To view this newsletter in the browser, click here                 Issue #114       A newsletter from Creativegarh to help you live a life of passion, purpose and meaning.         We reciprocate love. We manipulate fear.                     While volumes have been written on the need for living an authentic life, ask most people and they'd rather manipulate their lives and of others to be loved than to live authentic, fearless lives.           How often do we change the way we show up covering up our true essence, behaving in a way that is not true to us, tampering with our own truth, manoeuvring conversations, tinkering with our own interests, and operating from our limiting beliefs, conditioning and programming just to be loved? We operate from the fear of being alone, dying alone and the endless desire for security and pleasure.           But wasn't love always meant to be authentic, without the make-believe? And wasn't it meant to be reciprocated in the same way? With authenticity?           So, before we seek true love from people on the outside, let's get comfortable with our own truth. Excavate, challenge assumptions, be our own whistleblowers, accept our darkness, own up to our selfishness that hides behind every action we make to be loved.           Why do we still please people even when we are hurting? Why are we saying yes even when we want to say no? Why are we still holding onto a toxic relationship that makes us feel worthless, unwanted, unloved? Why are we over-engaging with others just to feel wanted and to belong? Why are we agreeing to ideas that go against the very fabric of our beingness? Why do we hide parts of ourselves that evoke shame, all this in the name of love? Why do we say that family is important even when it stifles us instead of liberating us?           Because we do not want to be rejected. Because we fear being alone. Because we want the security of relationships. Because we want to be seen as the labels that we vociferously protect.           Only when we know ourselves, will we know others. Only when we are true with ourselves will we be true to others. Only when we love ourselves unconditionally will we love others without conditions, without the manipulations.           Choose vulnerability over pretence, abundance over lack, expression over suppression, authenticity over manipulation, surrender over strategy, freedom over being a prisoner of falsehood, love over fear.                 When will you thanks those who hurt you the most?                     You grow through by what you go through. Every experience of your life has nudged you to this day, this moment. And what might seem like a dark place right now that makes you want to go on a rampage and hurt everyone who has led you to this point, truthfully, it may just be the place you are meant to be on for a new door to open. It could be that the key lies in turning the anger into gratefulness.           Maybe the past you did not have the courage but the present you does. Maybe the past you failed but the present you knows that those experiences were meant so you could succeed a few years later. The past you had a veil of anger so you could not see the experience as it was, but the present you can remove the layers of stories and read the lines as they were meant to be read, not between them.           When will you thank your parents for not approving of you as a non-conformist because of their own insecurities, and internal battles. The present you knows that the reason you are the only artist in your family of doctors and teachers is the rebellious attitude you learnt from their own lives.           Thank your art teacher who never approved of your doodles. Had it not been for her, you would not have got interested in computers and writing code for AI generated art today.           Thank your ex-lovers who never saw your worth back then but that made you choose yourself and be worthy of your own love.           Thank all those who trolled you when you wanted them to like and share instead. They helped you create our own voice that your niche audience loves.           Thank all those clients and bosses from hell who built resilience into you. Had it not been for them, you would never have thought that being your own boss is way cooler and you would not be running your own startup today.           Thank those critics for their vitriolic remarks and reviews. They gave you the impetus you needed to move out of your comfort zone and shift the boundaries of your creations.           Thank yourself for all the times you gave up on yourself, when you hated yourself, judged yourself. All that would not have made you, the truly authentic you that you are today, relentlessly honouring your glorious life and every gift it has brought along.       Our upcoming retreats                         Kasauli Registrations Open 4th to 10th January     The stunning vistas and holistic experiences at Kasauli create the perfect space for self-discovery, and ensure this retreat is a transformative and unforgettable experience!   More details     Reignite conversation     Jodhpur Last 2 Seats Left 16th to 22nd February     In a place of princely palaces and forts, travel back in time as we seek to relook into your life. Rediscover yourself amidst the undiscovered side of Thar at this retreat.   More details     Reignite conversation     Andretta Last 5 Seats Left 16th to 22nd March     To reconnect to your inner child at a beautiful hillside retreat with 14+ soulful individuals will make this a life-transforming experience. See you at Andretta!   More details     Reignite conversation           This week, let's revisit     Mandi March 2024                         Experience a life full of purpose                     The purpose of my life is to build joyful, meaningful, sustainable and nourishing relationships with food.   Aanandita Chawla Kasauli, September 2022         The purpose of my life is to give a helping hand to people and make them feel loved and valued.   Anupama Singh Tirthan Valley, July 2022               For a daily dose of Creativegarh and our retreats, follow us here:                                 Watch All Episodes Here                   creativegarh.com             You are receiving this newsletter because either you have subscribed to it through our website, interacted with us by filling an invite form or because you have asked us to put you on the database. If you would not like to receive any more newsletters from us, please click here to unsubscribe.