The Radical Art of Shedding Your Old Self and Unleashing Your True Potential

In this article, I will talk about why we as human beings fail to become the person we want to become, over and over again.

We try so hard to add things to our lives to 'improve ourselves'. More information, more habits, more meditation minutes, more routines, more money, more scheduling, more time blocks, more exercise, more diet rules, more fasting, more time in the gym, more time on the treadmill, more time practicing, more hours 'hustling'. With all these things we add, how much really makes a difference? How much really changes you?

So much of the advice we are given is completely made up by the human mind. We take an infinite number of moments, decisions, actions, thoughts, that lead to a great success, and dumb them down to bumper sticker oversimplifications such as 'Work Hard' & 'Meditate for 20 Minutes a Day'. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and that's the problem with half truths.

The Truth works every single time, like the Law of Gravity.

Nature is what one should study in order to know how things work. Think about it: There are no mistakes in nature. No anxiety, no force. Only flow, and effortlessness.

So I ask you, if it doesn't exist in nature, does it really exist at all? If it doesn't exist in nature, is it not just an intellectual concept made up by the mind?

Perhaps we can explore that another time, for now, let's look at how we can learn from nature, in order to change ourselves.

We need not look any further than the simple tree, for a better understanding of how nature makes change effortlessly.

What does a tree do, to become anew?

It sheds its leaves, so it may start over.

Perhaps it's time we shed our leaves, instead of trying to grow new ones.

Shed the leaves that are no longer serving you, and that are preventing you from being the best version of yourself right now.

You know the ones - The alcohol. The sugar. The social media consumption. The Netflix binge. The reading and meditating for the sake of telling people how much you've read and meditated. The conditioning and beliefs society has put on you for your entire life, telling you who you are and what you can achieve. The goals that aren't really your goals, but ones you feel you ought to chase.

• Perhaps it's time we shed our leaves, instead of trying to grow new ones.*

In order to become a new person, we must first shed who we currently are, by eliminating everything that does not serve us. And the more you shed, the more you realise there is to shed.

I will tell you something no one else has ever told you: everything you know about yourself has been given to you by your environment for your entire life. Almost nothing about who you currently are was by your genuine choice.

Think about it. Your name was given to you. You were born in a certain city, in a certain socioeconomic class. You were told what you were good at and what you weren't. You were told who you should be and who you should become. You were told to go to university, and what to study. You were told what career path to go down. You were told what sport to play. You were told what to do and who to be. You were told what was possible for you, and 'people like you'.

So here is the way out, to Understand this: the word 'Person', is derived from the Latin word 'Persona', which means mask or character, originally used in Roman times for actors on stage. In other words, your persona, your personality, the person you believe yourself to be, is simply the character you play.

• Your persona, your personality, the person you believe yourself to be, is simply the character you play.*

Perhaps Jim Carrey was right, that the anxiety and depression you feel is simply your true nature's way of saying 'I don't like this character we're playing'. Perhaps it's time to shed the character you're currently playing, and start choosing a new one.

Now, don't jump ahead of yourself. I know where your mind is going - 'this is like what I'm already doing; choosing new habits and characteristics for the person I want to be and forcing myself to become that person'. You have skipped the most important step.

This is why so little of the advice and information out there works, because you are trying to simply jam more things into an already packed suitcase. You are trying to become someone new, whilst still being attached to who you have been. You are trying to grow new leaves on already full tree!

• You are trying to become someone new, whilst still being attached to who you have been. You are trying to grow new leaves on already full tree!*

Elimination is the first step. It must be. To eliminate all the conditioning, all the things that do not serve you, all the goals you do not truly want, all the beliefs about who you believe yourself to be, and all the things preventing you from being the best version of yourself.

This journey is the opposite of everything else in society. This road is one of exploration and understanding, rather than information and action.

Almost no one will do this. Almost everyone will ignore these words. Almost everyone will continue about their daily lives, looking for that one trick, that one habit, that one piece of information that will finally fix everything. And almost everyone will remain on this endless cycle for the rest of their lives.

For the rare few who recognize the truth in these words. For the rare few who begin the journey of seeking understanding, and shedding the leaves that hold them back, everything you have ever truly wanted awaits.