When Should You Let Go Of Your Ambitions And Goals In Life?

In this talk, I go over when the proper time is to let go of your ambitions and goals in life to experience a greater level of happiness. Keep in mind that for most viewers, having goals and ambitions can provide much-needed fulfillment in life. However, for those deep in a spiritual path or experiencing higher levels of energy, these goals can eventually serve as a hindrance to one's happiness.

Referenced in this talk is the 'Levels of Energy' scale (based on Fred Dodson's teachings and his book of the same name). I've also created another full free track here on Insight Timer that goes over this scale more in-depth which you may check out!

Transcript

Hey,

This is Ishar and in today's talk I want to go over when to let go of your ambitions and when to let go of setting goals.

So you may have observed a paradox in spirituality and self-development.

So when you start to study self-development,

And this is something that has really influenced me in my earlier years,

You often hear things like you should chase your ambitions and dream big and set big goals and go after them.

Yet on the other side of things in spirituality,

You hear the opposite.

So you hear things like get rid of your desires,

Don't have big ambitions,

Lead a very simple lifestyle.

And you may be wondering which one,

Which teaching is right.

So this really just depends on where you are on a scale of well-being or scale of energy.

And there are many different ways to understand this model of energy.

But one model I use in this talk is the levels of energy scale by Fred Dodson.

And this is the book here.

And I've actually done a previous talk on that.

So if you want to go more in depth on that,

You can go check that video out.

I'll also be talking to you about the chakras as well in the yogic system.

Now the idea of this energetic scale is that there is energy all around us.

And we are energetic beings as human beings.

And we operate at a certain frequency within this particular scale,

Which filters certain realities to us and attracts certain realities to us and also pushes away certain realities that are not in alignment with our habitual frequency.

And this frequency is influenced by many different factors.

So it's not limited to diet,

Your attention,

Your habitual thoughts that you are thinking about on a daily basis,

Your emotions,

Your viewpoints in life,

Your beliefs.

So there are a lot of things that influence where you fall within this scale of energy.

Now in the scale,

You can either be closer to love,

Unity,

And a connection to life.

And this is what we call high energy states.

So this is a very natural way of being where you're just aligned with the oneness of life around you.

And the further down you go on the scale of energy,

This is where you start to become a bit separated or disconnected with this natural flow of love or oneness or awareness.

So there are different ways to describe this high vibration state.

And when you have a lot of resistance and fear,

This is where you are so closed off from this natural light within you and all around you,

That you create the separation and there's a lot of darkness.

So it's kind of like dimming that switch,

This light switch of pure bliss and being.

And when you are in this naturally very low state of being,

You'll find that more work and effort is needed to push ahead.

And I'll talk about this in a second.

And when you're in a high vibration state or a state of being which is more united with these higher concepts like I've talked about,

Life just feels very effortless.

Things come to you very easily and very naturally.

Now going further into understanding these low energy states,

You can think of certain emotions that are lower on the spectrum,

Such as apathy or fear or inferiority or being worried about what other people think about you.

And in these states,

You might be sad all the time or are complaining most of the time,

Tend to be sucked in by a lot of different addictions or negativity or different stored tensions in the body.

So not much energy is available to you and you'll tend to channel your energy in unproductive means so you don't have enough energy on your own.

So you'll tend to seek it from external sources.

So a lot of people will tend to channel it in destructive ways.

And I can personally relate to these states as I've definitely been there myself.

Now one thing you'll find interesting is that very low states of energy and very high states of energy have one thing in common.

And that is a lack of goals.

However,

What you'll notice is that what is different is in the low energy states,

This manifests as apathy,

Where in the high energy states,

This manifests as equanimity.

So these energies actually aren't the same,

Although it may look like it.

Because in a very low state where you're very apathetic,

You're essentially saying that you don't care about anything.

And there's a lot of resistance or numbness to the present moment.

So you're pushing away everything and it gives you illusion where you don't care about anything.

But it's actually coming from a place of deep,

Deep resistance.

Whereas equanimity is more of a positive uplifting quality,

Where you're saying yes to both the good and the bad and are unaffected by both.

So it's actually very nice.

And there's a lot of peace and acceptance in this high vibration state where you don't need to be chasing goals or going after things.

Now,

If I tell someone in a very low energy state to just not care about anything and don't set goals and reduce your ambitions,

Well,

You'll find that since they don't have enough energy on their own,

They may resort to unhelpful tendencies and different destructive patterns.

So this type of advice typically isn't very helpful.

And you'll even find that people who have given up and they've just given up on setting goals or having a direction in life,

You'll find that they'll spiral downwards into a lower place of apathy and numbness.

So this is obviously not good.

So what is needed for someone who's coming from a very low place where they feel chronically sad or depressed or angry and really feel resistance with the world around them?

Well,

It's actually very helpful for them to channel some of the middle levels of energy,

Which is responsible for personal will,

For goal setting,

For working towards a specific goal in life.

So the whole advice on working on your dreams and doing all these things are actually very helpful.

So in this kind of state of energy,

Where you go from a low level of energy to a middle level of energy,

This is kind of like going from the first chakra,

Where your focus is mostly on the first chakra related to survival and stability,

To then the second chakra,

Which is all about inspiration and energy.

And if you look at the levels of energy scale by Fred Dawson,

This is where you go from a below 200 state,

And this is just a number he uses,

To a 200 level state,

Which is focused on orderliness and being productive.

So actually having a stable job and having different goals in life and having your different needs met and cleaning up your room is actually very productive in this state of energy.

When you're starting to work on yourself and reconnect to the things that you want to do in life,

As opposed to complaining and reacting to things all around you,

This sense of personal power is actually very uplifting.

And when you're coming from this low energy state,

You'll start to feel this energy start to rise within you and you feel empowered.

And this is actually a very positive step.

So this general state of setting goals and intentions and working on yourself and doing things like this is all part of the middle levels of energy.

And concepts like law of attraction and manifestation also fall into this category,

Although they are at a higher vibrational set point compared to that.

So something like the hustle culture and working hard would be kind of on the lower end of this middle level of energy,

While something like manifestation is slightly higher,

Although it's not quite in the high energy states.

And I'll touch upon this in a second.

So once you have handled your basic needs and you're working on things,

There'll come a natural point in your journey where you'll start to get a taste of higher levels of energy.

So ideally,

If you have a meditation practice and have been continuing on this journey,

You'll start to sense something that is beyond going past just your personal self.

So you get connected with something a bit larger than yourself.

And there'll come a point in which you'll start to release some internal tension,

Maybe through awareness,

Through meditation practice,

Or perhaps through other modalities like therapy,

Whatever the case is,

That'll start to become a letting go process.

And this is where you start to become a bit disillusioned by setting goals.

So what happens when you go through this spiritual journey or meditation path or any kind of journey in which you let go,

Rather than try to add more things onto yourself,

You'll start to notice a reduction of self.

So the psychological self can be very useful to protect the self.

So the ego is actually used to protect oneself,

To create boundaries,

To keep people at arm's length.

And this can be good for survival.

But there will come a point in which if you have a strong level of self,

You start to see different ways in which it causes you suffering in life.

And you'll also start to see that having desires also creates unhappiness within you.

And goal setting,

It creates happiness in the future.

So you're unable to be happy right now,

Because you have a goal in mind in the future,

Right?

So when we look into Eastern philosophy and spirituality,

You might have heard the quote,

Desire is the root of all suffering.

This was said by the Buddha.

Another quote is,

In the absence of desire,

There will be tranquility.

And this is said in the Tao Te Ching.

So what this is referring to here is that when the mind does not have any kind of desire,

It's actually very peaceful and calm.

And this alludes to the higher levels of being or higher states of energy,

In which you can be very happy right now in the present moment as is.

And when you embark on a meditation journey,

And you're starting to let go a bit more,

You'll start to gain a appreciation and immersion in presence and being happy right now.

And what you'll notice is that in low energy states,

You're constantly focusing on the past.

So this person wronged me,

You know,

I could never do anything because of my past and you're constantly focused and fixated on the past.

Well,

When you get into the middle levels of energy,

You're now focusing on the future.

And this is where goal setting comes in and focus on your desires and all that.

However,

In high energy states,

The need to focus on the future is now replaced with being here in the present moment.

So your focal point actually shifts to being here now.

And you'll find there's less of a need to set big goals and be ambitious,

Because we just kind of realize it's kind of silly at a certain point.

Now,

Does this mean you do nothing?

No,

Well,

No,

Because as human beings,

It's important to have an orientation in life.

So human beings,

It's just part of the human experience.

We like to create and make things all around us.

So you know,

We build roads,

We create paintings,

Make music,

Start a business,

Or whatever it is we as human beings have to work in some kind of capacity.

Otherwise,

You'll slip into that laziness and apathy.

So you want to be doing something,

And you can still contribute in life.

However,

This orientation comes from a deeper place of what you're called on this earth to do,

Rather than reacting to certain situations.

So instead of reacting to the world and trying to set a goal and coming from a place of self,

It's now coming from more of an intuition.

And in these higher states of energy,

You have access to your intuition,

Whereas you probably didn't before.

Whereas in lower energy states,

You're reacting more from past conditionings,

Maybe childhood trauma or what your friends say,

What your boss says,

What your society says.

So you're constantly reacting to things rather than listening to the intuition.

And most people don't even get to the stage of having enough silence in their life where they can listen and look inwards.

So this is a very profound thing to start to tap into as you progress on this journey.

And this seat of intuition comes from the higher chakras,

As mentioned.

So you're trying to tap into the throat chakra of speaking your mind and the third eye of the intuition.

And this is where you'll be guided to do things.

So you'll still be able to do different tasks and accomplish things.

But it's more of like a gentle push to a direction,

Which comes from a place of peace and acceptance.

Rather than I need to do this or I won't have my needs met,

Which is coming from a place of neediness.

So it's more of a fulfillment from inside.

And if you've been listening to this talk,

And you're identifying maybe that you're coming from a place of low vibration energy,

And you've kind of been stuck there.

One thing to do is to keep practicing meditation and start to let go of resistance that you may have.

So it can be very helpful in this stage to seek help if needed,

To also set goals to kind of work on yourself to release any tension and also regain your personal will and your power.

Because at this stage,

This power is needed to push you past unconscious energy.

Now when you're in this mid level of energy where you've,

Your life is pretty much stable,

You have,

You know,

Good job,

A stable job,

Your financial needs are met,

Things are just generally good.

And there's an alignment in your life.

This is where you can start to let go of some of these goals and,

And let go of this identification with the self that keeps you pretty trapped and limited.

So you start to let go more.

So whereas before you're trying to get more and do more and achieve more and be more,

Now you're starting to let go.

And you can just be relaxing to the present moment.

And this is where at this point,

It's not your personal will that accomplishes things and gets things done.

But rather you're called by a certain higher source,

If you will.

And this higher presence will guide you in your life.

So you can start to tap into this,

This way of moving in the world,

This orientation,

Where you're still doing things in life,

And you're still acting on attention.

But it's not coming from a place of lack.

Instead,

You can experience a deep level of happiness and peace from within.

And that will inform and guide all your actions.

So hope this helps.

Thank you.

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