Discovering Peace, Letting Go, and the Power of Self-Realisation
Guy Finley shares insights on happiness, relationships, and overcoming life’s challenges, offering wisdom on self-discovery, letting go, and finding peace in a chaotic world.
Guy Finley, the bestselling author of The Secret of Letting Go and over 45 other transformative works, is a beacon of wisdom in a world often clouded by chaos. His profound insights into relationships, self-discovery, and inner peace have resonated with millions worldwide, offering a roadmap to a more fulfilling and liberated life. As the Founder and Director of the Life of Learning Foundation, Finley has dedicated over four decades to guiding individuals toward a deeper understanding of themselves and their connection to the Divine.
In this exclusive interview with Reader’s House Magazine, Finley shares the pivotal moments that shaped his journey from a successful music career to becoming a globally revered spiritual teacher. He delves into the essence of true happiness, the power of letting go, and the role of relationships in personal growth. With his characteristic clarity and compassion, Finley offers practical advice for navigating modern challenges, from overcoming addiction to finding peace amidst life’s turbulence.
For anyone seeking inspiration or a fresh perspective on life’s most pressing questions, this conversation with Guy Finley is a must-read. His teachings remind us that the path to freedom and fulfilment begins within, and that every moment holds the potential for transformation. Dive into this enlightening exchange and discover how to embrace a life of greater purpose, peace, and possibility.
What inspired you to transition from a successful music career to focusing on spiritual teachings?
In truth, it wasn’t so much a “choice” of mine that took me down the path to my present place in life. I think it would be much more honest to say that — starting at a very early age — a higher order of life came calling for me. A number of insights and inexplicable interior experiences – beginning in my seventh year– set out the steps – and stages – that I am still following to this very day.
How do you define true happiness, and what steps can individuals take to achieve it?
None of us can be any more happy in this life than we are whole within ourselves, and this order of interior holiness is inseparable from true self-knowledge. When we understand that, as all true teachers profess is true, that happiness is an inside job, then we understand that to search for the keys to lasting contentment anywhere else (other than through an interior journey) is ultimately a fool’s errand.
Can you share a personal story that illustrates the power of letting go in your own life?
• When I was a boy, I had a pair of tennis shoes that I loved. They were completely broken down; yet still, I wore them. My mother couldn’t stand these shoes, and one day when I came home, they were gone…I was devasted.
The point is, when you’re a child, you’re attached to childish things. But we don’t know that as adults, we’re meant to outgrow childish things. For instance, though many will contest the following, it’s childish to worry over how others think about you, because it’s childish to believe that our worth as a human being is determined by how others see us.
What role do relationships play in personal growth and self-realisation?
We all seek romantic relationships; but, no matter how perfect, eventually we realize they do not fill the hole in our soul. As such, these relationships lead us a discovery that can be made in no other way: this life is preparation for Love.
Our hearts are a shadow of a larger Heart, and our relationships are intended to lead us from smaller relationship, to broader relationship, to a conscious, timeless relationship with Life itself.
How can individuals cultivate a sense of peace amidst the chaos of modern life?
We cannot control the way the world turns. We cannot change day into night. We cannot keep what is not ours, and we cannot hide these facts from ourselves no matter how hard we try. But what we are given to do, and that turns out to be the one power of ours truly capable of transforming our experience of life, is that we can choose the internal company we keep. It is our created right to be in relationship with only those thoughts and feelings whose presence is both pleasing to us, and peaceful for all.
What advice would you give to someone struggling with addiction or dependency?
The limit of our present view is not the limit of our possibilities, and when we are addicted to something, whether to substances or relationships that are filled with conflict, the unconscious parts of us caught up in this vicious cycle do not want us to see life with any eyes other than their own.
This is a huge and necessary discovery that anyone who wants to be free must make. This nature does not want us to become New because it cannot go into this Newness with us. Gather truths, be self-studying, and persist with your wish to be free.
What insights do you have for other authors looking to inspire and uplift their readers?
Above all, persist with your wish to learn and grow, and then work to bring your developing understanding into the world. When someone has a genuine love for something, the love that person has was placed there for a specific purpose.
The difficulty is waiting – patiently (but with eyes wide open), expectantly – for where that love one has will lead them to the fulfillment of itself… for this is the only way in which such a love can be fulfilled.
