How to feel more alive as a man (and truly live)

Want to be alive?

Filter what you think & feel through this lens: what would I say to my child if he or she was thinking & feeling this way?

Our egos are like our best friends that try to protect us from all the bad things in this world. But while it has good intentions, it doesn’t lead to freedom.

Only what appears as survival.

When we are in hard times we say stuff like this to ourselves:

“You don’t have it as bad as ____”

“Stop being such a wimp”

“I’m such a _____”

“I probably shouldn’t feel this way.”

This is all yucky stuff that keeps us trapped. It’s self-sabotage. We would never say these things to our children. Our egos have over-conditioned us to react instead of accepting the gift of grace so we can respond.

This is why we are encouraged to be like children.

Children aren’t overtaken by the ego. Children hold the secrets to life. They are open, accepting, honest, excited, and present.

One could argue that the purpose of adulthood is to observe our conditioning so we can return to being like a child.

So we can wander, play, be seen, cry, laugh, stumble, try new things, be trusted, —

To be like a child is to truly live.