Ideas in the Wild: Doug Cartwright Aims To Use His Wild Life Experiences to Help Us Shift Our Perspective on Life
Participating in psychedelic ceremonies with shamans from the Amazon. Diving headfirst into rituals at Burning Man. Flying across the world to work with spiritual gurus in Bali.
These were never on Doug Cartwright’s radar as “must-have” experiences, but when you’re a twentysomething ex-Mormon ex-millionaire living deeply unfulfilled after doing everything you were “supposed to,” you start searching for a normal reality far from your original version.
Holy Sh!t We’re Alive is Doug’s story, a psychedelic journey into meditation, silent retreats, astrophysics, neuroscience, philosophy, and all forms of self-healing. It’s how he found the purpose of life, realized his mistakes, and built a new reality. Doug’s story is how he shifted his perspective on life — and it’s how we can learn to shift ours. I recently caught up with Doug to learn what inspired him to write the book and the biggest lesson he learned on his journey.
What happened that made you decide to write the book? What was the exact moment when you realized these ideas needed to get out there?
In 2017 I was going through a really intense spiritual awakening. Before that moment I always believed “spiritual” people were weird and woo-woo. Then after so many insane, unbelievable personal experiences, I found myself in the middle of one. There were so many times I thought I was either going insane or that I was in the middle of The Truman Show.
Eventually, I fully participated in what was happening in my life and dove all in. I learned absolutely incredible truths about myself that allowed me to heal and enjoy a deeper more meaningful life. I knew I had to share my experiences with the world not only because they are fun to talk about, but that my journey can inspire others to improve their lives as well.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned going through the journey you share in the book?
There are so many powerful lessons I share, but the one that stands out the most is the importance of self-love. Too many of us feel like we are not enough or that something is wrong with us. So naturally, we go about our lives trying to fill that void by seeking external validation. We crave it from our friends, family, and co-workers. This causes a constant restlessness of hustling trying to earn our worth, it’s exhausting.
But when we truly learn to genuinely love ourselves from the inside, it fills that void. When we fill that void ourselves, we no longer need the approval of others, giving us the freedom to express our truest most authentic versions of ourselves and share our unique gifts with those around us. We feel the freedom to be ourselves and that is an extremely liberating and joyous feeling.
How will you apply this lesson in your life moving forward?
I think it takes constant work, and of course, external validation always feels good. I believe there is a big difference between wanting validation and needing it. When we need it, we put our happiness into the hands of others, but when we want it, it’s okay if we don’t receive it.
I practice self-love by incorporating rituals and activities that keep me feeling my best. Daily exercise, mediation, and spending time in nature are musts. I always allow myself to spend at least 30 minutes daily doing something I want to just for fun.
This keeps me staying energized, engaged, and curious about my life. Self-love truly is a superpower, and the happiest, most successful people I know are masters at self-love.
