Not happy with your life? The Culturescape might be what is keeping you trapped. Here is what that means, and how you can get out of it!
The Culturescape is a term to describe the construct of societal rules that are keeping most people stuck in life. The term was introduced by Vishen Lakhiani, the founder of Mindvalley (video).
Unless you are a 100% happy with your life, you want to be aware of this concept. This might be what is keeping you stuck and what is keeping you from feeling happy and free.
Let me explain 👇
The Human Mind
Just like animals, we have an animal mind. But what makes us humans different from animals, is our rational mind.
Having a rational mind is both a blessing and a curse. It can serve us very well, as long as we learn how to use it in a healthy way.
When we use our animal mind, we are in the now, the current moment. That is the state you would need to be in if you are living in the wild: always being aware of your surroundings and able to react to potential danger.
On the contrary, our rational mind is able to construct a world of its own. A world constructed out of language and ideas in our head. A world of ideas and constructs that our eyes cannot see.
When we are in our rational state of mind, we are NOT in the current moment, but we are present in this constructed world of ideas that only exists in our head.
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
-Albert Einstein
To read more on the rational mind vs the animal mind, check out my post How do you communicate with wild animals?
The Culturescape
The Culturescape is the imaginary world of ideas and beliefs shaped by the culture that we live in.
It is the illusionary path of what is supposed to make you happy in life, but in reality, will never really be able to do that.
Have you ever been in a situation where you walked the path you were expected to, and yet felt completely miserable? 👉 Welcome to the Culturescape!
These are the beliefs that we have gotten programed in our brain since our childhood. They are the beliefs around what you need to do to fit into society and live a succesful and happy life.
Some examples of these beliefs:
- You must get a degree
- You need to have a career
- You need to make a certain amount of money
- You need to be married
- You need to have children
- You need to work a 9-to-5 job
- You need to have a house
- You need to have a certain car/watch/phone/….
- You need to …. [fill in the blanks]
Are there any beliefs that you have that are similar to these? What do you believe that you need to have to be succesful and happy in life?
Why This Is A Scam
Do you have people in your life that measure their success and the success of others by any of these standards?
And are all those people sincerely happy and loving their lives to the max?
Most of them are not.. So then why take their advice?
If you want what they have, then of course you should take their advice, but if you want something different out of life, you will have to do something different than what they are doing..
Thinking that you will find happiness IF ONLY you will find that better house/job/car/partner is an illusion.
If this is how you are trying to find happiness, getting that next best thing will give you a momentary feeling of bliss, before the dopamine wears off, and you will be looking for the next best thing. And the cycle starts all over again..
👉 Don’t get me wrong. I’m not at all saying that you shouldn’t have any nice things, but I am saying that you should not have your sense of happiness depend on it.
What Is Happiness?
Happiness is a state of mind.
It can be found in the current moment by appreciating what you have, by loving yourself and others, and by doing what gives you a feeling of flow and joy.
It’s so simple, and yet so far away for many of us..
It is of course an illusion that as humans we will never feel miserable again (and that is fine), but we CAN change our baseline by quieting your mind and finding what brings you flow and joy.
The answers to what gives you a feeling of flow and joy, can only be answered by you, and it can only be found in your heart. No one else knows what your life’s calling is. But you do 🤍
Ego vs Soul
Important note: Don’t mistaken your soul’s desires with your ego’s desires.
👉 The ego is your protector, your bodyguard. It is there to keep you safe, not to make you happy. If you want to be happy, you need to venture out of your comfort zone, take risks and go with your gut.
So how do you know the difference??
Ask yourself what is the real reason that you want to buy a bigger house/car/watch or get a better job. Is it to impress others and get validation from external sources? Or is it truly only for your own enjoyment?
If you are doing it for love and validation, and to look succesful, it will not truly make you happy. It may seem that way for a second, but it is not real love. The ego has tricked you once again..
The way to feel real love and validation, is when it comes from within.
However sappy this may sound, self love is the answer.
Turning inward, and working on your inner wellbeing, will not only bring you real freedom, it will also give you all the answers you need to find your life’s purpose.
Quiet the mind, and you will find everything you have always been looking for..! 🙌🤍
“Always we hope someone else has the answer. Some other place will be better, some other time it will all turn out. This is it. No one else has the answer. No other place will be better, and it has already turned out. At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
– Lao Tzu
5 Ways To Escape The Culturescape
So what can you actually do to escape this prison of thoughts and beliefs, break free, and start living your best life? Here are 5 ways to set yourself free:
1. Become Aware Of Your Beliefs
Your beliefs control your emotions. Your emotions control your actions. Your actions shape your life.
Become aware of the beliefs that have been programed in your mind since you were young.
What do you believe that you need to be happy? Is that really true? What is triggering you, and why?
The deeper you get into understanding your triggers, the stronger you will grow. When you become aware of your triggers, you will stop reacting to them, and you will heal your life.
Now that you know what your limiting beliefs are, you can replace them with more constructive ones to build the life that you actually want!
2. Question Everything
You need a career. Says who?
You need to become rich. Says who?
You need to be married and have children. Says who?
Nothing wrong with any of these things, as long as you go for it because YOU want to, not because anyone made you believe that you have to.
These so-called ‘rules’ are merely constructs in our head, they are not reality. The best thing about this is that now you can create your own reality 🙌
3. Quiet The Mind
True happiness can be found when you quiet the mind. In the current moment, everything is good as it is.
You are good as you are. And so is everything and everyone else.
Have a meditation practice and experience this for yourself (if you haven’t already..)
If you are new to meditation, or just want some new ideas, check out my Guide to Meditation 😌
4. Connect With Your Inner Voice
When your mind is quiet, your inner voice will speak louder.
Because your inner voice already knows what your soul really wants, and what your purpose is in life, you need to connect to it.
By quieting your mind, you will find that you intuitively will just find all the answers you need 🧭
If you want to develop your intuition further, you can find some more ideas on how to do that in my post 15 ways to develop your intuition.
5. Do What Brings You Joy
Whatever brings you joy. Do that. As much as you can.
If you are not sure what that is, think of what you liked to do as a child, that is a good starting point.
Otherwise quiet the mind to source ideas. Or just go out and try something new.
Have fun! 😎
You might also like to read How many people are spiritually awake? to know the estimate of how many people in the world are actually trapped in the Culturescape 😱
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