Who am I?
Nobody.
This is the truth.
I call myself Jim Tolles. I work as a spiritual teacher.
But those labels are not who I Am.
Most of you are expecting a story for “Jim Tolles.” You’re expecting a list of descriptions, certifications, statements of experience, professional associations, name-dropping, and a laughably small set of memories out of all my experiences that are meant to encapsulate the whole of me. By creating such a story, I am already doing you a disservice. I am creating an illusion.
With that said, here’s an illusion. I don’t know how much it really helps you, but you can watch your ego response as you read it. Anything can be a spiritual practice.
Jim Tolles is a spiritual teacher and community builder. Since 2010, he has written and spoken on topics ranging from spiritual awakening to how to manage major life changes (divorces, career changes, new parents, and more.) to how to let go of suffering and much, much more.
He has worked with hundreds of people in one-on-one sessions as well as through classes and corresponded via email and social media with thousands more. Hundreds of thousands have visited his blog and his videos.
He also builds and maintains online and in-person communities to facilitate deeper connections, spiritual transformation, and personal growth. His work has spanned numerous ethnicities and persuasions. He’s worked with everyone from physicians to executive directors to CFOs to houseless people to school teachers and many others, and he’s worked with individuals from sole proprietorships to start-ups to multi-national companies.
Me
What Is Suffering?
Now that we have that illusion set up, let’s talk about suffering and finding freedom from it.
Suffering is how you react to the world based on your illusions. Your ego influences how you think and perceive. It impacts how you view yourself and your world. People respond to the world not as it Is, but as they want it to be. Invariably, the world doesn’t play by the ego’s rules, and then people suffer when things don’t go their way. Their partner breaks up with them; they get sick; they lose their job; and other events lead to the ego reacting and creating suffering.
In 2006, learned that I created my suffering and that I had a choice. I could choose to continue suffering or to let it go.
I choose to let it go.
And choose to let go again.
And again.
And again.
And I’ve discovered that ultimately there is no ego person inside of me—there is only awareness, which is nobody.
Since 2010, I’ve been helping people remember their nobody-ness. I’ve connected to lots of people in lots of ways to help them out of all kinds of suffering. It’s a service that takes us into unpredictable spaces because life is unpredictable. It is a world beyond false ego limitations where you can discover a small portion of the vast potential of life and the possibility inside you.
I am still discovering my own potential.
I hope I can help you discover some of the vastness within you.