What Can’t You Finish Life Without Accomplishing?

12.06.25

A couple of months before I hit 30, it was the first time in my entire life I ever felt satisfied with myself and truly at peace. Sure, I had experienced joy many times before but it wasn’t something that deeply touched my core.

But at that moment, I knew I was doing something worthy with my life. I had just gotten married and moved to Buenos Aires. My business was finally working, and I was working on the first draft of my book PISTIS – Demystifying Jungian Psychology.

Now, I’m 32 and in hindsight, I know that I experienced this shift because I allowed myself to become obsessed with my objectives and I unlocked a level of intensity I didn’t think existed inside of me. I stopped whining about things not working out for me, I got humbled and devised a plan to face one fear at a time.

I already mentioned this plenty of times, but I was immature for too long. I know the problem of the Puer and Puella Aeternus (aka the man-child or woman-child) inside-out because I lived this shit. Now that I’m on the other side, I know life is much more rewarding when you take radical responsibility.

It’s funny, but when you’re enmeshed with the Puer mentality, you think that the meaning of life is just “feeling good” and seeking cheap pleasures. You don’t want to get involved with anything serious that disturbs your comfort zone and you only think about yourself.

But this childishness comes with unbearable inner turmoil, resentment, toxic relationships, and nihilism. Your soul is dead and you don’t even realize it. But when I was in this deep pain, I remember thinking that life couldn’t be just that.

Then I asked myself: What can’t I finish life without accomplishing or experiencing?

The Endless Potential Trap

This question is key because when you’re immature you live in the intoxicating realm of endless potential. You wonder about all of the things you want in life, all the options and the different paths, and you never commit to anything.

You think you have all the time in the world and if you start tomorrow, you’ll be perfect and amazing in no time. In fact, you’ll get good so fast that people will want to study you. The problem is that you never start and tomorrow never comes.

You’re afraid of life and you’re afraid of realizing that you’ll have to work hard just like everybody else, but the only way to mature is by making a choice.

Overcoming our childishness involves realizing our mortality and that we have finite energy, that’s why it’s so important to know our values. When we let go of these immature desires, we can finally take part in the real world and reclaim our souls.

The truth is that being an adult is much more enjoyable because we get to create a life with intent and meaning. We’re not subject to parental scripts and what other people expect of us. Most importantly, we’re not subject to childish moods and fleeting motivation, it’s our values that drive our actions.

That’s why I repeat: What can’t you finish life without accomplishing or experiencing?

It’s a simple question but to answer it truly, you have to face your fears. Most people dismiss it because uncovering this truth means you have to do something about it. A lot of people feel lost because they resist this responsibility.

While you “feel lost”, you can always blame other people and avoid making your own decisions.

Moreover, this truth involves confronting the wasted time, it brings grief. But the best way to make up for the wasted time is to make a pact with yourself and become obsessed in the present moment. You owe this to yourself.

We reclaim our lives by giving energy to our ideas, projects, and building real relationships. We grow by expressing our creativity and developing our talents to the fullest extent. Because if we don’t go all in, the unlived life will haunt us.

The Unlived Life Will haunt You

This interesting idea by Carl Jung refers to important talents, dreams, and creative potential that remain undeveloped in our shadows. The problem is that when something that should be consciously expressed remains unconscious, it rots inside, producing restlessness and dullness.

But it doesn’t matter what you do, this thing will not leave you alone!

It seems that certain things are either part of our life tasks or essential for our souls. I make this distinction because in the first scenario I’m referring to something we give to the world while in the second, it’s something that doesn’t necessarily have to be shared but it brings a deep sense of joy and inspiration.

To me, writing a book was part of my life tasks. I felt a sense of duty and despite being scared, I knew I had to rise to the challenge. I redesigned my entire life so I could write as often as possible and last month, I finally launched the physical book.

Now that this is done, the need to be immersed in music has become imperative. We all have the thing we wish we could do more but life just gets in the way. But deep down we know that until we attend to this calling, we won’t feel complete.

Playing more music and composing more songs is my quest now. I’m not doing this to impress anyone, this is about allowing my soul to be expressed.

That’s how you follow the Self, with practical actions and changes in the real world. Shadow integration is a process, it requires time and full immersion. I’m embodying my inner work when I sit down and write or when I pick up my guitar.

The individuation journey isn’t abstract. Integration is about giving life and energy to what was repressed or following new creative possibilities. Every single day.

What’s been haunting you?

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Rafael Krüger – Live an Audacious Life

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