I’ve been writing less in recent weeks, mostly due to being unwell, with maybe a little laziness in the mix too. On the positive side, the down time gave me the opportunity to reflect on my life and the work I’ve been producing for Adventures of the Mind.

The main reason I started writing these essays was to help me fully comprehend and integrate some of the complex psychological and philosophical ideas I’ve been studying over the last decade. My secondary motivation was to improve my writing and also to connect with an audience interested in similar topics.

It’s been just over six months since I started taking this project seriously and I’ve already had success with all three of the above — so thank you if you’ve been following along.

That said, I’ve recently felt a little pressured to publish a new essay weekly, and I think this demanding schedule is starting to take its toll on my ability to apply these ideas to my life and on the general quality of my work.

I don’t want to get to the point where I’m throwing out half-baked weekly essays just to keep up with some arbitrary level of output. I feel this defeats the point. It’s a disservice to my personal growth, creative satisfaction, and also to you. Therefore, my priorities are changing slightly going forward.

Wholeness is the goal

In my essay on Reconnecting with the Self, I wrote a small section on wholeness. I think wholeness is a great word to describe the objective of inner work.

Wholeness is the essence of health. It indicates that all parts of a system work together as one. Each aspect of the inner and outer world synergises to create a balanced and powerful force. I believe we’re all unconsciously looking to return to this experience of feeling complete.

This is what Adventures of the Mind is all about: an exploration of ourselves and the world leading to transformation in the direction of wholeness. This is how I view my purpose in life. First, to transform myself, and then to help others do the same through teaching and the creation of art.

I’m interested in how I can move my life toward wholeness, and by extension, infuse my writing with this same feeling. I think it comes down to being more intentional with my time, output and attitude. To say it another way, I want my life, my ideas, and my writing to inform one another.

If I’m feeling depressed one week, I want to be able to contemplate why, investigate solutions, and then write about my experience and discoveries. Not only would this be more beneficial to me but I also think it would be more valuable for you as it would speak to the real world rather than abstractions.

Now this isn’t to say that every piece of writing I release is going to be a personal essay. I’m still going to explore high-level topics related to the mind, as this is what I find most interesting. But to infuse my work with wholeness, there needs to be a balance between my first-hand experience and the transformational ideas I’m so passionate about sharing.

Authenticity and depth

I believe one of the main ways I can capture wholeness in my work and life is to study less and live more.

Learning from books and other high-quality sources is very important for inner work, but these lessons also need to be embodied and put to the test in the real world.

This real-world application could and should involve living a varied and interesting life — having new experiences, meeting people, facing fears, navigating challenges, and learning how to open yourself up to the highs and lows of existence.

It should also involve deep and honest contemplation of your own mind and behaviours, philosophical enquiry into life’s biggest questions, and an undertaking of specific practices that move insights from the abstract into the realm of lived reality.

This approach to inner work produces real transformation. By giving myself the time and space required to do this, I believe my work will increase in depth and authenticity. There will be a truthful charge behind the words I write and the stories I tell. And it’s at this point that the already helpful material becomes exceptional and life-changing.

What’s required then is for me to take my time with these essays. My plan is to still release weekly if possible, while giving priority to depth and authenticity. If I don’t feel like I have something worthwhile, integrated and true to say, then I won’t say anything at all. Of course, this approach might slow the growth of my newsletter, but I think it’s a sacrifice that will pay dividends in the long run. As the reader, you’ll also know that what I’m writing has been carefully considered and is likely worth your time.

Your role

One of the reasons I’m sharing this with you is because I want you to also think about how this concept of wholeness applies to your life. I’m making these adjustments with the intention of gradually guiding every aspect of my life toward a centre that feels complete. Are there changes you could be making to do the same?

Maybe it’s worthwhile considering where you may be lacking in wholeness. This could be practical aspects of your routine that don’t align with the person you know yourself to be deep down. Or it could be psychological repressions or dysfunctions that need to be faced and healed. These are the difficult but real challenges that come with growth.

Your mission, therefore, is to find those areas that are fragmented and gradually bring them back into the whole. As I described above, one of these fragmented areas for me is being too conceptual and thereby shutting myself out of life. For you it could be any number of things, to find them you need to look. I’ve already written about some ways to do this, including parts work and dream work.

The more you work on wholeness, the better life will become. You’ll start to feel not only happier but also that you’re on track to becoming the person you were always meant to be. This is a clear sign that you’re making progress and becoming more whole.

There’s one final thing I want to address, and that’s the argument that we’re already whole. Yes, from a certain perspective, I agree. We are who we are, and acceptance of that is healthy. From the universal perspective, there may be no reason to chase all these self-improvement goals at all.

With that said, we’ve got a sense of free will and individuality, and we’re here now experiencing this life, whatever it may be. From our limited perspective, we can choose to use our time here to move toward an experience of wholeness or not. My personal opinion is that much of the meaning and adventure in life comes from this process of learning and growing. Reality is change. Everything is evolving. And so, even if it’s ultimately pointless, the journey of becoming whole is its own reward. There’s great pleasure in trekking uphill, but only if you allow yourself to pause, take in the views, and recognize how far you’ve come.

Ben Worrall