My Story: Why I Created The Conscious Life

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For the impatient, the gist of the story is:

I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I didn’t want to exhaust my life savings on medical check-ups and treatments. I knew there must be better, cheaper and drug-free ways to feel good, have lots of energy, and lead a healthy and fulfilling life. This website is where I put all my findings and views on holistic health, and I hope they will be of use to you.

Now, if you are still with me and keen to know the juicy details, read on.

The Full Story

It all began at my lowest point. I was the guy, at home and work, who seemed to catch anything that went around. Flu was almost a monthly affair; I was constantly tired and plagued by frequent headaches and unexplained pains. My cholesterol and blood pressure readings were high, and I was easily anxious and quick to anger. Needless to say, I was stressed, unhappy and vulnerable, both physically and emotionally.

But ironically, I was supposedly the most health-conscious person in the office. I was careful with what I ate, exercised three times a week, took my supplements and was leaner than most people around me. I thought I was doing all the right moves, but apparently not.

Similar irony played out in my work too. My job was stable and well paid. I went on at least one overseas vacation a year and I could afford almost anything I wanted. But somehow I didn’t feel the kind of fulfillment, security and excitement commonly associated with money and safe employment. Instead, I felt hollow and empty like a walking mannequin. I seriously felt that if I continued living in this way, not only will I die a slow, horrible and premature death, I will also die regretting for not having lived.

For all my life, I have enjoyed reading books on health and longevity. But I have never really gone deeper into them or put them to work. After my 35th birthday, I decided that I have had enough. I’m sick of my current state of being and I wanted to put what I’ve learned to good use. So I consciously made a choice to go back to basics, live a simple life and do the things that will bring joy to my heart. One of the manifestation of this joy is The Conscious Life which you are reading now.

Important Lessons I Learned

Three important lessons emerged repeatedly in ancient as well as modern texts about a fulfilling and healthy life:

Firstly, an unconscious mind is the root cause of an unhappy and unhealthy life. By acting out our desires mechanically and responding to life events automatically, we do not know what we’re doing and are oblivious to the consequences our unmindful actions.

Secondly, our health is not determined solely by the state of our physical body. It is in fact deeply affected by the way we feel inside — mentally as well as spiritually.

Lastly, each of us has the enormous power to heal ourselves, provided we don’t shut it down with alcohol, drugs or bad habits.

So to live well and long, not only do we need to live consciously and nurture our body, mind and spirit, we must also do it as early as we can — not when we are too frail to begin. Because lasting good health, and ultimately lasting happiness, don’t happen overnight. It is a result of consistent and persistent positive actions.

How About Conventional Medicine?

Although I emphasize the healing potential of mind-body connection and natural remedies on this website, I am not against the use of all prescription drugs. To be fair, medications have a role to play in controlling certain diseases and saving lives. But I feel that they are often overused and overpriced. There are many ailments that can be controlled or even cured with some common sense and cheaper herbs or foods that have little side effects. Doing so will not only leave us with better health and more money to enjoy life, but also prevent the cost of health care from skyrocketing.

The key point here is to use drugs consciously and intelligently, if you really need to. Know their benefits as well as side effects and don’t close yourself to alternative methods that can complement your treatment and hasten the healing process. Look at your body as a whole, not as individual parts like a computer. You’re not a robot, so don’t treat yourself like one.

My Results

The results from my change have been most rewarding. I rarely catch a cold or flu nowadays, and even when they do strike, the symptoms are less intense than before and they also take shorter time to clear away. My cholesterol levels and blood pressure are back to normal, and I have also shed more body fats (yes, lean people do have unwanted fats).

I am now living my dream life and I generally feel happier and calmer than who I used to be a few years ago. I meditate everyday, and I also cook most of my meals, which are a world of difference from the takeaways I used to eat. Life is much simpler than before, but I feel much more alive and ‘in the moment’! It’s as if I am rediscovering life and learning how to live all over again.

I hope you can also learn the ways to great health and rediscover the joy of living like me. That’s the reason why The Conscious Life exists — to be a source of inspiration and information in your quest for a great and exciting life.