Author: Yan Sun

Following on from the blog about the integration of the shadow – I am here to do just that.

At some point along my journey, I have felt as though I’ve lost connection with a clear sense of purpose. Some days I waddle in self-pity which means I’ve clearly lost my way.

Here I am hoping to lay it out and realign myself to my motivations and purpose. Rather than thinking about why I am doing what I’m doing, I need to start with what I want out of life.

First of all, all I can think about is having a family and kids; as well as being the type of person who can provide and care for them. To do that I need to have the resources and know-how to raise the children as well as provide and care for my wife.

Second of all, my dream which stems from success and recognition is my goal to become a unicorn founder. To become the best business person I can be I have to put myself in situations where I can learn the skills I need to continuously make it to the next step in business. My fundamentals are great and I must continue to problem-solve to get to the next step each time I’m faced with a challenge.

Finally, I need to become the best person I can be. That means facing my fears and recognising my emotions as well as expressing them as best I can. Honesty is also a major value that I live by and to do that I also need to be better at being honest with my feelings and emotions. Whether that’s feelings of envy, jealousy or anger – I have to recognise them and accept them for what they are and channel them to resolve the personal issues that they are inevitably attached to.

In conclusion, there is alot for me to work on at this stage in my development. I have gone back a few steps in my self-development journey in the past couple of years and it’s well due for me to bounce back and embody my higher being.

I felt like I was slogging away without purpose but to realign myself like this is exactly what I needed.

Jungian Psychology denotes that the ‘shadow’ is the portion of our consciousness apart from the ‘ego’. It is that which we do not show to the world.

In order to become a ‘whole’ human, we must integrate our shadow into our personality. This can only be done by shining a light on that which we hide from the world and ourselves. Whether thats our hidden motivations or supressed emotions, when we recognise and acknowledge those feelings and intentions we can become better as humans.

Imagine a person who suppresses his anger and intentions – all of that excess energy has no conscious outlet, which will obviously cause issues in the long run. This is no way for us to live our finite and precious lives.

Integration of the shadow is something we should all work towards as human beings.

When do we experience FOMO? The vast majority occurs when we think we missed out on something that everyone else may have experienced. The root of this is identification of oneself with a certain group or ‘herd’ and as a result, the feeling of being left out of loop.

As the 26th President of the United States stated; “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Hence, in order to avoid such comparisons, we must meditate on the impermanence of our reality. For instance, how much will it matter in 10 years if we miss out on the things we fear missing out on now?

When we are able to view our lives from a third person perspective, we recalibrate the importance of the experiences we have throughout our lives.

NO FOMO.

Fasting is becoming a widely used tool for many to achieve a healthier body and a stronger mind. Apart from the extensive research regarding all the health benefits of fasting, it is also a phenomenal way to increase mental grit and resilience.

When we are able to withhold from one of the most important sources of fuel as well as dopamine for our body and mind, we realise that the possibilities of the human body are endless. The majority of hurdles we face in our life then pale in comparison.

Going through the fasting process also gives us a bit of insight into the lives of those around the world who are less fortunate than we may be. As a result, our relationship to food can change drastically as we become much more appreciative for the food we do have access to. This is why it can be extremely beneficial to practice this routinely as many religions around the world already do.

Fasting can change your perspective in life.

View some of the health benefits here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fasting-benefits

Self-discipline is nothing more than consistency.

If we are able to show up even when we don’t feel like it, we exert more control over our conscience. Each time we do so successfully adds up and positively impacts our future prospects.

In saying this, we must also avoid being too harsh on ourselves – A bad day doesn’t have to become a bad week. A bad week doesn’t have to become a bad year.

Show up, show out.

It is only when a significant shift occurs that we consciously notice the residual impact of certain influences in our lives. Our modern lives are filled with such influences. They pull us towards them by eating into both our time and energy, which are undoubtedly the most valuable resources we posses.

Hence, whenever we reach an epiphany regarding a certain distraction, we must take action. Change can only occur when we recognise an issue and begin to take measures to resolve said problem. Having such an attitude to continuously resolve issues and grow is important in aiming to live a fulfilling life.

Nonetheless, many of the distractions we face are so deeply ingrained that they impact our biology. Therefore, it may be too much to cut them out completely. Instead we should aim to contain them to an extent that’s within our grasp and objectively reflect on the viability of our barriers over time.

We must be ruthless but flexible in the modern fight against distraction.

The debate of Quality vs Quantity has stretched throughout human history. In the past I have always erred to the side of quality, believing that we must work hard to ensure quality in everything that we do in life. More recently, my views have swung towards the side of quantity as I have been exposed to more and more successful people and their stories.

Quantity is the key to perfecting a craft. In terms of learning a skill and producing results, the more practice and feedback we have, the more we improve. It is no accident that men like Picasso, Beethoven, Tesla and Shakespeare achieved such heights in life. Collectively they produced an output of 50,000 paintings, 722 songs, 196 patents and 37 plays.

Quality is unattainable without sufficient quantity.

To be relentless is to never settle. It means scrutinising over every detail and repeating the work over and over again incessantly.

If you want to be relentless you have to be willing to take chances. We can’t gain anything without sacrifice and must get comfortable being uncomfortable.

A relentless human being also will never celebrate their achievements. Instead, they look forward to their next goal and start working.

Done, next.

The simple act of being curious can be immensely rewarding.

Curiosity is a part of human nature; just look at kids, they grow up being curious about anything and everything. That is how they learn. The day we stop being curious is the day our brains stop growing. In order to make the most of our lives we must continue to cater to our personal sense of curiosity and delve into areas that we find intriguing.

Curiosity gave cat nine lives. – Me

In a world where nothing is certain, we mustn’t place all our eggs in one basket. If we do, one wrong turn may send everything crashing down. Hence, the focus of financial freedom must be on producing and securing multiple cash flows. Only then are we able to create a safety net that protects us when one or two of these income streams fall apart.

The current societal consensus is to work a full time job and save as much as possible in a high interest saving account, or at most invest in a safe ETF that returns 7-8% per annum. This means putting your entire financial security into one to two income streams; which could at any point become zero to one income stream and leave you without a safety net.

Place your focus on building cash flows, not saving cash.