Here I will share with you what this book is about and how some of my experiences relate to this book. I would recommend this book to anyone but you do not have to use psychedelics to understand or relate to this book as the author says "Certainly, there are many ways to look at the world with new eyes without using mind-altering substances (through meditation, yoga, being out in nature, journaling, breath-work, or anything else that does it for you). All you need to do is find what that is and use it to your advantage" (pg 125)
The summary of the book is as follows, "This book is Doug's story, a psychedelic journey into meditation, silent retreats, astrophysics, neuroscience, philosophy, and all forms of self-healing. It's how he found the purpose of life, realized his mistakes, and built a new reality. Doug's story is how he shifted his perspective on life and it's how you can learn to shift yours. Doug shows you how to live with intention, trust yourself, and show up every day for a meaningful life. You'll learn mind-blowing facts and important clues to understand your existence and unique contributions. Self-love can be your superpower. No matter who you are or where you've been, this book gives you permission__ and motivation__ to do the work and throw out the garbage holding you back so you, too, can maximize your human experience."
There is so much magic and wonder that happens in the life we currently live that we take for granted. "You can literally put a seed in the soil here, it eats sunlight for energy and then water falls from the sky to give it fuel, and it somehow knows how to grow into a strawberry field that gives us the nutrients to sustain life" (pg 23). How spectacular is that! We know about photosynthesis which is how the plant transforms sunlight into energy, but how did a plant learn to do that? As humans we learn to do some things but our cells and body do it automatically. We take the very wonder of living for granted. Think about every system that occurs in our body (digestive, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, etc...) it is amazing!
A lot of people have stories of how life has been unfair to them, personally I have countless stories of how people mistreated me throughout my life which led me to have a low self-esteem, however "To truly level-up in life, we have to work on unpacking and dismantling our stories. We need to see them as the warped view of reality they always were. And we need to start seeing ourselves for who we truly are. " (pg32) I read a quote from somewhere that said "depression is the feeling of when we want a part of us to die" This is so true, we do not like one specific part of us but we let that feeling take over our whole body. Once we sit back and break through our stories we can see reality. I have been doing this and taking action for one year of my life. I started by ending a 7yr relationship with my highschool sweetheart, I them removed all the toxic "friends" in my life. Which left me with about 1 friend and so much time on my hands. It was very lonely at first but I began pursuing things I was interested in (this caused me to step outside my comfort zone). Most things I did alone and learned how to live and be happy on my own. I still have work to do and things to learn but it was the best decision I have made.
Most of us are not true to ourselves when we hang out with certain people, I have vivid memories of wanting to do something but being afraid of how people think of me and this quote is wonderful if you are someone like me who is not always true to themselves "We basically exist an infinite number of times in people's minds, and it's impossible to satisfy everyone's expectation of who they think we're "supposed" to be. It's time we stop outsourcing our happiness and trying to be someone other than our true selves" (pg70).
Doug says there are 3 clues as to the "secret" of all the leveled-up and inspired people. These are found on pg75-77.
I was rereading my notes (yes I take notes and highlight when reading books) I came across this quote "Surrendering to the Universe's plans for us always turns out better than what we could have imagined on our own" (pg113). I was listening to a sermon by my pastor this past week and it was about entrusting yourself to the Lord."Proverbs 3,5, and 6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding and he will make your path straight."(Pastor David Schlaupitz https://www.facebook.com/GladTidingsRI/videos/738975264194199) He continues to say that those who trust in the lord will receive blessings past your understanding. Doug says that the Universe can be any higher power that you believe in, my Universe is God.
One of my favorite quotes in this book is from Steve Jobs is "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." This can be true for anyone and is true in present day. At the time we do not know the outcome or what will happen to us in the future but when we look back the dots all connect. Going back to my reference earlier of leaving my at the time girlfriend after 7 years. I did not know if I made the right decision, my mental health did not change for months even with receiving therapy. But then about 6 months after I left I understood everything I had gone through I understood what people and my inner voice had been saying for years. Today I am still single, my friend group limited still on one handful of people, but I am happier than I have been in years, I am able to explore on my own and not rely on anyone. I do what makes me happy regardless of what other people think (most of the time).
There are so many good quotes from this book that relate to life but I will end with this simple one "The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek" (pg 192).
If you would like to purchase the book after reading my review and experience with this book you can click the following link to bring you to amazon to buy the book.
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