Awakening: The Shift Beneath Success

What Buddha, mystics, and my own life are teaching me about what really matters

Lately, something in me has been changing.

From the outside, I have a life most people would admire. Freedom, financial success, beautiful things, and meaningful work. But quietly, I’ve been noticing something more profound: a growing sense that the old ways of living no longer feel aligned. Like something real is stirring underneath all the noise.

At first, I didn’t have a name for it.

Then I started reading and reflecting more. That’s when I came across something that resonated: awakening or, as Buddha called it, enlightenment.

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Did Buddha Really Exist?

Yes. Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha, was a real person who lived around 2,500 years ago in what is now Nepal and India. He was born a prince, but walked away from his palace life in search of something more profound. After years of meditation, fasting, and inner work, he experienced what he called enlightenment, a profound realization of truth beyond the ego, beyond illusion.

He then spent his life teaching others how to access that same inner clarity.

But it turns out Buddhism isn’t the only tradition with this idea. In fact, nearly every culture in human history has described this shift.

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Different Names, Same Shift

• In Hinduism, it’s called Moksha, liberation from illusion and unity with the divine.

• In Taoism, it’s aligning with the Tao, the effortless flow of nature.

• In Christian mysticism, it’s union with God, letting go of ego, and surrendering to divine presence.

• In Sufism, it’s called Fana, the annihilation of the self, and Baqa, living through divine love.

• In Indigenous traditions, it’s a felt sense of oneness with Earth, spirit, and ancestors.

Even modern psychology has its version: ego death, flow, or self-actualization.

Different words. Different contexts. But the same core experience.

It’s not religious. It’s human.

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The 3 Stages of Awakening

What I’ve learned is that this process tends to unfold in three phases:

1. Disillusionment – The Cracking Open

The old story starts falling apart. What used to motivate you: money, attention, speed, success, starts to feel empty. You begin questioning everything.

👉 That was me over the past couple of years. Even as I succeeded, I started asking: Is this it?

2. Awakening – The Shift Begins

You start feeling life differently. Less driven by pressure. More drawn to presence, simplicity, and creativity. You’re no longer trying to escape; you’re trying to feel.

👉 This is where I am now. I’m noticing more and feeling more. Slowing down. Making music. Letting go of things that no longer feel true.

3. Integration – Living Awake

Eventually, this shift becomes who you are. You stop striving for meaning and start living from it. You act with clarity. You feel peaceful, even in chaos. You no longer need to prove anything. You live by truth, not performance. Peace and presence are your baseline, not your goal. Your actions are aligned, your identity is fluid, and your boundaries are clear.

👉 I’m not there yet, but I can feel it calling. This is what I believe true enlightenment is.

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So What Now?

I’ve started a simple daily practice: journaling, fully immersing myself in music, walking, and savoring silence.

I’m making space, not for answers, but for honesty. I’m not chasing the next big thing. I’m listening for what’s real. I need to keep listening.

- Matt Delac