Don't Be Scared

By Āris Birze

Āris Birze is an unusual guy. Two years ago he began a journey towards financial independence following principles he found in various self-development books. All he had to do was to enliven those principles, it seemed, and success would inevitably come.  So Āris read, listened and tried almost everything that others shared with him - in the end only to find an entirely different kind of fortune. A rich life, lead by truly meaningful goals, with people whom he loves nearby. With the ability to freely say Yes and No without the sense of guilt or regret. And without fear.

Don't Be Scared contains Āris's notes written during a ten-day stay at an ashram in Rishikesh, India, which speak of solitude and battling out one's inner conflicts. 
"These ten days changed the way I see life, because I made a choice which determined how I will proceed further. Making a decision is one way to take 100% responsibility for your life, and this is my wish to you:
Always find the strength in yourself to make decisions with awareness, and never say that you don't care. If you live, you are of value to the world, create something beautiful, powerful, useful, and tell me about it, because, even if no one else will, I WILL pat you on your shoulder and say:
AWESOME, keep it going."

The notes really are raw.  Later editing has been kept to a minimum as no one thought it a good idea to try to make a neat picture out of a messy reality. Because questioning oneself is not a neat process, as those of us who have ever done it would undoubtedly confirm.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lasītava
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9789934121647

Book preview

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Ashram, Rishikesh, North India. Day 2

My room

First emotions

Why am I doing this?

At the spot where all Babas come together near the River Ganges. Day 3Date: 21.07.15.

Ashram. After the ceremony for the River Ganges

Goals

Ashram poetry. OUTLINES

The question is!

So what is the Hypnotic Rhythm of Nature?

The Truth is Outside...

Dinner in ashram. Day 4

How to tame a running horse?Meditation.

Body, Mind, Spirit

Indian sunset prayer by the River Ganges

Back in my room after a meditation

Notes

Thoughts in the ashram dining room. Day 5

Idea follows meditation?

Within four walls

How did I get there?

I shut my eyes more tightly

Within the ashram’s four walls. Day 6

In the temple after yoga. Day 7

ONE PHOTO, PLEASE

Indian prayer time by the River Ganges

The bare truth

Am I happy?

Are these ten days worth it?

Are you enlightened now?

What stands in the future?

Is this what you expected when you began your self-development?

Next steps?

Little Buddha cafe, Rishikesh. Day 8

By the River GangesDate: 26.07.15. 17:30

Diner in the big Yoga temple. Day 9

With Chai by the River Ganges. Day 10

We are what we think we are

An unpleasant Baba

Reflections on the last days in the diner of the big Yoga center. Day 11Date: 29.07.15. 07:00

Is Love Explainable?

Were these 10 days worth it?

Reflections after one year. Riga

Editor Kristaps Ozoliņš

Illustrations and design Āris Birze

SIA Apgāds Mansards,

Reg. No. 40003697813,

Alberta iela 11-1, Rīga, LV-1010, Latvija,

tālr. 25442005,

e-pasts: [e-mail],

www.apgadsmansards.lv

© Āris Birze, 2017

© Mansards, izdevums, 2017

ISBN 978-9934-12-161-6

978-9934-12-164-7 (e-book)

To all who know that growth is necessary for life, because it teaches us. To those who have been pulled into the Self-Development culture and want to achieve their own goals and enrichment in life.

Go and do, because you might also inspire someone else to get up after a fall, a failure, or shattered illusions.

Thanks to my family and friends who support me no matter what, even if it is hard to understand what I’m actually doing. :)

GET UP, YOU CAN, BECAUSE AN IDEA IS ONLY WORTH AS MUCH AS IT BRINGS VALUE TO THE REAL WORLD!

INTRODUCTION

In 2015, my PostNos friends and I set out on a trip around India to shoot an adventure travel documentary:

YES gets you further | JĀ ved tevi tālāk.

After having been on the Indian and Nepalese roads for more than four months finally came the moment I had been waiting for all along: time to go to the mountains, meditate, do yoga and listen to my inner voices.

Did they talk to me? Louder than expected.

Three years ago I began a journey towards financial freedom as it was being described in self-development books. All I had to do was follow the written principles. So I read, listened and tried almost everything that others shared with me – but only to find an entirely different fortune. A rich life, lead by true meaning and goals, with people who I love and want to have near me. With the ability to freely say Yes and No without the sense of guilt or regret. And without fear.

These are my notes on being alone and battling out inner conflicts with myself. I wrote them during the ten days l was staying in an ashram in Rishikesh after saying goodbye to my friends.

Before you continue reading, I want to note a few Adult words like independent, responsible, truthful, love, strength, growth... they’re probably a bit different from the adult words which came to our minds as children.

They will help you understand what this book is about. I wrote it to give an insight into the world of Self-Development, where material possessions are only one part of life and where one shouldn’t be afraid of trying out new things, of risking speaking the truth. Truth is liberating, and it gives us an opportunity to be ourselves, to be as we really are.

For the last three years I’ve lived my life with full awareness and with taking full responsibility for everything I do; by listening to my inner voice which often enough has brought me where I didn’t even know I wanted to be. On this journey I have been both a student and a teacher. We get new things and insights only when we go where we haven’t been before. I want to see truth and courage to be honest to ourselves and others prosper, and cherish curiosity and learn from our mistakes.

You don’t even need to become that weird relative, who now dresses odd just to show he is searching for the meaning of life. The main goal here is to experiment with yourself, go beyond your mind’s logic and try to understand your life’s true meaning, to find answers to the real ques­tions of life. All of it helps to reach something unexperienced, and when the cycle closes, everything always brings you back to the starting point, and suddenly you find yourself back home again.

The rest is just expressions of EGO.

The greatest myth which kept me from reaching my enlightenment was the illusion that I must become this weird person, who exhibits his wandering outwards, but that is complete bullshit. So is the idea that life will suddenly become much easier and things will just happen for you. Truth is, it does become easier, but only because you start to recognize the dark sides of your mind. But you no longer let it stress you out about things you can’t control, like the past or the future. Setting life goals becomes more natural, because knowing why, how and what to do something has also become more valuable than just reaching some random goal.

This search for meaning takes a lot of work,