DE238 Akshay Nanavati, the Marine that teaches how to turn fear into triumph!

[13.15] Death of a fellow Marine
[13:58] The war experience in Iraq
[18:40] Find out how Akshay learned to adapt to the war environment
[19:03] The positivity and power of journaling
[21:56] Introduction to “Fearvana”
[33:18] Akshay’s mentor, and how he fought through PTSD
[43:19] Find out how you can learn more about Fearvana and support Akshay! Today at the dharmic evolution, we take a ride with former US marine veteran, author and speaker, Akshay Nanavati.

Early childhood [2:37]

Born in Bombay India, Akshay moved to the USA at a tender age of 13 years, this is after spending his 8 years in India, and 5 in Singapore.

2 years after joining the US, Akshay adopted a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol, a choice he says was partly due to his lack of self-identity and purpose. A life describes as characterized by depression and sadness. He would cut his own arm and even burn himself.

Joining the army [8:12]

2 years down the line after spending his ripe teenage years drowned in drugs and alcohol, and losing 2 of his friends. Akshay’s life would take a total flip after watching the movie Black Hawk Down.

This would prove to be the most pivotal moment of his life, the movie he says, inspired him so much that he went on to read book after book about the military and life in combat. And just like that, Akshay found himself cured of his drug-addicted life, a life he describes as being meaningless and selfish.

Now that he knew what purpose he wanted to serve in life, nothing was going to stop him at the time, despite the many illnesses that dragged him down while enlisting, Akshay was focused and determined to join the military.

School and training [9.40]

Bootcamp training took a toll on Akshay because he wasn’t very physically fit. But he describes the entire boot camp process as more of a mental process rather than a physical one. With his mind focused on what he wanted to achieve, Akshay was able to not only succeed in the boot camp training but also graduate as an honor student in the Infantry school.

Growing up with parents who provided everything for him, Akshay never had to struggle for a thing, but now, for the first time in his life, struggle and suffering became the order of the day. He began to experience joy and value in the process. He began to accept and learn the bliss and comfort associated with suffering.

[24:15] life after the war

Not quite sure what he wanted to do after the war, Akshay decided to first finish his undergraduate degree in Texas.

Life after the war was a complete struggle to find meaning and purpose, to a point he kept volunteering to go back to war.

In the end, Akshay ended up going to journalism school, where he was bound to meet his wife, get married, and settle down with a corporate job. But it all felt meaningless and not really what he was bound to do. Inevitably, he ended up quitting his job.

After the whole school and corporate job experience, Akshay went on an expedition in the Himalayas, as a way of running away from his demons and problems.

It was after the expedition that Akshay came back to America and started building his company from the ground up. His unfaced demons, however, began sprouting, and he yet again turned to the bottle to seek solace. The drinking got worse with every passing day, it was all these problems, coupled with marital issues with his wife that Akshay decided to seek therapy where he was diagnosed with PTSD.

At that time, nothing seemed right and he had totally hit rock bottom. Alcohol was his daily routine and see that this pattern wasn’t going to change anytime soon, Akshay was filled with thoughts of walking over to the kitchen, picking up a knife an ending his own life.

He couldn’t believe the suicidal thoughts he was having, and that was the wake-up call he needed to turn his life around.

As a way to fill the emptiness he felt, Akshay started getting training for different careers. This led him to take a keen interest in neuroscience, spirituality, religion, and psychology, he kept on studying, book after book, and this would eventually lead him to discover Fearvana.

As a way to fill the emptiness he felt, Akshay started getting training for different careers. This led him to take a keen interest in neuroscience, spirituality, religion, and psychology, he kept on studying, book after book, and this would eventually lead him to discover Fearvana.

QUOTES

[8:38] It’s during the times of war that you experience the spectrum and intensity of the human experience at its most extreme. You see the most awful things happen in war, the atrocities of human evil. But you also see humanity at its finest, People sacrificing their lives for fellow human beings

[18:49] Even when you’re in a war, even when you’re in an environment you cannot control, you always have the freedom to control your attitude. You could be in hell on earth, but you always have the freedom to choose your own perspective.

[21:07] As Jesus says in the Bible, there’s no greater sacrifice that man can do than by laying down his life for his friends.

[21:38] By recording the present, you craft what’s coming up in your life

[23:16] I invite you to never stop chasing fear, or you will spend your whole life running from it. If you are ready to take on that battle between the part of you that wants to quit and the part that wants to fight, you will enter the doorway to your next awakening, at that moment you will experience the bliss of Fearvana.

Website:
www.fearvana.com

Facebook:
@AkshayNanavatiFan

Instagram:
@fearvana

Twitter:
@fearvanalife 

You can buy the book here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1630476056/