do I love to do?
• What are my character flaws, and how can I improve upon them?
• Am I thinking for myself? Or am I living a life that is the result of others’ thinking?
• How is pride standing in my way of self-actualization?
• What lies about my reality have I been trying to convince myself are true?

If you ponder these questions long enough, and are brutally honest with yourself, you may come to realize the life you’re leading is incongruent with who you really are.

At first this will be frightening, because up until this moment of clarity, you’ve been living a life of self-deception. This realization is actually a great thing, however, because you’ll now have the power to align your actions with your core self. You’ll be able to proactively mold your character to fit your values. You’ll know what’s really important to you in life, and you’ll be able to prioritize your actions accordingly. You’ll identify limiting beliefs, uproot them, and as a result, you’ll begin to tap into your true potential.

Knowing who you are at your core is the key to self-confidence. Only when you deeply know yourself will you truly begin to grasp how powerful you actually are. This is the understanding that gives way to unwavering faith.

Unwavering Faith

Faith is highly dependent on your level of self-confidence. Without self-confidence, how can you trust yourself to make the critical decisions in life, the choices that will ultimately determine your future results?

Once you’re in touch with your inner-self, faith will come easily to you. Believing in yourself will become second nature, and the “impossible,” as defined by society, will be quite possible to you. Fear will be another illusion you walk through, because you will know deep down what you want out of life.

To illustrate what I mean, here’s an example from my own life.

Making the decision to drop out of college was easy for me because I have a tremendous amount of faith. This faith comes from knowing what I want out of life, and knowing who I am at the deepest levels of my being. The direction I wish to take my life is not related to what I was learning in college, so the choice was very clear. I thought, “If I’m going to stay in school, why don’t I just go outside and dig a hole for no reason instead? They are both an equally good use of my time.”

Anyone close to me will tell you I had been considering dropping out for the past year, but I only recently had the courage to actually do it. This courage came through the process of self-realization described above. First you must know yourself, and then you can do crazy things like dropping out of college or quitting your job!

Tying it All Together

Now you may be asking, what exactly is faith?

Faith is the ability to trust your intuition.

Faith is the ability to trust yourself with making the big decisions in life.

Faith is the ability to understand that every decision you’re making is the right one and that your life is playing out exactly as it should be.

Faith is the ability to understand there is a higher power working for you behind the scenes that you are unable to see with your own two eyes.

Faith is believing before seeing, because you know you’re doing the right things.

Faith is gratitude towards your current situation because you know it’s great and only getting better.

Faith is, as Voltaire so eloquently stated, the ability to believe when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.

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If you’re looking for a healthy escape from the hustle and bustle of your daily routine, then meditation is just what you need. Regardless of where you are in life (student, executive, full-time parent), meditation will help ease your mind, increase your self-awareness, and develop your appreciation for the present moment.

I began my meditation practices this summer in martial arts. At the time, I had no experience whatsoever in meditation, just the knowledge that it was supposedly very helpful. I still remember the first time we performed meditation in class.

My First Meditation Session

After a grueling morning class, which almost made me pass out, my instructor turned off the lights, and turned on music that sounded like it was straight from the monks in the Himalayas. He then instructed us to close our eyes, sit up straight, and breathe normally. We were to focus on the ins and outs of our breath, and focus on the flow of air in and out of our nostrils. If thoughts popped into our head, we were instructed to let them go, and regain focus on our breathing.

I remember thinking, “How is this going to work?” My question was quickly answered when I felt an almost immediate relaxation of my body and mind. It was an interesting experience, to say in the least. I could feel my heartbeat reverberating through my body, and I was slowly gaining a feeling of lightness.

Keep in mind this was right after an intense workout session in class. My body was tense, and my mind was cluttered with what I had just learned. “This stuff is powerful,” I thought to myself. I definitely wanted to experience more of it.

5 Months Later

It’s been 5 months since that day, and I’ve continued my meditation practices ever since. I still do the version of breathing meditation I learned in class when I am seeking relaxation of my mind and body. However, I now do a number of different techniques, which build upon the relaxation properties of the breathing meditation. They offer increased concentration, detachment from emotional ups and downs, and clarity of the mind.

I normally won’t link to external sources of information on this site, unless it is an exceptional source. Today, as I was browsing one of the personal development forums I read regularly, I came across an exceptional post on meditation techniques and practices. This post describes, in detail, all of the techniques and methods I’ve been learning and using over the past 5 months. In addition, I learned new meditation techniques from this helpful post. I am excited to start experimenting with them as soon as possible; the benefits seem to be incredible.

I encourage you all to take 15-30 minutes out of your busy day to make time for meditation. Unless you are superhuman, I’m sure you waste more time than this in a day. The benefits of meditation are enormous. You will become a more relaxed, patient, and self-aware individual. Not to mention you will experience the beneficial health side effects which have been attributed to daily meditation.

If you keep it at it, you may forge a connection with a source of faith or higher power you never knew existed. Wouldn’t you say this is a wee bit more beneficial than sitting on the couch and watching the plug-in drug for 30 minutes a day? Maybe you can watch the televangelist channel and connect with a higher power that way (I’m kidding!)

So, without further ado, here is the link to the exceptional forum post.

If the link is not functional, please click shivraj meditation techniques

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“I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.”

- G. K. Chesterton

This is the first of three parts in a series on taking a leap of faith. I’m breaking this topic up into a series for the sake of clarity. I believe there are many critical parts to understand in this process.

To take a leap of faith, and not fall flat on your face, you must first take two giant steps. You must overcome your social programming, and you must develop a tremendous amount of faith in yourself. I’ll cover both topics in this series, and end with an article on how to finally take the leap.

You’ve Been Programmed

We are all products of social programming. The minute we were born into society, we were subject to the influences of it. Our parents instilled our first paradigms (system of beliefs) in our minds at a young age. We learned our first language, our first set of values, and we attended our first day of class. All the while we were being programmed to believe things work a certain way.

I know, when I describe this process as “programming” it sounds like some sort of slow, deliberate, malicious invasion of our minds… because that’s exactly what I think it is.

As children, we are taught our greatest asset is the formal education provided to us by the schooling system. Right off the bat, we are forced to be dependent on something outside of us. If we are to be “successful” (whatever that means), we are told a high school and college degree are essential.

We progress through the schooling system, continuously being conditioned to believe we are working towards securing our future. Not once is it suggested our greatest asset is our minds. Not once is it suggested that everything we need is actually already inside of us. Not once is it suggested that greatness lies dormant within us, waiting to be awakened. Societal programming forces us into a state of fear and dependence, and this prevents us from realizing our true potential.

In my eyes, this is the highest crime.

An Evaluation of the Education System

The first step we must take to free ourselves from the reigns of societal thinking is to realize how ineffective it has become at what it aims to accomplish. Let’s take education, for example. The word education is derived from the Latin word educo, which means to educe, to draw out, and to develop from within.

How well does our education system do this today?

We climb our way up the grade-school ladder, and learn random (if not useless) information along the way. Apparently, we are supposed to identify our “interests” while going through this process. Perhaps we’ll aspire to be a historian one day, or better yet, maybe we’ll aspire to become a teacher in this wonderful system!

Next, we enter college with the hopes of finding out what it is we want to do with our lives. We choose a major concentration, and take the courses required to “master” this concentration. Along the way, we may change our path, or we may (gasp) find ourselves.

Translation: we’ve figured out what job to take up after college. Hooray!

Don’t get me wrong, there are a few people along the way who do find themselves, and do identify their purpose in life. These select few people may go on to do great things with their lives. However, this is a rare occurrence, and is usually the byproduct of the individual’s own search for who he/she really is, not a byproduct of the education process.

The Working World

Once we’ve entered the employment world, we begin to “earn” a living. We choose to sacrifice our time for money. Often times, it’s for something we don’t even enjoy. We do it for the sake of “security.” It’s a never ending cycle. Wake up. Go to work. Come home. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

Is this what the education system is helping us educe from within, a life of mindlessness, barred from purpose and passion? Does this kind of lifestyle make sense to you? If all of us have greatness within, and all of us are equipped with the power of the mind, don’t you think this cycle is a wasteful life to live?

I firmly believe our purpose in life has to be something greater than figuring out how to address our own needs. When we shift our educational focus from the societal mindset of, “how can I best earn a living in society” to “how can I educe my greatness from within,” we begin to see how flawed the education system is.

Rather than helping its students explore their inner-greatness and develop themselves from within, the education system contributes to a relentless cycle, which keeps generating more and more fearful, mindless individuals to fuel the foundation of society. Imagine a society comprised of individuals who’ve all managed to tap into their inner-greatness.

I dare say it would be a utopia.

My Journey

This is a story of how I overcame social programming, and learned to think for myself. Yes, it’s long. However, I believe it’s a good example of how to approach the daunting task of freeing yourself from the chains of societal thinking. If you have the patience to read it, I’m confident it will be more than just another interesting read. The key facilitator in the process was self-education. You will be able to see how self-education helped me build up the confidence necessary to eventually take my own leap of faith.

A little over two years ago, I had just graduated from high school. I, like many others, was faced with the prospect of college and was extremely confused with my situation. My dad was pressuring me to join the business school at UT. Others were telling me I should try and go to an Ivy League school. I had no preference between one and the other. I figured I might as well go to The University of Texas at Austin because it was close to home, not too expensive, and was supposedly a party school (many important considerations, as you can see).

At the time, I had no sense of what I wanted out of life, and no sense of self (great job education system!) I’m confident I would still be just as confused now, or even worse, brainwashed by now, if I didn’t stumble across a little something over Thanksgiving break.

UT Austin is known for its attractive women. In fact, I think it’s one of the top schools in the nation in this category. That being said, I had a hunger to meet as many of them as I could. However, I had no idea how I would go about this. Miraculously, while at home on Thanksgiving break, I stumbled across an online advertisement on the “Million Dollar Homepage.”

The advertisement shouted, “Learn how to meet women today!” I, being ever so curious, clicked on the link, and was directed to an e-book website. The name of the E-book was “Double your Dating,” and it was claiming to have all of the secrets to success with women. I figured what the hell, might as well try it. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just take David DeAngelo (the author) up on his money-back guarantee. I was already bad enough with women as it was, so I really had nothing to lose.

The reason I describe this seemingly random experience from my life is because it was my first introduction to the concept of “self-education.” For a few dollars, and a small investment of my time, a whole world of information on understanding women was made available to me. I could learn from one of the best teachers in the world on the subject at my own pace, and on my own time.

I wasn’t being forced to learn anything. I was learning purely because I was interested in the material. If you’ve never experienced this type of learning before, it is completely different than learning in school. Every single word is interesting. You’re hooked from the minute you start. It’s so much fun because it’s what you want to learn, not what someone else thinks you need to learn.

Soon after reading “Double your Dating,” I ordered all of David Deangelo’s dating material; DVD programs, audio programs, and e-books. While learning the material, I noticed I was transforming as a person. Not only was I much more skillful in my interaction with women, but I was hungry for more self-development material. I thought, if I can unlock this much potential by learning this material, there must be more areas of my life I can apply my concept of “self-education” to.

On David Deangelo’s recommendation, I picked up the book Think and Grow Rich. After reading this book, my entire perspective on life changed. I remember putting it down and saying to myself, “What the hell?!?” I was introduced to the idea that my mind is my most powerful asset. Simply with my thoughts, I could influence the results in my reality. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but I knew I was on to something. I performed the exercises the book recommended, and I began to notice a peculiar difference in my life. I was gaining clarity.

For the first time in my life, I had a sense of direction. I knew I wanted to experiment with my self-education more. I began reading as many books as I could on different personal development subjects. I took what I learned from most, and applied what they taught to my life.

I began to think for myself, and began to see the flaws in society’s way of thinking.

I could educate myself on topics such as time management, philosophy, purpose, women and dating, religion, discipline, effectiveness, talent, and overcoming fear. I no longer needed to be in school to feel educated. The quality of my life was rapidly increasing. I was becoming an independent thinker, and began to live a life which was the result of my own thinking.

Nearly two years later, I realized I could mold my life into whatever I wanted it to be simply with the power of my mind. I had access to the best teachers around the world on different subjects at the click of my mouse (or by a trip to the bookstore). Each book I read expanded my consciousness, and I soon realized that my purpose in life had to be something more than just providing for myself. I wanted to do what I loved, and I wanted to make an impact on people’s lives. This is how this blog got started.

The Fall ’07 semester of school started, and it felt completely different than my past semesters in school. I was no longer the highly motivated and disciplined Business Honors student I used to be. I was no longer interested in my narrow-minded studies, and I felt like I could be using my time better (self-development, writing, meeting new people). Recently, I decided to drop out of school. This was my leap of faith.

What compelled me to take the leap? I began to understand the “need” for a formal education is something rooted deeply in fear. Almost everyone believes you must get a college degree to succeed. But what if your formal education has nothing to do with the direction you want to take your life? What if you have the ability to self-educate? What if you learn to think for yourself, and shake off societal programming? Then I see no need for remaining in school.

I believe formal education should be a conscious choice. If a college education will assist you in living your life’s purpose, then by all means choose to be in school. However, I do not believe the choice should be driven by fear. A choice driven by fear isn’t much of a choice, is it? Being in school because you fear you will fail without is an extremely limiting mindset, and will always hold you back from reaching your true potential.

I have faith things will work out for me in time, and I will reach my goal of helping as many people as I possibly can unlock their true potential. I will continue to write, and continue to invest in my personal development. I know I will change lives in the process, and this makes the entire journey worthwhile.

School was limiting my freedom. In order to continue to do well in it, I would’ve had to force myself to act against my intuition. I would’ve had to force myself to sit through class, and study for tests that had no nothing to do with my life’s purpose.

I made the conscious choice to drop out of school because I didn’t see how it was benefiting me. I feel like a new man. I feel like I have broken free from the chains of society. I am living a life which is the result of my own thinking. I know I am going to create the life of my dreams, and nothing is going to stop me.

Think For Yourself

Start questioning your beliefs.

Are they the result of societal programming, or are they the result of your own thoughts?

Are you living a life that is the result of others’ thinking, or are you living a life that is the result of your own thinking?

Question every belief you have, and identify the ones rooted in fear. Once you identify them, do everything you can to uproot them. These beliefs will forever limit your ability to reach your true potential, and will doom you to a life of mediocrity. Choose to live consciously. Make deliberate choices that are in line with your life’s purpose.

If you haven’t figured out your life’s purpose yet, then it’s time to muster up the courage to figure it out. Perhaps you’ll find that your purpose is calling you in a different direction than the life you’re currently leading. You can either choose to act on it, or choose to live a life based in fear, and run from it. The choice is yours.

A Man Can Be Defeated, Never Destroyed

Realize you’re not made of glass. You can go broke; you’ll live. Your loved ones can turn on you, and you will continue to move forward. My loved ones didn’t agree with my decision, but they are slowly coming around and seeing things from my perspective. You can create the life of your dreams; all it takes is the courage to think for yourself and listen to your heart.

I know this may all seem a little crazy to you at first. You may be thinking, “Rahul, you’re just being reckless, you need a college education.” And you may be right. But I’m not going to take society’s word for it. I’m going to figure it out for myself. Don’t let your fear of failure take away your power of choice. Live life on purpose. I challenge you to do so.

Whether you think I’m crazy or not, I’m sure we can agree I have a tremendous amount of faith in myself. The next article in this series will be on how to get in touch with this kind of faith, and how to use it to look fear in the face, and laugh. For all of you who have made it this far in the article, I congratulate you. You are one step closer to taking your leap of faith.

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