Mental Wellbeing
Your fears are the beacons that light the path to freedom - Peter Crone
The society we grow up in shapes how we think. Our early experiences mould how we feel. The people around us hand us a rulebook for how life should be lived. Most of our thoughts and opinions aren’t really our own — they’re planted in us over time by guardians, gurus, peers, and the media. As children, we have little say in how this programming takes shape. By adulthood, the resulting drives, values, and emotional patterns have become what we call our personality.
What dictates our habits and emotional reactions? Which moral code do we lean on? Do we project our own subjectivity onto the words and actions of others? When does fear drive what we think and do? Are we prisoners of preprogrammed behaviour and repetitive thought?
We don’t often ask these questions.
Then, at some point, a spanner gets thrown in the works and we’re forced to. These catalytic moments usually arrive through hardship: the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, sudden illness, the loss of something we deeply craved. Occasionally it’s quieter — even envy can do it.
Tough moments carry the energy to inspire resilience, drive change, and foster growth. They push us to rise and become better versions of ourselves. They teach us to notice the voice in our head — and to recognise that the hardest battles we’ll ever fight are the ones we wage with our preconditioned selves.
Healing our emotional wounds, correcting old habits, and questioning our limiting beliefs lets us live with intent. It helps us meet ourselves with respect and compassion. It lets us share love with others, without condition.
Below are some of the books that helped me along the way. The right book, at the right moment, can change how you see yourself.
- Authentic Happiness - Martin Seligman
- Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It - Kamal Ravikant
- Waking the Tiger - Peter Levine
- Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behaviour - Thomas Erikson
- When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress - Gabor Maté
- Don’t Believe Everything You Think - Joseph Nguyen
- Think Again - Adam Grant
The short version is this.
- Be kind — to yourself and to others.
- It may sound corny, but love is the answer. Love unconditionally.
- Be grateful for the cards you’ve been dealt. No one’s hand is all good. No one’s is all bad.
- Bless those who treat you with indifference. They help you grow.
- Comparison steals your joy. Stay focused on your own path.
- Let go. Build goals from inspiration, not desperation. Choose thought over thinking.
- Unlearn. Release views that no longer serve you. Knowing what you don’t know is wisdom.