Self-Imposed Misery

Kapil Gupta returns to explore why most of us get stuck, why desperation is the beginning of recovery, and why attachment is the seed of all human misery and strife.

Self-Imposed Misery And What To Do About It

One of the traits that I most admire about my friend, Kapil Gupta is his unwavering commitment to the Truth.  And despite the majority of us thinking that we seek Truth in our own lives – spending five minutes exploring the topic with him will convince you, as it continues to demonstrate for me, that far too many of us have barely even scratched the surface.

During this most recent conversation with him, one of the great Truths that most resonated with me is the notion that ‘man is not comfortable unless he invents struggles.’  At first glance, it seems a bit counterintuitive – because how else are we supposed to get ahead?  Still, as I start to peel back some of my biases, I am beginning to see the conditioning that has been getting in my way for all those years.  Life will certainly have its zigs and zags, but ‘the struggle’ aspect of it is indeed a mental construct that each of us simply allow to restrict our lives.

This segment is deep, so bring an open mind, but let the evidence speak for itself.  Here’s a glimpse of the insights you’ll gain:

1. The concept of ‘who I am’ is much more about subtraction than it is about addition.
2. A human being is a constant prisoner to her mind – and unless she’s desperate to escape it, she’ll always be ruled by it.
3. Remember that the individual listening or speaking to you is not the person himself, it’s his minds that’s doing the talking and listening.
4. The reason that prescriptions ‘the how’ get in the way of progress is because it serves only its own end – and no one can prescribe their way to success, enlightenment, etc
5. Ultimate failure is only for those who are not desperate enough …
6. A constant revisiting of the source of one’s problems eventually creates an understanding within a person which begins to free him from the problems he’s captive to.
7. If you find yourself needing the approval of others – you’ll likely not whole.
8. Most of us get stuck because we believe the mind to be ourselves.
9. Elite performers in any profession tend to be contrarians, and alone – they’re part of the fringe element who almost always seek opposites.
10. The fundamental seed of human misery and human strife is Attachment.
11. A Few Resources:
    • Visit Kapil Gupta dot com
    • Buy Kapil Gupta’s books
    • Follow @KapilGuptaMD