The world is full of arresting possibilities, but few may really speak to you. In the final analysis, the source of your deepest interests will be a mystery. Yet, it is YOUR mystery, and you must choose to own it. If you don’t, someone else will choose for you. 

Mystery?

What is this mystery that I speak of? It is a feeling of deep curiosity and fascination that is irreducible. A feeling that does not yield to logical explanations, apart from to say it is “just so”. You are interested because it is interesting to you! And, whatever rational explanation you provide, it cannot explain away the infinite alternatives.  

Why are you fascinated by that particular thing? Who can say? For, it is a feeling of magic and inspiration that comes, in a sense, out of nothing. And, what matters is not why it is so, but that it is so. That there exists such a thing which deeply interests you. What matters is that you are awake to this fact. This is what I mean by ‘owning your mystery’ — really knowing what makes you feel alive. 

For example, I have no idea why I love heavy metal music so much. Similarly, I have no idea why I am fascinated by the human mind and social dynamics. I can supply plausible narratives based on my childhood experiences etc, but they will be just that, narratives. In the end, they don’t really matter. All that matters is that I know what interests me and that I follow my interests. 

Your deepest interests will be a mystery, but they can be known 

In a world full of noise, it pays to know what matters to you. It is your compass, your light in the dark. For, whatever noise you are bombarded with, you know what inspires you and can stick to it. You can play your game, whatever game they try to drag you into. 

Remember that a mystery is something that is difficult to explain or understand. And that has nothing to do with the truth of its existence — the truth of how it makes you feel.  Your deepest interests will be a mystery, but you can still know them. And, once you do, you can act upon them!

It all starts with waking up to yourself. This is the path of self-knowledge. 

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Harsha is a 1:1 coach and independent thinker based in London. He empowers people to find more clarity, confidence and focus in their lives — to cut through the noise, in a world so full of it. Harsha’s new book, Machine Ego: Tragedy of the Modern Mind, is now available in paperback and Kindle through Amazon.