In Buddhist thought, the three root causes of suffering are often called the “Three Poisons”. Lobha (greed, grasping, craving), Dosa (anger, aversion, hostility). Moha (confusion, delusion, and ignarance of reality). Letting go of these are essential for freedom, peace, and love because they distort perception, conflict with reality, and trap the mind in endless cycles of psychological suffering.

The choice you resist most is often the one with the highest payoff. In Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the choice you are avoiding “journey through the unknown cave of trials” generates internal resistance of fear through doubt, risk, and discomfort. The highest payoff is truth, growth, and a shot at the best version of yourself.

Ten essentials of emotional wellbeing:

• Emotional awareness - The ability to create a space in your mind between stimulus and response that Viktor Frankl refers to as the last ultimate human freedom. The freedom to choose your response in harmony with your highest values regardless of chaos.

• Regulatory processing toolkit - The skills to feel emotions without being run by them.

• Meaningful authentic relationships - Strong honest connections are the biggest factor in wellbeing.

• Life Clarity - This includes your true nature, signature strengths, highest values, and experimental mindset and habit framework that integrates it all with integrity.

• Self-respect and boundaries - Establish clear boundaries to protect your time, energy, and identity.

• Physical Wellbeing - You can’t emotionally overcome chronic exhaustion or physiology. Sleep, movement, and nutrition are essential.

• Positive Mind Traits - Create mindfulness tools to replace negative mind-states with default positive mind-traits.

• Resilience - Cultivate stress and suffering recovery skills. Learn how to surf the storms.

• Autonomy - Cultivate autonomy skills by building self-confidence.

• Values Actualization - Align your actions with values to establish personal integrity with your true nature.