You’re listening to the Transform Your Life from the Inside Out podcast. This episode is part two of what I started last week in the Conversations with a Sorcerer series, Escaping Your Biggest Enemy Part Two. If you recall from the last episode, and if you haven’t listened to it, go back and do so, we talked about how attachments are literally your biggest enemy. They steal from you; they rob life from you. And in this episode, we’re going to continue the conversation. Keep listening.
Hi, I’m Jim Fortin, and you’re about to start transforming your life from the inside out with this podcast. I’m widely considered the leader in subconscious transformation, and I’ve coached super achievers all around the world for over 25 years. Here, you’re going to find no rah-rah motivation and no hype, because this podcast is a combination of brain science, transformational psychology, and ancient wisdom all rolled into one to take your life to levels you’ve never thought possible.
If you’re wanting more in life, to feel better, to heal, to have peace of mind, to feel powerful and alive, and to bring more abundance and prosperity into your life, then this podcast is for you because you’re going to start learning how to master your mind and evolve your consciousness. And when you do that, anything you want then becomes possible for you. I’m glad you’re here.
We talked about attachments in the last episode. Where I stopped was the thought that we have to lose our attachments to all people, places, and things. We have to recognize, work from, and absorb the truism that everything in life is temporary. When we can fully embrace the concept that nothing is permanent, everything is temporary, and live from that place, take a deep breath—because your life is going to become a lot easier.
Speaking of attachment, I mentioned fear in the last episode. Many people don’t even recognize they are attached to the concept of being in fear. So what I’m going to do from this point in this episode is hop around and bring some points to you about attachment that I request you ponder deeply. Remember the Buddha: your attachments are your greatest cause of suffering, and what I want to help you do is remove suffering from your life.
As I said in the last episode, many times we attach to things we currently have. The challenge with that—I’ve been there, done that—is that it prevents us from exploring or taking action on what we could have. I’ll give you two examples here. A good friend of mine, Harry—I haven’t seen him in a lot of years, but we’re still good friends. He was talking about how bad his marriage was, but he loved his wife. It was this merry-go-round. Anyway, I coached him through it. He eventually got out of the relationship, met a new woman, and years later, he told me, “Jim, I never recognized I could be so happy. I never knew a relationship could be so loving and fulfilling.” But notice, for years, he was attached to the relationship.
So, what relationships are you attached to because of some meaning you’re putting on them? Maybe they’re a relative, a father, a husband, or a wife. Think about your attachments. In psychology, they often call this dependency, another form of attachment.
In the last episode, I talked about losing $750 million. In 2009, Don Xavier was sitting in my living room. He said, “Hey guys, I’m seeing something. It’s a digital coin called Bitcoin, and you should invest a little money into it. Don’t invest a lot, maybe each of you invests $1,000 and just hang on to it.” Now, here’s why I didn’t invest—he said, “It’s brand new, and you could lose your $1,000.” Well, that $1,000 investment would be worth around $750 million today. I was attached, though, to the idea of not risking that money.
What have your attachments cost you? We often don’t think about it because they’re generally fear-based, but these fears come with a price tag. I want to talk to you as candidly as I can, one-on-one. Let me use myself as an example—there are things I didn’t take advantage of, even when they were “safe” offers, because I was attached to the idea of not risking what I already had.
Many of you are so attached to your current state that you won’t let me help you live a better life. You listen to episodes repeatedly, year after year, but won’t give up your attachments to let me take you to the next level. Many times, we think letting go of an attachment means giving something up. But we’re afraid of the cost, rather than considering what it could create for us.
A friend once said, “Poor people look at what something costs them; rich people look at what it will do for them.” So, when evaluating something, do you consider what it will cost or what it might do for you? So many are afraid to give up current security, like where they live or a relationship, even when they want a better quality of life somewhere else.
In relationships, I’ve been there too, no judgments. I’ve found that when I’m afraid to give up my attachment to a relationship, it controls me, and I lose my power in it. I must be in a place where, no matter how much I love someone, I can walk away if needed. Otherwise, that attachment costs me happiness.
We all want more in life, but we often won’t go for it because we’re attached to what we already have. A mentor of mine, Rich Sheffern, once said, “Most people want to steal second base, but they won’t take their foot off first.” If you’re attached to what first base is giving you, you’ll never get to second.
Attachment, to me, is like a magnet. What we attach to attaches to us. What are you attached to? Think about that. Attachments often create fear, the fear of losing what we have. We’re going to create attachments—it’s part of being human. But what matters is attaching to ideals that empower us and support us, not those that drain us.
A phrase I find powerful is: “I can be, do, and have anything I want when I let go of my attachments.” It’s a conundrum, but a strong place to work from. Many people are attached to the idea that they could “never” achieve certain things. These mental structures, or attachments, keep them away from what they want in life.
Don Xavier once said, “It’s our structures that keep us attached.” This mindset, our mental hypnosis, keeps us trapped. Whatever you believe, you are attached to. Another quote from Don Xavier: “The more you believe, the more you have to defend.”
Think about this: even the fear of death or the attachment to our life is just that—an attachment. It’s all temporary. People attach to what’s temporary, trying to make it permanent, which causes suffering.
So, your biggest fear may revolve around the loss of what you have. But, as I’ve said, you’re simply borrowing everything in this life. What you attach to controls you. Letting go of attachments is like a detox; it’s hard because we’re so used to holding on. But, as Don Juan once told me, “The ordinary man is attached to other men; the spiritual warrior is attached to infinity.”
Don Juan also taught me, “You need to learn to care about everything and, in the same moment, give a damn about nothing.” That balance, between caring and not caring, is the space of non-attachment. Be okay with not having. Be okay with being alone, even if you don’t want to be.
When you’re not attached to an outcome, what you intend shows up 100 times quicker. Don Juan’s advice to care yet not care about everything is the balance between ego and spirit. That’s the balance where the body, identity, and soul co-create.
It may be a little scary, and it may feel like a detox, but in that space, when we learn to care and not care simultaneously, we discover true balance. My intention is to manifest what I desire, but I’m okay if it doesn’t happen. And that non-attachment is powerful.
Your transformational takeaway is this: be 100% okay with having and, simultaneously, okay with not having. When we live in that space, that is spiritual evolution.
Throwing myself under the bus here—my attachment to making these episodes resonate with you is itself an attachment. So, as I said, we’re going to have attachments; pick the ones that serve you.
If you enjoyed this episode, please go to iTunes and leave a five-star review—anything less won’t help. I’d be grateful if you would share this podcast with people you know. Thank you for the blessing of letting me serve you. Stay well, and I’ll catch you in another episode. Bye-bye.
