The Heart of the Matter
May 26, 2010
100 Reasons To Go Within

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Since the beginning of time, and even last Thursday, there have always been "inner directed" people -- seekers of peace, truth, and knowledge of the self.

Some of these people turned away from the world and ended up in caves, forests, or ashrams. Some sought the guidance of Masters. Others, stayed closer to home and simply checked out their nearest yoga class.

Have you ever wondered why people make this choice -- what moves a person to turn within? Well, I have -- and here they are -- 100 of the most common reasons.

Yours may be on it. If not, just let me know and I will add it to the next edition. Maybe.

100 Reasons to Go Within

1. You just lost your job.

2. Oprah told you to.

3. Your 401K is now a 101K.

4. The world always seems to let you down.

5. You're not getting any younger.

6. You've always been curious about this "going within" business.

7. Someone you love just died.

8. You think the Dali Lama is cool.

9. You read it in a book.

10. Your girlfriend ran away with your therapist.

11. Your house just burned down.

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12. Watching Dancing With the Stars no longer does it for you.

13. You're an unhappy atheist.

14. You've recently been diagnosed with a terminal disease.

15. You're about to have a root canal.

16. Your three-year plan has revealed itself to be a total charade.

17. It's free.

18. You have a living Master who keeps reminding you to go within.

19. Your wife, husband, kids, and hair have all left you.

20. You like what Jesus had to say about it.

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21. There's no time like the present.

22. You had a near death experience a while ago, but could never figure out how to stay in that blissful place.

23. Your team just lost the Big Game and you realize that everything you give yourself to in this world eventually disappoints.

24. You're stuck in traffic
25. You're on your death bed
26. You're on vacation

27. Inner space is a lot more interesting than outer space.

28. Space is curved. If you looked long enough through a powerful enough telescope, you'd end up seeing your own butt.

29. You've always been fascinated by the lives of sages, saints, and monks.

30. Nothing else seems to be working for you.

31. You want to build your house of bricks.

32. You've seen Avatar twice.

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33. You always knew that going within was important.

34. You finally figured out that the entire world is your projection and the flickering images on the screen aren't the only thing to focus on.

35. There's nothing good on TV.

36. You lost the remote.

37. You lost your way.

38. You read Siddhartha.

39. You'd rather have your own experience than read about someone else's.

40. You love George Harrison.

41. You want to lower your stress.

42. Googling it didn't get you anywhere.

43. You don't believe your own story anymore. (And you're tired of telling it).

44. You realize that your personality is a complete fabrication and you want to find out who (or what) exists behind the mask you call your "self."

45. Your best friend suggested it.

46. You're the reincarnation of Shiva.

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47. You're the reincarnation of Shiva's chiropractor.

48. You keep wondering why the spelling of "Shiva" and "Yeshiva" are so similar.

49. You've always favored silence and simplicity.

50. When you go to a video store, it takes you a long time to find anything you want to rent.

51. You once heard Prem Rawat talk about it and it sounded really good.

52. You went on a retreat last month and, even though the people there seemed to be completely full of themselves, smiled too much, and didn't have a sense of humor, you liked the way you felt when you weren't busy judging them.

53. It's good for your blood pressure.

54. You'd rather be on the inside than the outside.

55. The Dow is down (but not the Tao).

56. Your server is down.

57. All roads lead to Om.

58. You don't want to end up like the musk deer who wanders forever in search of the intoxicating fragrance that emanates from its own navel.

59. You prefer Rumi, Hafiz, and Kabir to Lady Gaga.

60. For thousands of lifetimes this is what you've done.

61. Your moon is in the House of Pies.

62. You want to find out what Prem Rawat meant when he said that "there are a lot of people who know there is a drop in the ocean, but only a few who know there is an ocean in the drop."

63. You want your mojo back.

64. Face it. You're just not that happy with your current state of affairs (even though you always tell people you are "fine" when they ask you how you are). It's kind of like you have a low grade virus or know there is a party going on nearby that you haven't been invited to and can't figure out why.

65. The happiest moments of your life have been listening to your Master speak about the beauty of going within.

66. You want shelter from the storm.

67. You've always sensed there was something universal inside of everyone -- far beyond religion or philosophy -- and you want to know what it is.

68. You read Be Here Now many years ago.

69. You're tired of waiting for Christmas, retirement, or a positive cash flow.

70. You've heard there's is at least one living Teacher who can show you how.

71. You'd rather know the "I" than the iPhone.

72. Three magi from Jersey City just showed up at your door. They are each holding a large pepperoni pizza and telling you that you better go within or they're gonna break your kneecaps.

73. Hey, if it doesn't work out, you can always get back into that network marketing thing.

74. Your favorite part of every meal is grace.

75. You don't need any credentials.

76. It's sugar free.

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77. Some time ago, for no apparent reason, you experienced a profound sense of gratitude, expansiveness, and joy. Everything made perfect sense. Alas...that feeling came and went. Now you want to get it back.

78. Rush Limbaugh has nothing to do with it.

79. It's non-caloric.

80. Every time you go to a bookstore, you find yourself wandering around the spiritual section.

81. When you were a little kid you alternated between feeling like an orphan and a visitor from another planet. You always wanted to "go home." Now you understand that home is not a geographical place, but a state of consciousness and "going within" has something to do with it.

82. Sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll took you only so far.

83. You realize that Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, and Lao Tzu can't all be wrong.

84. Your most favorite people on planet Earth have all committed to this journey.

85. You understand that to "go within" you don't need to give up bowling, poker, steak, sex, baseball, beer, crossword puzzles, scrabble, sushi, cappuccino, square dancing, break dancing, blogging, basketball, William Burroughs, designer jeans, Otis Redding, jello, science fiction, bonsai trees, tweeting, fruit loops, weightlifting, jazz, bargain hunting, coin collecting, the Kabaalah, dirty jokes, making fun of politicians, arm wrestling, Bruce Lee, Lee Marvin, Marvin Gardens, toasted marshmallows, and googling your own name when no one is watching.

86. You don't want anything else.

87. You realize that if you can't be happy in your own skin, nothing else is ever going to matter.

88. Your favorite songs are all love songs.

89. You feel a deep thirst within that cannot be quenched by anything else.

90. You want to.
91. You have to.
92. It's time.

93. You know that God is within and you would like to make his/her/its acquaintance.

94. Did I mention that you're not getting any younger?

95. Tick tock tick tock.

96. You're tired of the rat race.

97. You've been looking for love in all the wrong places.

98. You're almost coming to the end of this list.

99. You're almost coming to the end of your life.

100. Rush Limbaugh has nothing to do with it.

More

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at May 26, 2010 09:28 PM

Comments

There's a reason for everybody to go within. Great coverage MItch!

Posted by: Vie [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 30, 2010 05:10 PM

LOL ~ You went on a retreat last month and, even though the people there seemed to be completely full of themselves, smiled too much, and didn't have a sense of humor, you liked the way you felt when you weren't busy judging them.

you co/shoulda had one referring to a drawer full of passwords, somehow.

Posted by: Jaimo [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 13, 2010 11:28 PM

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Welcome to Mitch Ditkoff's blog about what's really important in this life: Peace, gratitude, love, joy, clarity, and the effort required to wake up and smell the roses. Enjoy!

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