About this post: I’m just an average entrepreneur who finds certain marketing, advertising and business stuff fascinating. This post (along with all others) is nothing more than a fun little project for myself where I write about stuff I find cool.
Today's post is about the time I did magic mushrooms - a 30g dose by myself with the aim to self-reflect. I never had any intention of a 'fun trip'. I wanted my ass kicked, beaten and tenderised black and blue - and I did!
Now this isn't strictly a business post. It's more a self-realisation post from the point-of-view from an entrepreneur.
Drugs is a weird subject. I know there's a lot of guys who rave about the 1001 benefits of weed and stuff. I'm not that guy. I personally think chronic stoners are losers.
That said anyone who thinks ALL drugs are useless all the time is an idiot. As you'll see Magic mushrooms forced me to face many demons and helped me come out the other side a stronger entrepreneur and human being.
This post was originally written on my blog where it's accompanied by pics I can't include here due to reddit's limitation. To read the article in it's original glory click here (don't worry there's no affiliate links or crap like that)
Otherwise enjoy:
How Magic Mushroom Changed My Life
Until maybe 4 years back I was a chronic liar.
Not in all respects. In fact in some ways I was the most honest person among my friends growing up. When I couldn’t get an erection with a girl, I came back and told my friends right away. They made fun and teased me – not in a vicious way – but how boys do.
Funnily enough since making that admission, within the next week one of my friends came and said all of a sudden he failed to get it up. Soon after another. Now I talk openly with anyone who I deem a decent friend about not getting erections. It was my honesty which opened the door for the uncomfortable phenomenon which every male deals with in their life.
But the two areas which I lied about were to make to make myself look cool, and to make excuses which I was too uncomfortable facing like a man.
I’ll give examples of both:
Looking cool – I would tell bullshit tales about hooking up with certain girls. Or I’d make up a story that I had visited a cool country, and maybe done cocaine with some cool people in a crazy situation.
Make excuses – Say I didn’t want to go to someone’s birthday. I would happily make up lies about a close relative dying. My go to relative was an uncle. You can never have too many uncles!
Jokes aside I feel embarrassed to my core that I ever did this. Particularly the lies revolving trying to make myself come off cool. It feels so lame to reject myself so outright that I need to make up shit stories.
Anyway, around April this year my brother gave me some mushrooms, which he had no use for because he was in a shitty headspace and didn’t want to shroom in that condition.
I on the other hand was in a great headspace. I had successfully closed over £11,000 of tutoring monthly tutoring business, from just 20 hours of work a week. Plus I had learned to open up to my then fiancé-now-wife, and our relationship had deepened.
I remember reading a long time ago, from a guy called Terrence McKenna, that if one wanted a really introspective trip he should take a high dose by themselves. This is exactly what I wanted.
Since leaving my office job lift back in April 2014, and starting my entrepreneurial journey I’ve had to face a lot of bullshit I was holding on to. That’s the beauty of entrepreneurship. You have to face reality if you wish to succeed – and that starts first with yourself. With the help of meditation, self-reflection and listening to certain teachers such as Alan Watts and Osho I had come a long way. I was a far happier person with both the world and myself.
I had no intention of using the Mushrooms as some recreational trip. Instead I wanted to face whatever demons the sacred mushrooms were ready for me to face. I expected the trip to challenge the very essence of who I was, but I felt ready for whatever came my way.
I chose a Saturday, where my fiancé was with her parents, cleaned the house, got all my tasks and errands out the way, put on a pre-chosen spotify music playlist and chewed the mushrooms thoroughly.
What followed was one of the most powerful emotion, physical and spiritual rollercoasters I’ve ever faced.
This may sound cliché, but it’s simply not possible to describe a session with Magic mushrooms justice. Words are just too cumbersome describe what the experience holds. It would be like trying to make a surgical incision with a chainsaw – or trying to describe the sound of birds chirping to someone who had never heard it.
What I will say is that there were two major “feelings” or “findings” I experienced of significant importance to me:
1) I felt so loved by the world. Imagine what it was like to feel scared and unsure as a child, and to then feel the warm embrace of a loving parent showcasing a strength higher than yours which made you feel both safe and free at the same time.
That’s how I felt. The world was telling me not to worry. It was addressing the scared child inside me which fights every day and feels scared behind it all. It was nothing short of beautiful.
2) This loving feeling told me one thing which I wanted to hear for so long. That the world – both those I know and love me, and new strangers who I’ve yet to know are ready and waiting to accept the real me.
I was told I didn’t need to lie or act cool. I was loved for who I am. And if anything the shedding of the lies to act cool would only allow the love and connection between me and everyone else.
It was so reassuring. I felt meek but at peace like I hadn’t in years. It was an exhausting bliss.
Oh man I read back on what I’ve wrote, and whilst I think I’ve done well to capture the essence of the magic I felt that day, it in no way truly captures the message I felt that day. Those interested will have no choice to go through the experience first-hand. There is no other way.
I felt thoroughly exhausted. But in the best way possible.
Though the experience has long passed, the message I received that day carries on with me today. And because of it I’m lying less and less, and learning to love both myself and others as they are – flaws and all.
It’s also had a big impact on my ability to get more business. Before I realised to accept myself, I would often stretch the truth regularly in my marketing and selling activity. I guess I felt who I was, and what I was capable of wasn’t enough to bring in clients.
Since shrooms, I’ve come to realise that the reason I got my clients wasn’t on my crazy claims, but my ability, and presence of character. It’s allowed me to strip away the unnecessary crap in my client acquisition process, which in turn has brought me a peace of mind I didn’t have.
Don’t get me wrong I still have plenty of doubts about myself. And I haven’t stripped myself of all the lies and bullshit I speak. But it’s drastically less, and I feel lighter and happier within myself.
About Me
My name is Ganon (not real name) and I’m an active entrepreneur with moderate success. What I love to do is write, and I do it for the fun of it. Hopefully you liked it - if you did let me know.
This is the 3rd post I've ever shared. If you like my stuff check out my personal blog here
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