To view this newsletter in the browser, click here                 Issue #210       A newsletter from Creativegarh to help you live a life of passion, purpose and meaning.         Many live. Some begin to seek. Some persevere. Very few realise the truth.                     Among thousands of human beings, hardly one strives for perfection; and among those who strive and attain perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth. ~ Bhagavad Gita 7.3           Every morning, as we resurface in the world from under the duvet, we see the beautiful life standing next to our bed, waiting for you to embrace it. But you snub her and choose your phone instead as you step into a world of pleasure, status, achievement and survival.           Instead of living it up, you start with a feeling of giving it up. Instead of allowing life to lead you, you drag life along with yourself, wanting to take charge of it.           Another day goes by and we realise we have been running on a treadmill all day. We live every day on autopilot, not even pausing for a moment to ask a deeper question - what’s the point of all this? Who am I beneath all of this, and what is the purpose of my life?           The human being is rare, for it is the only species that can pursue comfort, but also question comfort; experience desire, but also examine desire; identify with the body, but also ask who is aware of the body; live in the world, but also seek what is beyond the temporary. Human life is the only form of life on this planet that has the capacity for self-enquiry and spiritual realisation.           But the problem is that, among thousands, hardly one pauses to find answers to such deep questions, to seek something higher. And even if one does move to the next level, very few stay on the path as it becomes difficult. The odds sharply drop from here, as most people seek only spiritual comfort and spiritual identity instead of living a life that is devoted to the relentless pursuit of perfection.           Perfection here does not mean becoming flawless in whatever we do, achieve worldly success or create an impressive spiritual identity. In this context, it means moving towards realisation of the Self and the Divine - becoming free from ignorance and recognising one’s deepest nature.           In this verse, Krishna describes a gradual narrowing. Many live - some begin to seek - some persevere - very few realise the truth. The idea is not to discourage anyone but to make sincere seeking feel gifted and precious. If the question of truth has awakened in you, Krishna says, do not treat that awakening casually, do not give up halfway, do not do it only for comfort, see it to the end.           Also, the spiritual path is not reserved for a special religion, caste, class or personality. It’s for everyone, but it’s important to know that having access to wisdom and being transformed by it are two different things.           Spiritual life does not mean merely admiring profound teachings, it requires practice. We read books, listen to podcasts, attend retreats, watch spiritual reels, quote Rumi, memorise Gita verses, but when someone triggers us, we pack all the wisdom in a tight fist and let it land while seething with anger. That’s why Krishna doesn’t ask for wisdom to be collected but to be embodied through lived experience.           This verse teaches that genuine spiritual striving is rare, and even rarer is knowing Krishna in truth - but the appearance of this longing itself is an invitation to take the path seriously.                 You already know what to do, you're just negotiating with comfort.                     In your heart of hearts, you know, you always know.           You know when the relationship has run its course and now it’s just hanging by a delicate thread of comfort asking you not to rock the boat. You just know when the job you so happily took does not give you the same joy on a Monday morning. You always know when you should be saying no instead of the recurring yes. You always know when to walk out of the room where you are not wanted anymore.           You always know. If someone asked you today, would you exercise, apologise, meditate, quit the toxic relationship, you always know the answer. But somewhere, the action eludes you. It's not that you lack wisdom but what you lack is courage. It's not that the next step is hidden, it's simply uncomfortable.           You may have a strong narrative for sure. You may say that you do not know what to do but what you really mean is, I don't like what I know what I need to do. There's a constant war not between right and wrong but between freedom and familiarity, between knowing and becoming, between letting it be and letting go, between confrontation and comfort.           And you see, comfort is a seasoned lawyer, and its heartless and ruthless general is resistance. They argue logically. You've had a long day. Start of Monday. Now isn't the right time. You deserve a break. Maybe it's just wrong timing. Think it through. Comfort and resistance are remarkably persuasive and reasonable and you usually give in to the logic to postpone your freedom to yet another day.           And why do we listen to resistance? We are suckers for familiarity and we would any day prefer familiar pain over unfamiliar freedom. A known devil seems far more friendlier than an unknown god, even if the familiar is making us uncomfortable. That's why we stay in unhappy jobs, unfulfilling relationships, and destructive habits.           And then there is the sunk cost fallacy of having invested so much time, energy and emotion into something that you want to juice every penny from it. And because it's been an investment, the brain never wants to see it as a failed one. So we keep trying to make it work, to yield results, to change one day so that we can be proud of our decisions.           Add to this, the ego has been trained to always see itself as right. The soul always knows but the ego is the one who keeps negotiating. And every negotiation strengthens the neural pathways of avoidance, making freedom difficult as you make discomfort a habit.           Imagine standing before a door. You already have the key. Life is simply waiting for the day you stop negotiating with comfort and turn the key with courage.             Our upcoming retreats                         Andretta Sold Out 15th to 21st November     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         Jodhpur Last 6 Seats Left 6th to 12th December     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 Registrations Open 21st to 27th February     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     Athoor September 2023                         Experience a life full of purpose                     I believe existence should be empowering towards nature and my purpose is to achieve this through Brand Acceleration.   Shashank Agarwal Tirthan Valley, December 2022         My purpose is to be a catalyst in shifting people's perspectives, to help them see the possible in the impossible.   Anitha Ranjit Munnar, October 2022               For a daily dose of Creativegarh and our retreats, follow us here:                           Mantra Gold Coatings & The White Paper Creative         Sunita Somani         Pedal On               View Our Collabs for Joy                   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. 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