#CLRJ - CLR GRATITUDE JOURNAL on 18-07-2026 (CLRJCLRGJ18072026)

CHRISTOPHER LIAM ROSE JOURNAL (CLRJ)

E81 - #CLRJ - CLR GRATITUDE JOURNAL on 18-07-2026 (CLRJCLRGJ18072026)

CHRISTOPHER LIAM ROSE TALKS ABOUT #CLRJ - CLR GRATITUDE JOURNAL on 18-07-2026 (CLRJCLRGJ18072026)

#ChristopherLiamRoseJournal #CLRJ #Journal #ChristopherLiamRose #Christianity #Buddhism #Faith #Spirituality #Fate #Religion #SpiritualChange #SpiritualEnlightenment #TheNoSelf #Selflessness #KnowThyelf #Jehovah #JesusChrist #Buddha #Podcast #Spiritual #Eternal #Timeless #Sacred #StoryTelling #SpiritualLifeLessons 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello everyone, my name is Christopher Liam Rose. I'm an author, mentor, life coach, motivational speaker, evangelist, musician, and activist. Today I'm going to be sharing my gratitude journal for the 18th of the 7th, 2026. And I've been sharing my gratitude journal every day just to share my thoughts, my feelings, my emotions, and also how my day's been today. So um today has been quite a busy day. Um I I had to wake up very early today, around I think I woke up around 5 o'clock, which I normally do on a Saturday because normally I have um two bank shifts for Peabody that I need to do. So normally my two shifts that I need to do for Peabody, I normally work um 9 o'clock to 1.30 at 199 Mount Present Lane, and then normally I have to go to another Peabody service in the afternoon between 2 o'clock and 5 o'clock. But I think today I stayed a little bit over till 5 30 because I was quite busy at work today, so um obviously every Saturday I work in the Peabody um company doing bank shifts for Peabody. Um as I already said on my podcast and audios, I already do have my main job as a Pittsport coordinator for the NHS that I do Monday to Friday. So this is like my second career job that I do on the weekends. The only day I actually get off to not work is a Sunday, so from Monday to Saturday I'm normally working. If I'm not as a Pittsport coordinator working, then I'm working as a bank support worker, so I'm always you know working and um trying to, you know, help other people in the community is quite important actually. Um today has been busy though, it has been quite a busy day today. Um, you know, there's been a lot that's happened today. Um just trying to normally with my focus in the work that I do, especially today, I try and focus on like what's best for the customers or the clients and focus on how can I best support them in what they're going through. Because um, you know, a lot of clients and customers have a lot of issues that they're experiencing, and that can affect their mental health and their well-being. So it's very important when you work in any job or career and helping other people, you think about the clients first. Think how can I best support them, how can I best support the customers, how can I best support the team, and um if you have that mindset of just putting the customers first in everything that you do in your work, especially if you do the work or the vocation of helping other people, giving back and making a difference, then um you know you'll you'll have their interest at heart, and that'll be the most important thing because you know, um, especially when it comes to mental health, there's a lot of issues and problems with clients that have mental health, so you have to be mindful, you have to be persistent, you have to be passionate, you have to be kind and empathetic, and show loving kindness towards those customers and clients and service users and patients who are going through difficult times and you know that they're obviously struggling with their mental health, so it's quite important. Um today I think yeah, today as I was going to work, I I normally do this most of the time when I'm either commuting or I'm traveling, I'll just have my mobile phone and um basically I make music, so I make music on my mobile phone, so normally like wherever normally I'm normally I'm on a bus or train or I'm I'm always somewhere where I'm creating music, so um I've always been like a spiritual musician for a very long time now, and um you know music's a passion of mine, it's something that I do every single day. Um I always get inspired by the music I I create, and I always get inspired by creating music and listening to music. So music's always been one of my passions, something that I I I really love doing and enjoy doing. And today I've been working on a brand new album, so I'm always working on new music. I sometimes I get these insights that lead me into making a whole new album. I think yesterday or or the day before, I think it was, I made an album called The Spiritual Empire, Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, and I got that inspiration insight from a quote that I can't remember where I learned the quote, I just felt this quote about Rome wasn't built in a day, and then with the album that I created, it's sort of like an understanding of if you want to do something important in life, you know, whatever that is, you have to build the the bricks onto the foundation before it builds up into a great spiritual empire or wall or foundation. So that sort of quote, it's like a spiritual quote, and it's like I made a whole album about that, which is not like me. I'm I'm not with my music, I'm very specific about what I make, but that was just like an inspiration that I thought I need to make an album about it, and um I I it was either yesterday or the day before I released it online on DistroKid um and Internet Archive and that music streaming site, so um that was just an idea that I had in my mind and just created it into reality. It's quite amazing actually. Um I normally start when I make albums as well, I normally start off with the name of the album first. So the album that was creating today is called Appreciation Free. Um it's literally only the other day or other day or two, I created a Appreciation 2 album, and I'm doing the third series to the album, Appreciation Free. Um and today I actually made how many beats did I make today or instrumentals that I make today? Um as I was like I said, I'm always doing it as I'm travelling on the bus or the train or the tree, always just making music because it's my love. Um I think I made how many beats did I make today? I think it was six today altogether, and this is all in the morning, so I think it was between like six o'clock and eight o'clock. Um I have a flow of how I make beats and instrumentals, so there's a certain way I do it, and I always stick to that way of doing it, and that workflow helps me to produce the beats quite amazingly actually. Um so I'm working on the third series of the appreciation album. Um I never thought to be honest I would make an appreciation two album because when I made the appreciation one, it was when I was basically coming out of like homelessness and mental health crisis, and I thought I appreciate what the Lord's done for me and I appreciate what Jehovah Jesus Christ and Buddha has done in my life, and then that's that's what gave me the insight to make an album called Appreciation. And then when I made the second part to that series of the appreciation album, the part two to it, I thought, my goodness, like I would have I would have never thought I would make a part two to that this the actual sequel of the album because um my music's very spiritual, and if I do get the opportunity to make sequels or third um series of the albums, it means that you know Jehovah Jesus Christ and Buddha's blessing me to do that. So, like even today, like I was very focused like making these beats. So I'm just gonna share the names of the beats that I was making. So um track six is called Jehovah Jesus Christ Buddha Consciousness. Track five was called the spiritual appreciation of the now. Track four was called the the spiritual appreciation of humanity, animals, and the universe. Track three was the spiritual light of God, track two was the spiritual appreciation of God's love, track one was the spiritual appreciation of the spiritual light. So, as you can see in the appreciation free album, it all has hidden meanings to it, so it's like hidden values and hidden meanings, and I I I don't make music unless it's spiritual, it has to be spiritual for me to make it. Um just something I learned on my journey as a musician, especially becoming a spiritual musician. And if I don't make spiritual music, then I wouldn't create it, like it has to have that spiritual essence to it, and it has to have a spiritual side to the music, and um you know, making six beats in one day is a lot. I could have to be honest, I could have actually finished the album today if I wanted to, but I thought, you know, after I did the six beats, I actually remembered I was thinking I was on the bus or I was just going to work, and then I sat there and I said, No, six is just enough for today. Don't just rush the process just because you know you can do it. And I thought, okay, let me take my time. Um I think I've done six beats and instrumentals in one day, which is a lot for me to do in one day. It takes time to make music, and I thought, let me just wait, be patient, and then I'll I'll I'll keep on working on it as the days go on and I'll I'll eventually get there. Um so that's a very important thing for me to work on the it's a very it's very spiritual to work on the third series of appreciation. Um it's like my goodness, it's like I never thought and I and I don't even I don't even think I'll do a part two to it. So to get the opportunity to do a part three, um it's just like I can't describe it in words, it's really amazing actually. Um and Jehovah Jesus Christ and Buddha's blessing me to do that, so it's just amazing to have like the opportunity it's just for me, it's really the opportunity to make a part three. It's it's amazing, it's it's amazing, it's it's it's it's really amazing. Um very grateful and um for me I just know I can do it, which is always an important quality, you know. Um so um trying to think what else what else have I done today? Um um yeah, I did some e-learning um as I was in the office today. Normally I don't do e-learning when I'm working. I normally have to focus on the work before the e-learning, but I think I got a I think a text message within the week saying I have to do e-learning because I I need to catch up on the e-learning, so I think I did one called sexual harassment at work, um, which was part of the e-learning and I scored I passed it with 100% because um the questions were quite um detailed, but I was able to answer them. And then I worked, I think there was another one I did, um where is it now? I did um oh yeah, health and safety, yeah, health and safety. So I did sexual harassment and then health and safety, and um those were the two e-learnings that I did today at work. I have to you have to do like sometimes in any job you do or career you do, e-learning is part of the process because the managers want you to do your e-learning to of obviously help the team and you know complete your training basically. So sometimes you have to go out your way to do a bit of e-learning, which is fine. Um, there's no problem in that, so long as you have the time to do it, and just make a bit of effort to get it done and complete it. So those are the e-learns that I did today, and um I'm still very happy about the appreciation free album. I don't know why, it's making me smile at the moment because I don't know why it's just it's just making me smile at the moment. I I never thought I would ever do a part three to the album. It's making you smile, it's making me smile. I don't I don't know why it's making me smile, I just I just feel happy about it. Um it's good, it's it's a good feeling. Um yeah I I would have thought I would I would do a part three, it's quite amazing actually. Um and um oh yeah, I booked my fifth therapy session with my can well sort of cancelled therapist, Caroline, and that's gonna be oh, did I put the date on it? I think it's I did I'm not put the date. Oh just check my phone of when it is. I think it's the I think it was the 23rd if I'm not mistaken that I booked it for. Just need to check my phone. Yeah, the 23rd. So I've booked it for the 23rd of July, 7:45 to normally 8.45. Um I try and do therapies in the evenings because I work in the day, so uh normally um either 9 to 5 in the daytime. Um I try to do it in the evenings because it's better for me. Um, even as I'm normally at home or um, you know, I'm in the community, so I just find the time to do it in the evenings. So uh um obviously the reason why I got back into therapy is because I had like family issues and things that I need to sort out. So part of my therapy for my self-development and my spiritual development is just to learn and understand and just learn new things and talk about things, you know. So um, especially when you're doing the work in the way I'm doing the work, like especially in like you know, piss support coordinator role and bank support worker, um, I've always said when you have like mental health condition or you've suffered with any type of mental health within your life, um, especially while you're working and unemployed, you need to find someone that you can speak to, especially when you're doing this type of work, because if you're um sort of dealing with like clients that have severe mental health conditions and severe illnesses, and they're very depressed, unhappy, sad, miserable, down, low, having low moods, anxiety, stress, pressure, um negative thoughts, ruminating thoughts, overthinking. Um, some of some of the clients could even be suicidal or um they can be um very vulnerable at the time, so a lot of that can affect your mental health, right? If you're working in this field in this vocation, so it's important that you seek help for yourself, and normally they say um you can't help others unless you help yourself, and I think that's a important quote actually. You can't help others unless you help yourself. So part of helping others is helping yourself, and it could be therapy, it could be just talking to somebody like a family and friend, it could be your your partner, your spouse, your children, or whoever whoever's important within your life. But um definitely if you're doing this type of work and on this vocation, you want to find someone that you can talk to about, you know, life, um, mental health, any difficulties you may be facing within your life, any challenges or disappointments, or you know, suffering periods you're going through, and just talk about it and find someone that you can build that relationship with and trust in that either therapeutic relationship or just friendship or family or you know, whoever's important to you within your life, so that's quite important to have, and um I think more people need to find someone that they can talk to, especially when it comes to mental health, either conditions or things that they're experiencing in life, quite important. Um yeah, I I've got a lot of appreciation today because today's been a it's been a very busy day, even though it's late now. Um but I always appreciate my relationship with Jehovah, Jesus Christ and Buddha, because that's that's that's like for me that's my foundation in life, you know, my relationship with Jehovah, Jesus Christ and Buddha. So that that's always the most important thing for me. Like as long as my you know, whatever I do in my life, so long as my foundation is solid, you know, I've got Jehovah, Jesus Christ and Buddha that's supporting me throughout the work I do and opportunities I'm able to receive. Um that's my foundation, and something that I learned not just within my life but in general. Um I learned that God blesses those people that honor him, you know, and if you do honor God in whatever way you can, it could be through your I don't know, your work, um, your family, your children, your relationships, your friendships, your you know, your volunteering, your business, however you wanna find your own relationship with Jehovah Jesus Christ and Buddha. It's important that you honor Him, you know, do things that honor God, like it has to be things that it's important for you to want to honor God and that aspect of things. So I think every person has to find it in their own way, whatever that is for them. Um for me, it's basically three things that I I focus on in my life, and these three things make up my life experiences. So it's I used to just say helping other people, but I think it's changed a bit recently. So it's called spiritually helping other people, the spiritual music, faith, spirituality, fate, and religion. If I focus on those three areas within the work I do and opportunities that I receive, then I know that Jehovah Jesus Christ and Buddha will bless me with more. And when I say bless me with more, it's not that I'm looking for a blessing or I'm looking for an appreciation or I'm looking for an encouragement. It's more that I'm just building my relationship with the Lord in my way, and when I get these opportunities and these insights and these ways to not just spiritually help other people, do spiritual music or have faith, spirituality, faith, and religion, but the opportunities they come, they come to me, like and I don't I don't seek out for the opportunities. Normally, what I have to do to find these opportunities, I have to create opportunities. So like I said earlier, sometimes I'll be on the bus or I'll be on the train or I'll be I'll be somewhere in the community. I'm normally I I'm never home really unless I have to come home to go to sleep. Most of the time, I spend most of my time in the community, so I'm not normally a home person or just staying at home and um I don't watch TV, that's not what I do. I don't really socialise with other people in that aspect of things. It's not not saying there's nothing wrong with socializing and like watching TV, it's just something I don't do. I I don't I don't do that. I try to focus on those three areas so spiritually helping other people, the spiritual music, faith, spirituality, fate, and religion. Normally if I focus on those three areas, I make more of a difference in a contribution, which is part of my life, I think, you know. To make a difference and a contribution in some part of my life, and it's very important I do that, and I need to try and always work towards that that difference and contribution is so important for me. Um so I wrote some I think I wrote some spiritual life lessons and also I did meditation today as well, actually. Also, I forgot to mention that. So um because today's been so busy, I haven't had much time to myself at all. It's just it's just been on going, come home from work, had to sort out things at home, um, like my music, for example, and then had to do some ironing 'cause I normally have to iron my clothes on a Friday and Saturday for my next week with my opportunities. And then I've just been I just I've just been busy since I come back from home. I haven't really had time to like do things for myself today. I've just been busy like doing things, sorting out things. But then I said to myself, like once I've sorted out my music today, which I did, I said I want to give myself just ten minutes to do some meditation, just some mindful meditation with meditation music, alone in my flat, and I don't want to be disturbed, I just want to meditate. So normally when I do meditation these days, I wasn't doing this before. Um I'll normally um like journal my insights because normally in meditation I get insights, so some people just meditate for the sake of meditating, and I have nothing against that if whatever suits you and whatever you decide to do, which is best for you. Some do like breathing meditations, some do mantra meditations, some do affirmation meditations, the same positive things where they're meditating in the mind and the subconscious without verbalizing it. So there's so many different types of meditation, but for me, there's no I don't need to do mantras, I don't need to do breathing exercises, I don't need to say positive affirmations. For me, it's just trying to find that spiritual silence within the meditation. And um normally when I meditate, I connect to a spiritual realm. I don't know where it is because I'm still new to meditation and I'm not expert, I'm not a yogi or guru or a teacher of meditation. I just do it when I have the opportunity to when I'm alone, and most of the time because I'm not in a relationship with any partner or children, I think. I'm I'm more I'm normally alone, so I have the opportunity to just meditate. Um when I meditate I have insights from the meditation, so I always learn I always there's always something I will pick up from the meditation. Um sometimes it's just simple things, sometimes it's like ideas that come into my mind, and then I would think about it, think about the idea or the insight I had from meditation, and I think you know, how can I implement this? How can I make it a part of my life? You know, what can I do? You know, that's that's a very it's it's subtle, you know. It's not like um obviously when I meditate, I'm not trying to reach enlightenment or anything like that. It's that's not how I meditate. I just meditate to calm the mind. Because sometimes you could like it goes back to what I said earlier about with mental health, because I've got mental health, I've got schizophrenia, psychosis, and depression. If I have days where I feel stressed or when my mind's overthinking and worrying about things, then meditation brings me back to the present moment of the stillness and and the spiritual silence. So sometimes when I meditate, I don't necessarily say anything. My thoughts might be racing, of course, and then I've always learnt this in meditation. I don't know I it normally happens in meditation most of the time. Just be silent and then just meditate, and then instead of you don't need to say anything, you don't need to do affirmations, you don't need to do breathing exercises, you don't need to look at a picture. It's just like being with yourself, sitting quietly, um focusing on the meditation. So, how is your mind going when you're meditating? You know, what thoughts are coming to your mind when you're meditating, what are you thinking about, um, what are the insights you're gaining from the meditation? How is it helping you or affecting you in that sort of way? How is it improving your concentration and your focus? So, for me, meditation is quite simple. You don't need to articulate it, you don't need to um like verbalize words in your mind to try to meditate, just meditate, just be quiet, be silent, and let the mind explore the meditation. So you don't need to like sort of like um like say things in your mind like mantras like you don't you don't you don't need to do that in meditation, it's more for me in my in my meditations anyway with how I how I view it it's finding that spiritual silence in all the meditations and it's and you when you get to that point it's like your mind transcends, it transcends the thoughts and the feelings and emotions. So say for example if you're having like worry and anxiety, and I it today I was having a bit of stress after work, and I was a bit don't know why I was a bit anxious after work. I meditated, and then like these worries, these thoughts, these concerns that I was having, it just faded, and then when it faded, I felt this spiritual silence, and the spiritual silence gave me those insights like I want to share now, and I always have insights when I do meditation, it's quite amazing actually, and I I really love meditating, so here's some of the insights that I learned from meditation this evening. So I only did it in the evening. Oh, it's a bit it's getting so late now, but I only did it in the evening, yeah. Did it around 9 48 to 9 58, 10 minutes? I normally do it for 10 minutes. Here are some of the insights that I learned from the meditation today. Spiritual silence is sacred, so it's sacred to have spiritual silence. When you die and pass away, all you have is the no mind. This is something I learned from meditation actually. The no mind means there's no more thoughts, feelings, and emotions, so you're free from that. And the reason why I wrote that in my journal today, when you die and pass away, all you have is the known mind, because in life you don't you don't take your possessions with you, you don't take your um finances with you, you don't take your um money with you, or or your possessions or your belongings. So you only you only have the known mind, which is important. Spiritual silence connects you to the deathless realms. I don't it's this is a strange one actually, it's very strange actually. I I'm learning I'm learning it through meditation, and it's not the first time I've written something like this in my journal. Um there's a realm in meditation that you only you can only discover it in meditation. I don't think you can discover it in other things you do in life, right? Where it's just silent, there's no it's like there's no the only way I can describe it, there's no name, there's no title, there's no um belongings or possessions, there's no attachments or chasing or clinging to something, it's just silence, and when when you connect to this silence, it transcends everything else, and it I normally experience it when I meditate most of the time. I can't I can't experience it in day to day like because I'm always in the community, right? So normally when I experience this spiritual realm of deathless realm, it's normally when it's I just meditate and it's just silent, like I there's no you don't have to say you're somebody within this silence, or there's no label to it, it's just silence, and silence is is a sacred thing, it's very sacred, you know. Um the known mind is the spiritual truth. I do think the known mind is the spiritual truth. I think it's very important to discover the known mind. Do not worry about the past, it's it's gone. Focus on what you can do today and move forward. Yeah, um, yes, that's a tricky one actually for a lot of people. Don't focus on the past or worry about the past, it's already gone. Focus on what you can do today to move forward, so you have to move forward, you know. Life is precious, make every day count. Life is precious, make everyday count. We've got to make count the days that we have of living. So important. You are not remembered through spiritual actions, but you are remembered through the no mind, spiritual change and spiritual enlightenment. This is one that I learned through the meditation today because I do believe you're not you're not remembered by your spiritual actions. And this is becomes complicated, right? Because people say, but my spiritual actions is to do this and to do that, and I'm saying, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not rem you're not remembered from your spiritual actions. You're only remembered from the known mind, spiritual change and spiritual enlightenment. So it's a it's a tricky one, though, it's very tricky. I think I I only discovered this through meditation today. You're not remembered for your spiritual actions, you're only remembered from the no mind, spiritual change, and spiritual enlightenment. Very important. Spiritually helping other people, the spiritual music, faith, spirituality, faith, and religion is your spiritual legacy. That's that's what I'm trying to create at the moment of in my life, and it's this it's those three areas. Um spiritually helping other people, the spiritual music, faith, spirituality, faith, and religion. When I focus on these three areas, I make more of a difference, and that's that's all I focus on. You know, I'm I I don't need um possessions, I don't need holidays, I don't need belongings, I don't need a car, I don't need a house, I don't need a motorbike, I don't need clothes, I don't need income, I don't need food and drinks, I don't need love and relationships, I don't need children, I don't need possessions, I don't need holidays or any of those things to do what I do. I just focus on the three areas that's important to me, and that's that's all I'm focusing on. That'll be my spiritual legacy. Life is now, live now. Um this one's been coming to me quite a lot in my meditations, and if life is now, live now, and this becomes tricky because you say you've got a past, isn't it? This has happened to you, this is what you've gone through. It goes back to what I said earlier, you can't the past is already gone, so that why why worry about it? Why why why worry about it if it's already gone? Why worry about it? It's already gone, why worry about it? Live now is important. Moving forward is God's purpose for you. That's the reason why you're here know their self. I always used to think when um especially when it comes to moving forward, I have to like do something to move forward. And then God humbles me a lot of times and says, Chris, you don't have to do something to move forward, you're already moving forward by just knowing their self. Spend more time in knowing their self than your move forward in the way you want to move forward. So sometimes it's like you don't have to um how can I word it? Always be doing because when you're always doing, it's like another attachment, another goal, another achievement, another accomplishment. You're trying to reach somewhere, you're trying to get somewhere, you have an aim, you have a target, this is what your life is about. You're you're searching, you're grinding, you're hustling, you're moving in that sort of way, you're ambitious, you're materialistic, and you're living that sort of lifestyle. But it's like I said, I think I said this in a few podcasts and audios already. It's like when you go to the gym, right? It's like you're running on a treadmill, constantly running, or walking on the treadmill. Uh, this isn't a judgmental thing, it's just something I've noticed. It's like you're running on a treadmill, walking on a treadmill, you're running, running, running fast, fast, fast. You're walking, walking, walking fast, fast, fast. And then suddenly, once you stop the treadmill and stop the walking and the running, you realize you haven't gone anywhere, you're still in the same place. And that's how I I know this might sound a bit rude as that example, but that's how some people's lives are. You're just on a treadmill, you're either walking and you're running, you're running, running, running, running, running, walking, walking, walking, walking, walking. You're constantly at it, like you're constantly doing, you're never being, you're never content, you're never happy, you're never joyful, you're never appreciating the present moment, you're never living now. And then you're running, running, running, running, walking, walking, walking, walking, running, running, running, running, walking, walking, walking, walking, and then you realize after an hour or two you still haven't gone anywhere, and that's how some people's lives are. They haven't gone anywhere, they haven't achieved anything. They haven't moved forward at all, they're still stuck in the same place they were before, which is it's difficult, you know. Um yes, it's challenging, it's very, very challenging. So spend more time in knowing thyself, which is important. You need to master the known mind. I think that's what I need to master, and I haven't mastered it yet. Only way I can master it is if I do more prayer, meditation, mindfulness, walking, journaling, silence, and yoga, and spend time on the known mind. The known mind is know thyself, and it goes back. This will be the last one for my insights today of the meditation. I said, Seven spiritual practices is how you live now. So just linking it to that previous one, you need to master the known mind. Seven spiritual practices is how you live now. So, for me, in my life, if I do the seven spiritual practices prayer, meditation, mindfulness, walking, journaling, silence, and yoga, then I will master the known mind. Because it the known mind is a spiritual practice itself. How do you get to the known mind? You get to the known mind by knowing thyself. When you know thyself, you have no mind of the self. It's like you don't have an image of who you are, which is difficult, it's very challenging to say that. You know, a lot of people have an image of who they are. I am this, this is my life, this is who I am, this is my ambition, these are my materialistic things, this is who I am, this is me. Um when you have the image of who you are, you neglect yourself that way. So it's hard to try not to have an image of yourself. I'm not saying you can't like look after yourself in that s type of way or like do things that are important to you. Of course you can. Every human being needs to look after themselves and do things for themselves, but don't have that image of yourself. It's a tricky one, it's like a label. Don't have that label of yourself. If you have that label of yourself, then it it you you'll say, I'm this, I'm that, um and then if you're not that, for example, then that's where the problems of life come because you attach yourself to a label that you're not really that's not really who you are. The known mind is the truth of life itself when you discover the known mind. When you discover the no mind, you learn the no self, selflessness, and know that self. So the no mind gives you the no self, self assessment know that self when you have no mind, and then people say no mind, so you mean in don't think, don't have thoughts, don't have feelings, don't have emotions, don't have anxiety, depression, or distress. Um I think suffering pain and adversity comes to those people who are attached to their feelings, their emotions, their thoughts, and their thinking, and the anxiety and the depression. That's that's where suffering pain and adversity comes from for most people. So suffering pain and adversity comes for the people who have attachments to what they're experiencing, so their attachments to what they're experiencing make up their life experience. If you, for example, worry about um it could be m multiple things, complex things, yeah, then your life becomes a reflection of that attachment. Say, for example, if you're worried about your mental health, which happens to a lot of people with mental health, because we all have that that difficult side to us, and the thoughts are racing, and the anxiety, the depression happens. That makes up your life experience because you're worrying about something that is attachment to who you are. But the no mind teaches us that you don't have to be attached to who you are, you don't have to be attached to your thoughts, to your thinking, to your feelings, to your emotions, to your mindset, to your anxiety, to your depression, to your sadness, to your loneliness, to your despair, to your frustrations, to your bitterness, to your resentments, to your anger. You don't have to be attached to it. And the only way you don't get attached to it is when you respond differently. Sometimes you have to respond differently. I normally call that the spiritual response. So that's not saying you're not gonna feel what you feel, all human beings are gonna feel what they feel. I'm attached to this suffering I've gone through, attached to this pain that I'm experiencing, attached to this anxiety and adversity that I'm going through, I'm attached to it because that's all you know from your attachment to it, of course. So you have to be detached to learn the opposite of that, which is a spiritual response that changes the perspective of just this is my suffering, this is my pain, this is my adversity, oh this is going on in my life. Because when you when you when you live life, uh it's it's happened to me as well. I'm not I'm not just saying this because as a um a person of who I am, I haven't experienced this myself. I experienced it a lot of times in my life, and it happens even daily now. It's it's still an ongoing journey that we have to find the result revolution of and the solution of. Don't be attached to your thoughts and your thinking and your feelings and your emotions. Don't be attached to it. If you get attached to it, and then when it happens, this is my life, this is my situation, this is my circumstances, and then that's where the problems of your suffering, pain, and adversity comes from. It's like a clinging, it's clean it's basically it's clinging, it's clinging to the self which isn't really there. So I'm gonna get to this briefly before I move on, just briefly about this, just to talk about it. Now basically, this becomes very important to learn, and I just want to share this briefly. Opportunities, all the work, all the things I'm able to see and do. I appreciate it all. It means a lot to me. People are attached to themselves, they're attached to their life, they're attached to their feelings, they're attached to their emotions, they're attached to their partner, they're attached to their relationships, they're attached to their friendships, they're attached to their children, they're attached to life itself, they're attached to it. So anything that happens in life, for example, your relationship, your um children, yourself, um, you're just attached to it, right? So you're attached to it's like have you ever have you ever noticed as a human being, and I I just want to share this at at this point in the podcast or audio for today, my gratitude journal. Have you ever noticed this, and I think mindfulness and meditation can help you to notice this. Have you ever have you ever noticed when um sh let me say like um you're doing meditation and mindfulness and you're just meditating, right? And I I said in um the podcast and the audio earlier, you go into spiritual deathless realms, yeah. Like when you meditate and you focus on the meditation, you realize there is no self. There's no you're not you're not a self, if that makes sense. Like, there's no self. Like, for example, the reason why I'm saying there's no self because it might sound a bit strange to people, people go, I've got a um should I say a physical body here? So I've got a physical body which is giving me my life experiences, which is basically making up the self. Have you ever noticed in meditation and mindfulness that when you look out of your eyes, there is no self. You know, you can't have you have you have you ever noticed that you can't see who you are? I don't know if that makes sense to the view the listeners and the viewers today. So have you ever noticed that you can't see who you are? So all and it happens for all every every human being has to learn this. You can't see who you are. You've you've l you're living life, yeah. We're all living life, but you can't you've never since you were born, since you was put on earth, you've never seen who you was, and that's the only way you can see who you are is if you look in the mirror, and you're looking in the mirror, it's not the true self. This it gets complicated, it's very complicated. That's the reason why I mention it. When you're when you're born into the world, when you're born into life, yeah, because we all human beings are born into life, yeah. We all we all are, every every human being is you can't see the self of who you are because there is no self. There's no self as a human being, even if you have um you know a body, um you know uh face, legs, arms, chest, heart, brain, um, lungs, kidneys, organs you in life you don't see that. Does that make sense? I don't know if I don't know if I'm trying I'm trying to get it clear in this podcast before we move on. So the reason I think I think the Buddha was the first person to really mention this in like scriptures and um the doctrines as well of the Buddhist tradition. The Buddha mentioned in his scriptures in the British tradition that there is no self. So when the Buddha's saying there is no self, there's no self. You're not you're not you you can't you can't the only way you can physically see yourself if you do believe there's a self is when you look into the mirror and it shows your reflection of your human body. But as a human body, that doesn't mean there's that self of who you are. The true self is different, it goes beyond the body, it goes beyond the looks, it's got it goes beyond the physical, it goes beyond that, it's not it's not the same as the physical because when you've been born, every human being has experienced this. You can never see yourself. Even if even if you tr even if you really want to see yourself when you're working in the community or day to day, you can't because it's not God's a very like life is life has been spiritual from the very beginning, so God gives us the spirituality and the faith and the religion and the faith and the spirituality and the religion, but it's more discovering that no-self. Once you discover the no-self, then you discover the no mind. Suffering, pain, and adversity comes from people that are attached to their thoughts, their feelings, and emotions in the mind. They believe that the mind is real, they believe that the mind is reality, they believe that the mind is creation, they believe the mind and they believe the thoughts, the feelings and emotions, and what they go through in the life experiences is all part of the life. Your thoughts, your feelings, your thinking, your emotions is not the true reality. There's a reality that's uh beyond the physical of like a flesh, body, and that sort of thing. That's why I said when you go into meditation and mindfulness, you can experience that. Only when you go through the meditation and mindfulness, you can experience it. Sometimes you can experience in prayer when you become silent in prayer as well. You can also experience it in prayer. The mind becomes silent, there's no thoughts, there's no feelings, there's no emotions, there's no attachments, there's no there's no identity, there's no name, there's no label, you're not, you're not your title, you're not, you're not your if you've got I don't know, like your physical appearance, you're not your physical appearance. You're always the spiritual essence of who you are, the no self. The no self means there's no physical self. That doesn't mean that people haven't supported you in your life, and that doesn't mean that people haven't been there for you, of course they have, but they it's for every human being. This is that's the reason why I mentioned it, and I will move on shortly after. The no self is the true nature, it's the no self that is the true nature, that's the reality of what Buddha was trying to teach the no self. Jesus um in the Christian uh tradition and religion, Jesus was basically saying salvation of the kingdom of God, but the kingdom of God is already within you when you discover that no self. Even Jesus and Buddha had to discover that the no self when Jesus was alive, even though he was that's this this is what I know it's gonna get complicated as I actually shit share this well, it will get complicated. When Jesus and Buddha was alive, they had the no self because they wasn't viewing themselves as in the physical, they were more doing their work within the spiritual. So there's a realm, there's a this this is what we're trying to explain. There's a realm that's deathless, there's a realm that's spiritual, and then people say deathless, but we all die. I'm not saying we don't die, of course we die, yes, all human beings will pass away and lose their life. Yeah, it will happen at some point for each human being, it'll be a different time. But once you connect to that spiritual realm, and it takes meditation, prayer, mindfulness, walking, journaling, silence, and yoga to connect to it, seven spiritual practices that that that's we connect to Jehovah Jesus Christ and Buddha in the spiritual realms. God is spiritual. Let me find that scripture actually before we continue. Let me just find it. There's a scripture that says in the Bible that God is spiritual, right? Let me just let me just find it. I'll just find it quickly. God um is spiritual scripture. I I remember reading it at some point, I can't remember what verse it is, but I'll find it. God is spiritual um Bible scripture. Um we'll find it. So it's John chapter four, verse twenty-four. Let's just read it quickly because I just wanna um share this John four verse twenty-four. Alright. So I'm just gonna read this briefly and then I'm gonna move on into my spiritual life lessons. Now it basically says in the scripture in John chapter four, verse twenty-four, and you can read the Bible to find it for yourself, and just just just just read the Bible to find it for yourself. It says clearly in the Bible, it says God is spiritual, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. So what does the Bible say when it says they who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth? The no self. God is a spirit, worship him in him must be worshiping spirit and in truth. The no self, you don't have a self. The reason why the suffering pay and adversity within the world is because people believe they have a self. They believe their physical is what makes the life experience. But God has all made human beings spiritual. We're spiritual human beings living a physical human experience, so we're always a spiritual human being. We've been a spiritual human being from the very beginning of time, from when we were born. Some people in life find that God is spiritual, some people don't find that God is spiritual. God is always spiritual because that's the nature of God, so that's why you always have to find faith and spirituality within your life. Faith and spirituality within your life is the kingdom of God itself when you worship Him in spirit and truth. So you have to worship God in spiritual and in truth to find that within yourself, and then when when do you find it in yourself? When you know thyself. So many people in their lifetime never find that, they never discover it within their the actual life because it's like they've lived and for this is my life, my experiences are my life, my um family is my life. God is teaching us something different. God is saying God is spiritual, so we have to worship God in spirit and truth. Why don't people find the spiritual and truth? Because they never discover God, they never discover the no self, self as a know their self, because they don't know, they don't get it. They think their life experiences of what is the past of what happened. It's not. Yeah. I'm gonna move on now because I I I just kind of I went a little bit off topic there in the podcast and the audio, which is fine, it does happen sometimes. Um but just just just just understand that God is spirit, and if you understand that God is spirit, then make me it'll make you more mindful of like how can I live faithfully, how can I live spiritually, and that'll it's complicated, it's very complicated, but it you will learn it and understand it for yourself. And I I'm gonna read another scripture as I share um my spiritual life lessons, and there's a few that I wrote today actually before we wrap up the podcast and the audio because I'm just mindful of time as well. It's quite late now, so um I need to sort of get through this, you know. Um so I'm just gonna read a few spiritual life lessons that I wrote today. I normally write spiritual life lessons every day now, but before I wasn't. Um this is just a way of me learning, and I've got my journals always with me, so I can just process and learn as I read my journals and discover more. So, patience is a virtue, do not rush anything. I've learned that a few times in my life, and you know, patience is a virtue, do not rush anything. Spiritual growth is spiritual progression. So your spiritual growth is spiritual progression. If you spiritually grow, then you spiritually progress. Make everyday count, life is short. We already know that, and you know, make everyday count because life is short. Moving forward is God's purpose for me. Um that's something I've learned in myself. Um I've learned it from I would say I'll say 24. Um but you know, moving forward is God's purpose for me. That's that's what God wants me to do to move forward. Um spiritual silence is spiritual realms of deathless states. Spiritual realms of deathless states is the silence. That's what it really is. When you have silence within your life. If you discuss if you can find if you can find that spiritual silence within life, it will transform your life in every single way. You will never in in silence there's no label, there's no name, there's no agenda, there's no um anything physical in silence, it's all spiritual. All you have is the no mind, and that's all you have, no ambition, no materialism. You always have the no mind. The no mind is no ambition, no materialism when you know that self. How can you live your life now is how you live your future, or be here and now spiritual choice and decision. So this is important because how you live now is how your life will be in the future. If you discover that God is spirit, how you live now is how you live in the future of faith and spirituality. So that's a spiritual choice and decision you have to make. All human beings have to make it to find the truth in their own life in in in your own life in your own way. It's very important. Spiritual emptiness is spiritual freedom and spiritual liberation. No mind means the emptiness of your mind, it means it empty empties. It doesn't mean you haven't had thoughts, it doesn't mean you haven't had worries, it doesn't mean you haven't had concerns, it doesn't mean you haven't had fear or anxiety or depression. You have all of that, but when you when you go into the meditation and mindfulness and prayer, it becomes silent. Your mind spiritually becomes empty. When your mind empties, that's the true liberation, the true spirituality, the true freedom. Only when your mind empties, so your mind has to empty, and that I I don't know how people are gonna get to that point because I I've I don't I don't think people will ever discover that because it's too complex, it's very complex. You're saying to empty the mind. When you empty the mind, you discover the no-self and the no mind. The no mind is an empty of its consciousness, it empties naturally. You don't have to that you don't have to go, I have to um it's like I have to empty my mind. Through prayer, meditation, mindfulness, walking, journal, and silence and yoga, it happens naturally. You don't have you don't have to do anything to empty the mind, it will happen naturally, and then when it happens naturally, that's when you discover the true nature of of things. And that that's why that's why it said in the scripture in John 4 24, it basically said God is spirit, those who worship God in spirit and in truth worship the Lord. So God is spirit. God has been spirit from the very beginning. That's what God has been. So if you want to find that truth for yourself, you have to worship God in spirit. How do you worship God in spirit? When you empty the consciousness, when you empty the mind, when you have no mind, there's no attachments, there's no feelings, there's no emotions, there's no anxiety, there's no depression, there's no sadness, there's no loneliness, there's no unhappiness, no despair, there's no fear, there's no worries, there's no concerns, there's no suffering pain and adversity, it all it all empties. This is something I learned um from my spiritual life lessons today. You are born to create. That is your gift. That is that is my gift. That that's that's that's why I started my journals of my gratitude journals. And I started it because it was a way of me processing just my it's just my day-to-day life, my thoughts and feelings and emotions. But from my understanding of things, you are born to create. That is your gift. That is my gift, that is my gift, my gift is to create. Seven spiritual practices is everything in the spiritual present moment. We only have now. It's a spiritual present moment now. Seven spiritual practices. You cannot move forward to the next level if you do not change the spiritual present moment. This is the hardest thing for human beings. This is the hardest thing for human beings. You can't move forward to the next level if you don't change the spiritual present moment now. Now has to change. Now you c you can't you can't a change now doesn't mean a future moment, if that makes sense, because we people say, but change in the future, change in the future, why why do I have to do it now? Didn't you know that now is all we have? Do you know that now is the anything we can control it to some degree? Do you know Now is where life is living. It's not living in your past because you'll say it's living in my past. Um, I think life has already moved forward from the past. You can't say it's living in the future because you don't know your future, do you? You can't say it's living in the present because you don't know how your present's gonna be, do you? So all we have is now. Why is there an urgency for now to be changed? Because if you don't change now, in the spiritual present moment now, how do you expect to um you know live your life? Now is the most important thing in life. Everything happens now. If you want it basically, look, pe I think this I think well I I I think I know what it is of why people think now isn't important. Because they normally say, um, and this happens to like millions of people, and I'm just sharing it in the podcast and audio for today. But I have a future aspiration, I have a future dream, I have a future desire. When that future dream, that future desire, that future aspiration, or that future ambition comes, where does it come? It came now. It didn't it doesn't come in the future. It doesn't come when you met your future, because the future is already now. You you don't you don't you don't when when you change the now then you change your life basically that that's how it normally works when you change the now. So the now is where where everything's gonna happen, not not the future, not the past. The past and the future are memories that the mind has created, it's not the now. Everything everything everything in life has happened now. To the biggest things to the smallest things. If you had, for example, a relationship, where did it happen? Happen now. If you have children, where did it happen? Happen now. If you have a business, where did it happen? It happened now. If you have um a home, possessions it happened in the now. Everything happens in the now. There's nothing that doesn't happen in the now. Everything, every every all all life experiences happens in the now. It can't it can't it can't be avoided. It can't you you can't you can't change that. That's that that's why that's why if if if if we want to try and find who we are as a human being, if if we really, really want to, and I'm not saying everybody does because it's just not their motivation, it's just not that it's not that aspiration to know who they are. They don't they don't want to know. It's too complicated, it takes too much time. You start the journey now. That's how it normally works. If you don't start the journey now, then how is that people say but I'm gonna get to my future destination? Are you? Are you gonna get to your future destination if you don't change now? Are you gonna get to your opportunities if you didn't change now? Are you gonna get to your work if you didn't change now? Are you gonna get to your encouragement if you didn't change now? Or are you really? Are you are you are are you saying you're gonna get to your opportunities if you didn't change? But you don't know me, you don't know what I've been through, you don't know what I've gone through. No, but that that's not what I'm saying, is it? Don't you know you're not gonna get to any future aspiration if you don't change now? So now is what becomes important, not the past, not yesterday, and not even the the present even the present is is down to a sense of now. The present is even now. It's even even even even as I'm talking now, it may seem like oh, are you talking from like a past destination or a future destination? I'm not talking from a past destination or future destination. I'm talking about now. That's what I'm saying, everything is now. There's nothing that isn't now. You you want children, where did it happen now? You want a business, where did it happen now? You want success, where did it happen now? You want joy and happiness, where did it happen now? You want uh friends and family and loved ones, where did it happen now? Everything is now, it's it's now, now is the time, now now now is the moment now just just do it whatever you want, do it now. It's now it's not you don't have to it's like you don't have to um you don't have to wait for this future destination to arrive and if it does arrive then it came in the now. It's like what Eckhartol it's like it's like basically what Eckhartoly's books are have been basically talking about. If you read the new earth, and if you read um he's got a few books, I think he's got the the new earth, he's got the power of now, he's got um still still stillness, silence, something like that, and he's got another one called The Oneness of the Universe or Earth, or something like that. It's all now. You don't have to like go, but in the future I'm gonna do this. In the future, this is how my life is gonna be. Whatever you want, you have to do it now, whatever it is. And then people say, but the past, the past, the past. There is no past. It happened now. There's not nothing, nothing in life did not happen now. That this is this is what um I know it's a bit complicated, and and it's very complicated. I get I get how complicated it is, but the truth is anything you want that will happen now, it'll happen right now. You know, you don't have to wait for some future destination for you to say I want this now. If you want it now, then what are you gonna do now? You don't have to wait. You don't have to wait, you don't you you don't have to go, oh but I'm gonna study this and where where is it gonna happen? I'm I'm gonna it's comp I know how complicated it can be. I I'm smiling right now because I know how complicated this may sound, it may sound so so complicated. How can you say it's now? How it doesn't make sense because this happened in the past and this is this this is what the future is gonna be, but it's it's not like that in life. Everything's gonna happen now. Whatever you want, whatever you desire, whatever you dream of, whatever your ambition is or motivation is gonna happen now. Whatever it is you want will happen now, and then now is the present moment which God has always created. The present moment is always created, it's always now. Creation comes in the now. The the creations come in the now. Look, as I'm talking this, they don't you see how important it is. Like, as I'm actually, I'm not I'm not sharing this from a past podcast, not sharing this from a future podcast. It's not it's not like that. I'm sharing it now, right now. It's not a it's not a past podcast that I've already recorded, it's not a future podcast that I'm trying to figure out. It's not that's not how life is. Life is now, right now, whatever you want, do it now. Take the take the chance, take the risks, do do what you want now, do it now The spiritual legacy is now, live now. It goes it goes it literally goes back to what I just said it's it's the now not nothing in your life is gonna change unless you change now. It's that simple. Don't don't don't find change as a as a negative experience because change isn't negative, it's very positive, it's a very positive experience. Change happened now. Even your life is happening now as I'm sharing this podcast. It's happening now. So now is important. This one's an important one. I uh I hope this will explain why I'm talking about the now in this podcast and in this Gritty Journal today. This one's an important one, very important. Destruction comes by ignorance. Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes I said destruction comes by ignorance destruction comes by ignorance. The reason why people don't take actions now is because of their ignorance. They're ignorant. It's not that they don't know, it's not that they don't understand, they probably do. It's just they haven't taken the action yet. Destruction comes by ignorance. That's how the destruction comes when you're ignorant. Think about when Jesus was alive and think about when a Buddha was alive. Think about Jesus Christ and Buddha for just a second as I share this. Now they don't take actions in the past. That's not how their life was. Every moment of their life was always focused on the now, even from the very beginnings of their ministries and monasteries. It was now. Monasteries came now, ministries came now. It's always now. So you don't have to think, oh, but Jesus Christ didn't work in the now, Buddha didn't work in the now. Both of them made actions consistently. Change only happens now. Life is only happening now. It's not it's not it's not a future destination here. No, we when when when you when you get spiritual enough, you you'll know why I share I share my gratitude journals for a very simple reason. Not for the past, not for the future, for the now. Because every all my gratitude journals that I've released came from the now. It may seem like it came in a past um like episode, for example, or a future episode, for example. I don't think that's how my podcast came. Each podcast came because I recorded now. When Jesus Christ and Buddha was here, they were taking actions now. They wasn't taking actions. You can't say that Jesus Christ was taking um actions within the past. That that wouldn't make sense, would it? And you can't say Buddha was taking actions in the past because that wouldn't make sense. It just doesn't, it doesn't it logically, it doesn't make sense. It's now they're doing it now. So this is a very important lesson. I'm just gonna share it again. Destruction comes by ignorance. People are ignorant, and this is it's it's hard to learn in life because we'll we'll say that people are not ignorant, we'll say that people they know what they need to know and understand what they need to understand. I don't think they do. I think if if they knew what would change them now, and that I'm not gonna tell a person what's gonna change you now. I can't do that because that's that's not for me to say I'm not a Jesus Christ, I'm not a Buddha, and I'm not Jehovah, so I'm not gonna specifically say what's gonna change you now. I think it comes back to a simple observation in all of my podcasts and all of my videos and my books and my messages. Change now takes a choice and a decision. That's all it takes. A choice and a decision. That's that's that's mainly what it takes. A choice and a decision. My life was going in this way, that's how you view it, but that is basically happen now. My life was in this situation, okay. That's how you view it. But um it happened now. This was a situation in my life, that was the problems in my life, okay. It may have happened, of course. But did it happen? Now so everything that's important's gonna happen now. And I think this is what people get surprised with. They say, but shouldn't I have a future aspiration or a dream and desire? If the future aspiration, dream and desire is gonna come, where's it gonna come? Now. So everything happens now. There's there's nothing that doesn't. That's why the now is the most important thing we have in living. Living only happens in the now. Living living can't happen in the past, and and I know and I think this is what gets people confused because they say I I've had the worst past my life, I had I've had the worst upbringing in my life, but didn't didn't you know that your past and your upbringing happened in the now? Didn't you know that your um anxiety, your depression, your unhappiness happened now? It's not it's not it's not a future event. You can't say it's a future event when it happened now. Oh, but I went through this, I was going through this, I went through that, I was going yeah, but happened now. It's it's not it's not a past event or a future event. Even even when you go to sleep and wake up, the don't you realize it's still in the now? Everything's now, it's not it's that's not gonna change. You can't change what God's already put on earth, and you can't change what God's already planned. It's happened now. I woke up and this was my past. I woke up and this was my future. I woke up, no, it that's not how God works. God God was always here from the very beginning. So whatever happened in your past and your future, in the memories of your mind, of you who you are, it's it there's there's no set basically what what I'm trying to say is this there's it there's even when you when you get to the spiritual side of what I'm talking about, and this is this is this is what it really is gonna it's gonna help a lot of people as I share this. We when you get to the spiritual side of what I'm talking about, there's even no sleep. There's even no sleep because what you you're gonna say there's no sleep? What? But I sleep ten hours a day asleep. There's no sleep in the sense that even when you go to sleep it's still an amount. Everything happens now. The sleep happens now, the food happens now, the drinks happen now, going to the toilet happens now, um, the work happens now, the the the the family happens now, it's always now. In our mind in our in our in our minds we think that there's time that's separating us from the now. We think that there's there was that past, there was that present, there was that future. God doesn't work like that. God God just sees that everything is now. If you decide to change now, then your life will change now. If you don't decide to change now, then your life wouldn't change now. So it goes back to what I said, you have to make a choice and decision to change. And if you don't make that choice and decision to change, how how how how can you expect to um like do what you want to do in life? You have to change. Change isn't look people say change and they'll say, but haven't I've got a past. I'll say if I had a past, then when was my past? My past happened today, it happened now. It's not it's not a future destination or a past destination, it always happened now. Everything we do happens now, small things to the big things, even as I'm drinking coffee now. Where is it? It's not it's not a past coffee or a future coffee. I'm drinking it right now. If I had if I went to a bath and had a bath and had a shower, where I'm not gonna go into a past shower and a past bath. I'm not gonna where is it gonna be now? So everything happens now. It's it go it goes back to what I'm saying. You have to make that choice and decision for yourself. All human beings do, you know. I'm not saying that like oh a choice and decision is gonna transform your life in every single way. I won't say that. I say a choice and decision makes you live differently, depending on your choice and decision. If you choose to change, then your life will change. If you choose not to change, then it won't. Even down to me, like I I I I could be like I could be in situations that I don't want to be now. Like I that there could be things in my life that I don't want now for myself. I don't want anxiety, I don't want depression, and if I don't want anxiety and I don't want depression, then what am I naturally going to do about it? I'll have to change that situation, isn't it? So changing that situation, where does it happen? Not in the past, because there is no such thing as a past. Not in the present because there is basically no such thing as a present. Not in the future because that's a there's a destination that we don't know of. Where's it gonna happen now? Everything happens now. So I'm gonna read a scripture. I'm nearly finished for this evening. I've got a few more to share, and I'm just gonna read a scripture now. So um we're gonna read John 8 verse 31 and verse 32. So let's just find it now. This is a scripture that I said I was gonna read before I even said it because I I did mention it before, but I didn't verbalize it like as me sharing it. So chapter verse 8, verse what 31 and verse 32. So King James version we're gonna read. I'm just gonna read it. Um make sure I've got the right one. Just wait a second. So I'm just finding this verse and then I'm just gonna read it. So this is in this is in the Bible, um I'm reading the Engl English Standard Version of the scripture. So scripture I'm gonna about to read now is John chapter eight verse 31 and verse 2 32. This is what Jesus said to the Jews, right? This this this is coming from the Lord God Himself, Jesus Christ, yeah. So the truth will set you free. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, if you abide in my words, you are truly my disciples, and if you know the truth, and the truth will set you free. So again, so Jesus said to the Jews who believe in him, if you abide in my words, and you are truly my disciples, and if you know the truth, then the truth will set you free. So let's break this down, the scripture. So Jesus said to the Jews who have believed in him. So the Jews already believed in him. But the Lord God Jesus Christ was saying to the Jews, if you abide in my words, so that basically means if you believe in the words that I've spoken to you, you are truly my disciples. So you become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ if you believe in his words. You have to believe in his teachings. And you will know the truth. You will know the truth through the teachings of the Lord God Jesus Christ that He said gave to the people of humanity, of his salvation. And the truth will set you free, so you become free. What does it mean to be free? Free from the self. There's even more scriptures that I can share that would help this point actually. Let me just find them as I as I share this because it's very important I share this, and this is just my gratitude journals as well. So either I'm learning as we're sharing. So Jesus Christ said, deny yourself. Let me just find the scripture now. So Jesus Christ. Um deny yourself. I think the scripture was deny yourself and follow me. I think that's the scripture I'm looking for. I'll find it. Uh Bible scripture verse. So we're just gonna I think I found it. Let's just see if it's the correct one. So Matthew chapter 16, verse 24. So we're just gonna read the King James version. Let me just get the King James version up. Uh Matthew 16, 24. 1624. So I'm just gonna read it now. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ said to his disciples. Then Jesus upon his disciples, if any man come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. So again, Jesus Christ said to his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. So it's denying the self. That's that's how you become free. You have to deny yourself. What does denying yourself mean? May people ask. It's a very simple observation here. The no self. Denying yourself will mean no self. It doesn't mean you don't live, and it doesn't mean you have a hell of life. That's not what Jesus Christ is saying. He said, if every any man come after me, let him deny himself. So when Jesus Christ is saying deny himself, he's basically talking about just yourself, like your feelings, your emotions, and your concerns. You have to deny that. Take up his cross. So there's a cross that you have to carry, right? Every person has to carry that cross. It's part of your life. In a short way of just wording it, suffering, pain, adversity. You have to go through it. Follow me. You will follow the Lord once you've gone through the suffering, pain, and adversity, and deny themselves. That's that's where that's yes, that's where the the the the the the truth will set you free. That that's how you become free. Jesus didn't mention this in the Bible because he didn't want people to come after him. He was preparing us for the journey that we have to go on. He was preparing us. Deny yourself, take up a cross and follow me. And then as we read back the scripture of John chapter 8, verse 31, verse 32, so Jesus said to the Jewish people, believe in him. If you abide in my words, you are truly my disciple, and you will follow, you will you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. The truth will set you free. So I'm gonna just continue. I could have gone on for hours about that because it's so powerful, you know, but it's it's the Lord, the Lord's the Lord, the Lord's telling us, you know. Um just gonna finish my lessons. I wrote that God is watching the spiritual progression. Yes, yes. God is watching the spiritual progression, yes. Learning and understanding comes from experience of life. Always does. You cannot change the past, the present you can't you can affect to some degree, of course. The future you can't predict. You can't predict it. Suffering pain and adversity means you're on the right spiritual path. No mind is sacred. Learn and understand to master your mind. Dreams and desires to reality is God's purpose Change your life, life is change. Change is life, life is change. The endings will be better than the beginnings. Do what you can to live now. Spiritually helping the people, the spiritual music, faith, spirituality, fate and religion. For me, those are the three areas that I work on and I I I've been I'll say I've been as consistent as I can be to work in those three areas spiritually helping other people, spiritual music, faith, spirituality, fate and religion. That's that's that's the that's the journey that I'm on though, that's that's my path. The only thing that matters is now, and that that's what we spent quite a lot of time talking about tonight. We've been talking about the now for quite a a few you know, minutes now and hours. Not the past, not the present, not the future, but the now. Make your choice and decision now. It has to be now, if if you want to change. The road less travelled, the future is created. I'm just gonna spend another just five or ten minutes on this last point before we finish this evening because we've never gone this has been a longer podcast than I think we've nearly reached two hours of just be talking, which is a very long time. Um you know, I'm very mindful of time when I talk. Sometimes I really go along time in my podcast and my audios, but this one's been quite a long one, um, which is fine. Um but yeah. Um now saying that the road less travelled the future is created. Now it's the road less travel where the future will be created. Where is the road less travelled? The road less travelled is when you know that self. When you know that self you travel the road less travelled, yeah. Only when you know that self then you can create the future you want to create. For me, it's happened in my life not because I'm the best or I'm I'm the most inspirational or motivational. I don't class myself in any of those words or accusations or whatever you want to word it. I just think for me the road less traveled, the future is created. It's it's yeah, it's it's it's the road less travel where the future is created. The road less traveled. The road less traveled is a very it's it it it it's it's a difficult road. I'm not gonna say it's an easy road, yeah. It's a very difficult road to go down, you know. Um I think we have to follow what and I this is just my this is maybe for my own learning understanding. We have to follow the paths of what Jesus Christ and Buddha has teached us, you know. When um especially in Jesus Christ's ministry, when Jesus began it began his ministry, if you read, I think it's the John Scriptures within the Bible, and you just read the scriptures and and watch Jesus' life, you can see that Jesus didn't start his ministry until he was baptized in the water by John the Baptist. John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the water, I think it was of Jordan, if I'm not mistaken, and then Jesus had the Holy Spirit. The reason why Jesus waited before he started his ministry and didn't just enter into ministry straight away, because Jesus knew in order to do God's work he needed the Holy Spirit. And they who worship God in spirit and in truth will will learn the truth of God. So basically, yeah, he didn't he didn't judge into it quickly. Now when you think about the Buddha's monastery, so we're just gonna talk about the Buddha now. Buddha waited, even Buddha waited, right? So Buddha was trying look, Buddha had a family, yes. The Buddha had a son and he had a wife, and Buddha was trying to find like why is that duke within the world, why is he suffering, you know, and that and that was Buddha's main question, right? So instead of Buddha just entering into monastery so quickly, he was on a spiritual path trying to learn understand life itself. Only when the Buddha sat under the boldy tree, I think it was mistaken, of the tree of enlightenment, then Buddha obtained the true enlightenment of life. So in this story of what I'm sharing now, we can both see that Jesus Christ and Buddha waited. When Buddha came enlightened, it was in the now. When Jesus got baptized by John, it was in the now. That led into their ministries, and that led into their monasteries. Their ministries and monasteries came in the now, and then both Jesus Christ and Buddha lived it out. When you think about their lives, that's that's basically what they were doing for the for all of their life. Even even that to Jesus or what happened to Jesus, which is so horrible, but it goes to show Jesus Christ's commitment to us, you know. Jesus, you know, went on the cross and got crucified, you know, it's it's it's horrible. Who who who who won who like no no human being will want to give up their life in that way, you know. But Jesus had a calling, and when Jesus followed that calling, he knew what he had to suffer. Even if you read the scriptures of John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you can see that Jesus already knew what he was going to suffer. Jesus already knew because that's what the Spirit of God gives you, it gives you the truth. So when you have the truth, you already know what you're gonna suffer, you know what you're gonna go through, you know how your life is gonna be to some degree. That doesn't mean um like it it's not gonna be easy, it will be difficult, and you will you will have times in your present where you may doubt, you might have insecurities, you might have anxiety, you might think it's just too much to take, you might just cry, get emotional, you might just so many things can happen, but at the end of the day, you know, it's about you know what you're gonna do to change. That's and that's when life becomes simpler. What are you gonna do to change? So it's not about um going, you know, too much has happened to me, too much I've experienced too much. Um that could be a motivation or observation for a few, um, which is fine. Uh I've always said for for people to feel what they feel, you know, go through your feelings, go through your emotions, process it as best you can, try to find some meaning and value from it if if there's any meaning and value you can find from it, but then you have to still make that choice and decision to want to change your life, you know. Um, you know, um life is tough in itself, you know. Like life is not easy, and if anyone says that life isn't tough, um maybe you haven't lived long enough to see some of the suffering pair and adversity you experience. Majority of time life is tough, it teaches us lessons as we go. We we learn every day, of course. I'm not and I did say like sleep, you know, um basically there's no such thing as sleep, but that might come across a bit odd for me to say that. But um I think the reality is that life is tough, you know. Like life is you will be tested, you will, you will, there will be things that you go through, you know. For me, and I think it goes back to my even but as I've been talking about Christ for just a secondhand, Buddha for a second, even as I'm talking about it, it's making me re it's making me realise their humility, you know, especially Christ and Buddha, like they're had so much humility for others, you know. Christ had the passion, Buddha had the passion, they were very compassionate and caring people, they didn't they don't want people to suffer and go through any adversity, but I think um sometimes when you're on a spiritual path and especially when you're you you're really deep within it, you know, you sometimes gotta be prepared to do things that other people won't do, and I think Jesus Christ and Buddha was prepared to do things that other people won't do, you know, and it's tough, like it's it's it's that life life isn't easy, you know, like it's it's not easy, and and it it it is gonna be a challenge, you know, and that's the reason why I've kind of humbled myself in the ending of this podcast today to say, Do you know what? Like um feel what you feel, um experience what you experience, you know, go through your feelings and emotions as best as you can. Um try to find, like I said, earlier some meaning and value from what you're experiencing, and whoever listens, um, you know, try your best to find who you are. You know, that that's all you can do, you know. Um, it's not saying that life ain't gonna have come with its challenges or its difficulties, it probably will. And it depends on how you respond to it that makes all the difference. So you have to they basically it comes back to what I've been talking about all this time, and I know I've spent nearly two hours in just sitting down talking about it, but it's I think it's important enough to spend this amount of time to talk about it. I think it comes back to a choice and decision you have to make, you know. I think that's that's what it comes back to. I think sometimes without that choice and decision, then you know, life life life will either become more difficult, um, more challenging, um, you'll go through more experiences, or with that choice and decision, you may find a new path in life, you may you may you might see something a bit different, you might I don't know, take a different route or a different opportunity. So um I think you can only you can only do the best you can do with the knowledge and wisdom you have, and I that's something I've learned for myself. You can only you can only do the best you can do with the knowledge and wisdom you have, and I know I went kind of deep about it when I said destruction is comes from ignorance, which it can actually come from ignorance, but it goes back to what I said you can only do as much as you can do with the knowledge and wisdom you have. So I think when it comes to knowledge and wisdom, it has to be discovered. So I'm not saying you have to be um you know religious to find knowledge and wisdom, or you have to be uh faithful and spiritual to find knowledge and wisdom. I think how God normally shows knowledge and wisdom is your life experiences. So your life experiences shows your knowledge and wisdom. So for example, if you struggle, then God is trying to show you that you need to maybe change that. If you're successful, for example, then God maybe trying to show you that you need to become more humble, more have more humility, more compassion. So no matter how you word it and how life is, it it comes back to a choice and decision you have to make. So really the reality of life is your choice and your decision, and I it's only it's only it's only been a couple of I think it's a couple of months now when I wrote a book about it, just specifically on this thing before we finish. Um I wrote a whole whole book about it because I I I felt I felt it was so important to talk about, and I think you know, when I write my books, it does take quite a lot for me to write my books, and I I think I I call the book Spiritual Choices and Decisions. That's what I call the book, right? I'm just gonna find it. I'm not gonna read chapters out of it because that's just gonna take too much time, but um just gonna find it now. Um so let me just go on Amazon. I definitely read the book, I remember. Um yeah, so it basically goes back to the book I read, which is um, you know, and this is it's quite important actually, spiritual choices and decisions. And um I think in life, your life is a reflection of the choices and decisions you make, you know. Um I'm not I'm not saying I'm a perfect human being and and I've always made um you know spiritual choices and decisions, but I'm trying to say at the very end of my podcast today, especially from a gratitude journal, as it's been a very long one. Sometimes your whole life experiences will be defined by the spiritual choices and decisions you make, and then life is a it's a hard lesson learned, you know. What are what are my choices? What are my decisions? I think you have to. Think about it for yourself and decide what's best for you at the time. Each life experience will teach you certain things, whether it's positive or negative, we don't know because we can't articulate that. But learn you know, see see normally when okay, for example, when you make a choice and decision, you'll normally see like either in a couple of days' time or a couple of weeks time or a couple of years time, and I know that like I was talking about before, like um the no mind basically means like no self, but you know, um that might come across rude to some people, of course. But I think when you when you when you when you when you make spiritual choices and decisions think about what's it gonna do for you, you know? Um when I say what's it gonna do for you like right now, how's how is this stress and decision gonna make your life now? Are you for example say for example if you I don't know you may have gone out or been with your family or been with your children was that the best choice and decision for you now? Is that gonna help you now? And I think I think I le I actually listened to a podcast just the other day about this actually, or maybe it was today, I can't remember now. Um this may go into another topic, but I I don't have enough time to talk about it really now because I've spent nearly two hours on on this podcast. But life is gonna come with all different life experiences along your journey, right? And it's it's part of all humans beings' journeys to go through different life experiences. So depending on what you learn from each experience, defines who you are. So sometimes when say for example, because I've got tattoos, I've got long hairs, so I'm not like I said, I'm not a perfect um human being, so I'm not saying my tattoos are wrong or my long hair is right. I I don't I don't view it in that way, it's just some of the choices and decisions I make. But what I'm saying is, is that when you when you start thinking about okay what's important for me now, you know, don't think about the past too much because that will cloud your judgment, and don't think about the future too much because that can't be predicted. Just think about daily, and I think this is this is what we call um I call it the power of intention. So as like I said to you before earlier, when I was recording, I said when I was making this audio and podcast, it wasn't in the past recording of me recording it, it wasn't in a future destination. It was always right now. So this is this is for example, this is a this isn't a trace a choice and decision that I made for myself now. Not for anyone else, but for me. I made this choice and decision now to record, right? That's a p th those are those are the type of choice and decisions you have to make. What are you gonna do now? Think about it now. Think about is it gonna benefit you now? Is it important to you now? Does it matter to you now? Will you find value and meaning from it now? Once you switch that intention into the now, then things become clearer, and then you don't you don't normally when things become clearer you have more clarity. When you have more clarity, then you make better choices and decisions. I think past will always be a past in some aspect of things, of course. Future will always be in the future and some aspect of things, of course. The present will be the present in some aspect of things, of course. But all you can do is make a choice and decision now. And um I think just before we finish for my gratitude journal for today, it's a very long one. Uh I spent a little bit extra time today for this one. I think just focus on what's important to you, and I think for all human beings to have a different important thing for them. Focus on what's important to you, and then however you decide to live your life based on what's important to you, that's how you should live your life. Live your life focusing on what's important to you. If you do the things that are important to you, then it it brings more meaning and value in your life. It brings more meaning and value in your life, and you find more purpose and structure that way in your life. Normally, some people don't have a mean and a value for what's important to them. They assume it's something that it really isn't, or they think it's something that it's not, so you have to find it for whatever it is, you know. Every human being has a different thing, you know, what's important to them, what is my value, what matters. Um you know, sometimes you have to search for that, sometimes you have to do a lot to find it. But it's possible though, it's possible. But you have to, you know, sometimes be kind to yourself at some times and think I may not have all the answers now, I may not know everything now, I may not make the right choice and decisions now, but I'm willing to learn, I'm willing to understand, I'm willing to go on a journey and and and discover. When you go on the journey and you start discovering who you are, then life becomes clearer, and it's a journey basically, it's always a journey because we all we all know how the story ends, if that makes sense. So I know I was talking about the deathless realms, but at the end of the reality, you know, death is a natural part of life as well, which I have to accept. But you can live free now and not worry about the death. So I'm not saying it's not gonna happen, it happens to all human beings, but live what's important to you now, focus on what's important to you now, wherever you whatever that is in your life, whatever you desire or want or dream of, if you focus on it now, um and spend as much time doing it within the now, whatever it is, for for you for for for the people that are listening at the very end. And then when sort of things ha naturally happen in life, you can say that you did what was important to you, you know, you focused on what what mattered to you, and for me, um, you know, even these down to these gratitude journals for my own understanding and learning of things, it's been it's been like a pleasure. So a pleasure and like a um I'll call it like a privilege because like I'm not I've never been like a podcaster or anything like that. I've I never viewed myself in that way or someone that shares content, but when I have the privilege to and the pleasure just to like um you know try to try try try to share what's important for me, you know. Um may not be important for everybody, may not be right for everybody. I I'm okay with that, but what's important for me, you know, and um it just reminds me that you know um yeah like li life is difficult, so focus on what's important to you, and I think if you focus on what's important to you, then that's what brings the meaning and value. And when you find the meaning and the value, um it gives your life meaning, it gives your life purpose, it gives your life value. And um I think at the end of the day we don't we don't know how this we can say we know how the story ends, but we don't know like um when it's gonna end. So all you can focus on is the now and what's important to you, and for me, um especially these gratitude journals, that's why I spent so much time doing it recently, you know, and I try and make it every single day, no matter what my my day has been, or however I'm whatever I'm doing throughout the day, I will make time for it because I find it important for me. And um I've always said in my podcasts and my audios, if it helps another person somewhere, in any way, it could be a small way, a big way, then I felt like I've left a contribution and I've shared something that could maybe value to somebody else, or give them a sense of um hope. So um I think that's it for tonight. Uh I've gone a bit over time, um, it's nearly coming up to two o'clock now in the morning, so it's quite late. But um, yeah, that's that's my gratitude, Jennifer today. I'm very grateful to always um Jehovah Jesus Christ and Buddha for them my relationship with them. Um my spiritual heroes, Paul Doranton, Dr. Karen Michigan, Christian Augusty, Doug Hood Mills. And um Yeah, I'm just you know I'm grateful. So thanks now. Bye now, thanks, bye.