Coming Alive

Look around, and you'll see many people living limited, joyless lives. You may attribute the daily grind to their gloomy demeanour, but that’s not the reason they are going through the motions ‐ Part X is.

Part X lives in each of us. It's a voice that tells us we're not good enough or that life is meaningless. It's our worst critic, our source of pessimism, our enabler of indulgences, and the amplifier of emotional hurt. This destructive force inside of us feeds on our lethargy and fuels our anger. When we have an aspiration, it gradually erects a huge psychological wall in front of it and spray paints “IMPOSSIBLE” on the wall in graffiti‐style letters.

Part X's primary goal is to keep you and me down and prevent us from growing. In a sense, it's the self‐improvement villain who wants to exert dominance over our lives. But here's the twist ‐ we need Part X. Without Part X, we would not grow. Just as a hero in a story needs a worthy villain to rise up, dig deep, and bring forth their best self to defeat that villain, Part X ensures we keep fighting and growing. Each time we defeat Part X, we grow stronger. But we can’t kill Part X ‐ we can only temporarily defeat it.

Use two “Tools” created by psychotherapist and author Phil Stutz to awaken a force inside and temporarily defeat Part X.

The Black Sun Tool

Imagine the thing you crave has created a void inside of you can only fill by giving in to the craving. Then, imagine the thing you crave is simply unavailable ‐ it completely vanishes from existence. You will feel deprived by having no way to fill the void inside of you. But if you look into the void with curiosity, you'll feel something warm and satisfying emerge from within. Imagine this thing emerging from the void is a black sun resembling a complete solar eclipse.

The sun is a universal symbol of unlimited energy, and it represents your life force. The sun is black because Part X is trying to hide that life force from you. As you focus on this black sun object in the void, feel it expand until it fills the void. Now, feel it expand outside your body as it turns into a bright white light of infinite giving that radiates out in all directions.

The “Black Sun” psychological tool is powerful for two reasons:

1. The Black Sun tool sparks a realization that you can self‐generate a sense of satisfaction, and you don't need anything from the outside world to feel whole, eliminating any leverage Part X has over you.
2. The Black Sun tool creates a sense of abundance and a strong desire to give to others. The more you give, the more you activate your life force and have the energy to defeat Part X.

It seems paradoxical, but the more energy you put into giving, the more energy you receive. Just think back to when you gave yourself entirely to a project ‐ it strengthened your commitment to the project team and heightened your engagement, allowing you to work long hours.

When you find ways to be generous in your relationships, work, and all aspects of life, your problems shrink and Part X fades into the background. However, at the first sign of fatigue, Part X will return and convince you to check out and be lazy. When this happens, bring out the second tool, “The Vortex.”

The Vortex Tool

One of part X's dirtiest tricks is repeating the perfectly rational idea that the only way to regain energy is to sit around and do nothing. But recall a time you’ve felt depleted – did you regain energy by being lazy or by getting engaged in a conversation, a workout, or interesting project?

Human beings gain energy by being plugged in and fully engaged in the world around them, not by withdrawing from it. However, you need a short energy burst to achieve full engagement and tap into a huge energy source. Think of it like waking up in the morning, groggy and tired, and needing just enough energy to plug a bright light into the wall. If you manage to get the light plugged in, your eyes will be flooded with light, creating a neurochemical reaction in your brain that provides the motivation you need to get moving. The vortex is a tool that will give you just enough energy to get curious and engaged in a conversation, a workout, or interesting project, and plug into a huge energy source. Here's how it works:

Imagine 12 tiny suns forming a circle above your head and spinning rapidly. Hear the hum of the spinning suns getting louder and louder. As they spin, they create a powerful vortex that slowly lifts you off the ground. Feel yourself relax and allow your body to be pulled up through the circle of suns. As you move through the circle of suns, imagine absorbing the energy from the rotating suns and expanding into a giant.

Repeat this vortex tool visualization at least three times to shed the heaviness that comes from feeling lethargic and fatigued, to get a surge of energy to fully engage in a conversation, workout, or interesting activity.