There was a time in my life when I thought success meant pushing harder, climbing faster, and always being “on.”

I measured my worth by how much I could get done in a day. And to be honest, I was good at it, until I burned out.

That’s when I stumbled back into Buddhism.

I say “back” because I’d read a bit of it in university while studying psychology, but I didn’t fully live it.

Not until I found myself exhausted, unfulfilled, and questioning everything I was chasing.

One of the first things that made me stop and rethink everything? The Eightfold Path.

It’s not a checklist or a self-help hack. It’s a way of being.

A reminder that how we live matters just as much as what we achieve.

And once I started to understand what each part of the path was really about, I began to rewire what I valued—and how I showed up every day.

Here’s how these “rules” of life reshaped mine.

See the world clearly

The first piece of the path is “Right View.” It’s not about being right all the time—it’s about seeing clearly.

And man, I wasn’t seeing clearly at all. I was projecting my fears onto people, misreading situations, and clinging to stories I told myself about who I had to be.

When I slowed down enough to really observe—without judgment—I started noticing things I had been blind to.

The stress I was creating for myself. The resentment I was holding onto. The people I kept blaming when I didn’t want to take responsibility.

Right view taught me that clarity isn’t just mental—it’s emotional, too.

When we learn to see without the filters of ego or fear, everything gets lighter.

Choose intentions that reflect your values

Next came “Right Intention.” At first, I dismissed it—how hard could it be to set good intentions?

But then I noticed how often my intentions were reactionary. Driven by anxiety, comparison, or the need to prove something.

Even when I was doing “good” things, the energy behind them wasn’t always clean.

This rule taught me to ask: Am I acting from fear or from clarity? From kindness or from control?

I began making decisions less out of habit and more from alignment.

Not just what I wanted to do, but why I wanted to do it.

Speak like it matters

If there’s one area I constantly revisit, it’s “Right Speech.”

I’ve talked about this before, but the way we speak—especially when we’re emotional—shapes everything.

Relationships. Work. Even how we feel about ourselves.

And it’s not just about avoiding gossip or lies. It’s about choosing words that build instead of destroy. About knowing when not to speak, too.

Buddha’s take?

Ask yourself: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?

That simple filter has saved me from saying things I’d regret.

And it’s helped me repair relationships I thought were too far gone.

Make your actions count

“Right Action” isn’t about being perfect. It’s about integrity.

I used to think of integrity as this big, noble concept. But it’s actually found in the small things: how you show up when no one’s watching, how you treat people who can’t do anything for you, how aligned your actions are with your values.

This rule hit me hard when I realized how often I compromised to keep the peace or avoid discomfort.

But over time, I started choosing honesty over approval. Clarity over comfort.

Not always. But more often than before. And that changed everything.

Align your work with your heart

“Right Livelihood” is a tricky one in today’s world.

We all need to make a living. But Buddha asked us to consider—at what cost?

Are we harming others through our work? Are we sacrificing our peace, our values, our time for something that doesn’t truly matter?

When I started Hack Spirit, it was because I wanted to create something meaningful.

But even then, I’ve had to check myself. Am I still aligned? Am I doing this for clicks, or because it helps people?

It’s a constant recalibration. But it’s one worth doing.

Be intentional with your energy

“Right Effort” doesn’t mean working harder. It means working wiser.

I used to think discipline meant squeezing every ounce out of my day. Now, I see effort differently.

It’s about noticing where my energy is going and whether it’s feeding something helpful or destructive.

Are my habits supporting the person I want to be? Or are they just automatic patterns I’ve never questioned?

This rule helped me learn the difference between forcing and flowing.

Between doing something because it’s aligned, and doing it because I feel like I should.

Verywell Mind emphasizes that while we can’t control every thought that arises, we have the power to choose how we respond to them.

This perspective aligns with the Buddhist principle of Right Effort, encouraging us to cultivate thoughts and actions that support our well-being and values.

Make mindfulness your anchor

Then there’s “Right Mindfulness.” This one’s at the heart of it all.

Because without mindfulness, we’re just reacting. Getting pulled by cravings, fears, distractions.

I’ve definitely lived that way before, mind racing, phone buzzing, always onto the next thing.

But mindfulness brings you back to now. To your breath. Your body.

The realness of what’s happening, not the story you’re telling yourself about it.

I’ve written a whole book on this—Hidden Secrets of Buddhism—because I truly believe this practice is the foundation of a better life.

Not a perfect one, but a real one.

Train your focus

Finally, we land on “Right Concentration.” This is less about productivity and more about presence.

We live in a world that trains us to fragment our attention. Scrolling. Multitasking. Notifications.

And the more distracted we become, the harder it is to connect, both with others and ourselves.

Right concentration is about choosing where your mind rests.

I started with just 5 minutes of breathwork a day. That’s it. But that space? It grew.

My thoughts got quieter. My reactions slowed down. My sense of clarity came back.

And the more I practiced, the more I realized this wasn’t about being Zen all the time.

It was about being here—fully.

Final words

When I first learned about the Eightfold Path, it felt ancient. Distant.

Something monks in robes practiced on mountaintops.

But the more I sat with it, the more I realized it’s not distant at all. It’s a mirror. It reflects the parts of our life we often ignore.

And once you start applying it—really living it—your priorities shift naturally.

You stop chasing things that don’t matter. You start choosing peace over noise. Presence over productivity. Meaning over momentum.

This path doesn’t promise perfection. But it does promise clarity.

And in a world that constantly pulls us off course, that clarity is everything.

If something in this post resonated, maybe take a moment today to sit quietly.

Just notice your breath. No judgment. No agenda. Just being.

Sometimes, that’s the first step toward everything else.