The Guiding Principles That Keep Me Connected to My Being: Lessons from Travel, Culture Shock, and Spiritual Awakening
Introduction — Finding My Compass in a Comfortable World
Have you ever felt disconnected from yourself…?
Like you’re living your life, but not really living as you?”
Have you ever looked at your routine and wondered,
When did I stop being me?
If you’ve ever felt that… you’re not alone.
I felt it too — deeply — until I created these guiding principles.
Not to reinvent my life or become someone new,
but to return to my Being…
the part of me I had slowly drifted away from.
So before I go deeper into the stories…
here are the six guiding principles that became my compass back to my Being.
1 — Gratitude
2 — Pay it forward
3 — Be yourself
4 — Don’t let distractions pull you away
5 — Trust the path toward your dream
6 — Live from your Being
These six principles became the anchors that brought me back to myself —
and today, I want to show you how each one was born.
Why These Principles Mattered
I’ve developed these guiding principles over time, shaped through travel, discomfort, moments of awe, and times when I completely lost myself. They act like a compass—pointing me back to my Being, the version of myself I want to become, the dream I’m walking toward.
Where I live is beautiful, safe, glowing, and carefully designed for comfort. I have clothes, I’m healthy, I can work, I can learn new things. And yet, like many people, I often take those blessings for granted. When stress builds, I drift.
I scroll mindlessly.
I worry about how others see me.
I doubt whether I’m on the right path.
These principles are my way back.
A reminder that even when I forget, I can always return—to places, to moments, to my Being.
Looking back, I’m grateful I took the plunge into travel. It gave me everything I didn’t know I needed.
1. Gratitude — What Travel Taught Me About Presence and Being
Solo travel opened my heart in ways I didn’t expect. I met so many people—locals, travelers, strangers—who went out of their way to help me:
Guiding me when I was lost.
Showing me their favorite places.
Sharing stories, food, and laughter without expecting anything in return.
That warmth stays with me.
But traveling through India and Bangladesh also made me deeply aware of the blessings in my own life. People there work incredibly hard, often in tough conditions. And they don’t constantly question the meaning of life—they simply live, fully present.
Even with less comfort than what I take for granted in Japan, their hearts are wide open. They welcome you, care for you, laugh with you, talk to you without hesitation.
Of course, not everyone is kind—there are scammers, pushy sellers, and moments of overwhelm. But overall, the hospitality and sincerity of people define the true flavor of a city.
Travel reminded me how blessed I am.
It reminded me to be present.
To appreciate every small moment.
To stop losing myself in stress and worries.
And to stay aware of the love and care I’ve received from others.
Gratitude isn’t passive—it’s grounding.
It connects me to my Being.
2. Pay It Forward — Giving Back What Was Given to Me
After experiencing so much kindness, I realized something important:
The only meaningful way to return that kindness is to pass it on.
I can’t repay every person who helped me, guided me, or warmed my heart. But I can show kindness, humility, and sincerity to the next person I meet.
Life becomes richer when giving and receiving flow naturally.
I want to keep contributing to that cycle—through my attitude, my actions, and how I show up in the world.
3. Being Yourself — What Japan and India Taught Me About Identity
One of the biggest lessons I learned is simple:
Forcing myself to be someone I’m not is one of the biggest causes of depression.
In India, people talk to you without hesitation.
No filter.
No holding back.
If they want a photo, they ask.
If they feel something, they express it.
Some people can be pushy or come off self-centered, but honestly… I found it refreshing. People were simply being themselves, unapologetically. That openness made it easier for me to be myself too.
But in Japan?
Japan is easy to live in…
and hard to live in.
I constantly adjust—not just my tone, but my whole identity—depending on who I’m with. It’s draining. The gap between who I am and who I “should” be expands until I lose myself.
I wish I could bring India’s energy home—the freedom to exist without performing. But it’s not always easy.
Still, this principle keeps me grounded:
Stay connected to your Being. Don’t shrink or bend just to fit in.
Find what lights you up—and follow it.
“One of the biggest reasons I created this guiding principle was the reverse culture shock I experienced after returning to my home country from studying abroad. I’ll share that full story in another post — it’s a big part of how this principle was born.”
4. Don’t Let Distractions Detach You from Your Being
Another principle I hold close is this:
Never let anything—or anyone—pull you away from what matters.
Life expands when you throw yourself into new environments, new challenges, new discomforts.
Comfort is seductive, but comfort also dulls your edges.
Youth is precious.
Time is precious.
I want to live fully, not waste the moments that shape me.
Not drift into mindless escape.
Not let distractions weaken the connection to my Being.
Every environment is either pushing you closer to who you want to become—or pulling you away.
“I’m sharing the detailed India trek story elsewhere, but that moment changed me. It became one of the seeds that grew into this guiding principle.”
5. Trust the Path Toward Your Dream (Even When It Feels Unclear)
There are days I feel stuck, unmotivated, or misaligned—especially when my daily work doesn’t feel connected to my long-term goals.
On those days, it’s easy to think I’m off track.
That I’m failing.
That I’m not becoming the person I want to be.
But I’ve learned this:
Uncertainty doesn’t mean failure. It means growth is required.
The path to your future self doesn’t exist inside your comfort zone.
It exists outside it.
So I take small steps toward my dream life—becoming someone I’m proud of.
Even small steps count.
I stay connected to my Being.
I don’t let fear or doubt control me.
I keep showing up, every day.
6. Life Cycles, Death, Being — The Spiritual Moments That Changed Me
This last guiding principle grew from experiences in India and Nepal—moments that shook me awake.
Varanasi & Pashupatinath — Witnessing Life and Death in Harmony
In Varanasi, the biggest cremation site in the world, life and death exist side by side:
Bodies burn.
Children play.
People bathe in the Ganges.
The air is thick with both endings and beginnings.
At Pashupatinath in Nepal, families gather to cremate loved ones by the river. Across the water, people pray for fertility and blessings.
Standing there, I felt something shift in me:
I get one life in this form.
I want to live it as me.
Nagarkot — Meditation and the Nature of Being (with Rajyoga Explained Clearly)
At the Brahma Kumaris meditation center in Nagarkot, a guide taught us about Rajyoga and the nature of the soul. His presence was calm, grounded, almost otherworldly — the kind of person whose words feel heavier because they come from direct experience, not theory.
He explained something that reshaped how I see myself:
Then he introduced Rajyoga, the form of meditation practiced at Brahma Kumaris — and the one that tied everything together for me.
What Rajyoga Meditation Actually Is (Brahma Kumaris Version)
He said:
“Meditation isn’t just about calming the mind.
Rajyoga is a way to connect — not only with your own soul,
but with the Supreme Energy, the source of everything.
Different cultures call it by different names,
but the One you connect to is the same.”
Unlike other meditation styles that focus on breathing, chanting, or emptying the mind, Rajyoga is about awareness:
1. Soul-consciousness
You remember that you are a Being, not just a body or personality.
2. Connection with the Supreme Soul
In Brahma Kumaris teaching, every soul (every Being) comes from a higher source — a pure, peaceful Supreme Energy.
Meditation = Being → connecting → Source.
3. No postures or rituals
You can meditate sitting, standing, walking, eyes open or closed — because the practice is mental awareness, not physical technique.
4. Interconnectedness
Once you truly understand your Being,
you naturally begin to see that:
are all connected through the same field of energy.
He explained it in a way that made everything suddenly make sense:
“Before you can connect with the Supreme,
you must first know your own Being.
When you know your Being,
you see that all life is woven from the same energy.
We are threads in one fabric.”
Why It Hit So Deeply
It felt like he was putting words to something I had always felt but never fully understood — especially after that intense hashish experience in India, when I briefly felt my Being separate from my body.
That moment had shaken me, but this explanation in Nepal felt like confirmation of something that had already been living inside me.
It was as if the pieces finally clicked:
At the end, when I tried to give him a tip, he smiled gently and said:
“No. Use that energy to build your Being.”
I’ll never forget that.
“My unexpected hashish experience in India, where I briefly felt my Being detach from my body,
and a deeply grounding spiritual experience in Canada that helped me reconnect with it.I’ll share both of those stories in separate posts, because they played a huge role in shaping how I understand my Being today.”
Ego & Emotions Aren’t the Enemy — They Hold the Being in Place
I used to think emotions and ego were obstacles blocking my spiritual path.
But now I understand:
They support the Being.
They anchor you in your body.
They help you feel, reflect, grow, and stay grounded.
The key isn’t to fight them—
but to observe them, like in meditation.
When I want to procrastinate…
When I want to escape into my phone…
When I crave validation…
I pause and ask:
“What does my Being want?”
Sometimes rest.
Sometimes discipline.
Sometimes courage.
But the answer is always simple:
Follow what you believe in.
Do what lights you up.
Become who you want to be.
This is what it means to live from your Being.
Closing — Forgetting, Remembering, and Returning to My Being
Life is glowing, comfortable, fast, predictable.
Comfort numbs awareness.
Routine dulls intention.
But these six truths always bring me back:
1, Gratitude — remembering the kindness, love, and care I’ve received from people around the world.
2, Paying it forward — giving back the same warmth and humility others have shown me.
3, Being myself — not shrinking or performing, but living in alignment with who I am.
4, Avoiding distractions — keeping my eyes on what matters, staying focused on growth.
5, Trusting the path — even when the steps are unclear or uncomfortable.
6, Living from my Being — the soul, the inner core that continues long after everything else fades.
Forgetting is not failure.
It’s part of the cycle.
Because every time I forget, I eventually remember.
I return to the places, moments, and insights that shaped me.
I return to my Being.
And as long as I keep coming back to it—
I know I’ll be okay.
I’ll just keep living true to myself.