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In this episode, Mike dives into the liberating truth behind the ego’s illusion of "arrival"—the seductive idea that peace and fulfillment lie just beyond the next milestone. He opens with a raw recounting of his own 52-year chase: from yearning for middle school to enduring Marine Corps boot camp, from corporate climbs to building a purpose-driven business, only to find the goalposts forever shifting. With a nod to a Buddhist maxim—that our struggles are so universal we’d laugh at their lack of originality—Mike blends personal stories with spiritual wisdom from Eckhart Tolle and his own awakening at 43. He challenges the ego’s carrot-on-a-stick game, showing how it traps us in unconscious living, and offers a soul-centered alternative: surrendering to the now. This isn’t about abandoning dreams, but about finding freedom by releasing the delusion that “someday” holds the key to joy.

Key Takeaways

1. The Ego Drives a Never-Ending Chase
   • The promise of “okayness” after the next goal is a lie that keeps you running—peace is already here.
2. Arrival Is an Illusion
   • Your last breath is the only finish line; the journey itself is where life unfolds.
3. Surrender Unlocks True Freedom
   • Embracing the present, not fighting it, floods your life with joy and ease.
4. The Mind Craves, the Soul Rests
   • The ego hungers for more, but the soul finds wholeness in what is, not what’s next.
5. Conscious Living Is Soul-Led
   • Step out of the ego’s chaos and into your soul’s calm by choosing the now over the “then.”

Notable Quotes

1. “If we all sat around a campfire and told our deepest, darkest secrets, we’d laugh at each other out of lack of originality.”
2. “The ego throws up a smokescreen to keep us chasing more… it’s the carrot you can never catch.”
3. “There is no arrival… and if that deflates your ego, good.”
4. “The mind wants to want more than it wants to have.” – Eckhart Tolle (shared by Mike)
5. “Take back control from your ego and live as the soul. That’s who you really are.”

Music Credit: "What's Left of Me" by Wes Hoffman & Friends

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Mike Kitko is an executive self-mastery coach, speaker and author. He found external success through powerful titles, incomes, and material possessions. He ultimately fell into depression, toxic abuse of alcohol, and the near collapse of his family before he began a journey of internal happiness and success.