Feeding the Wolf of Love: The Importance of Nurturing Love in Our Lives
Learn from Dr. Rick Hanson about the two wolves we all have in our hearts and why nurturing love in our lives is so important.
Suicide, it’s a heavy topic I know, but one I have wanted to talk about for a while now. The truth about suicide is not as well-known as it should be, and as a result many lives are lost.
The most important part – where suicidal thoughts actually come from, is mostly not taken care of, or even mentioned at all.
That is what I’ll be talking about here. That dot within the circle. The core from which these thoughts originate. I think we all know, or know of someone who has committed suicide: a relative, a friend, a friend of a friend.
Can you recall the feelings you experienced when you found out? It’s a horrible feeling and I can’t begin to think what it must be like for someone who has lost someone dear to them through suicide.
But it leaves all of us with the same feeling.
A deep, strange, crushing sense with an emotional sting of wonder: why?
What would drive a person to such depths that they would take their own life? Knowing he/she will leave everyone behind, friends, family, wife/husband, children, pets…
Throwing away everything – every possible chapter of their book. It is almost impossible to understand for anyone who has not been in that situation themselves. An incredible force pushes these people towards ending their own life.
And that force that drives a person into committing suicide is – not having a purpose in life.
Give this a minute to sink in, then read the following quote, and then we’ll go on.
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
When a person has no purpose, they have no meaning in life, they have no reason for being here – life has no meaning to them. If you know why you are here, if you have a reason – a purpose, you know why you are born – you know why you are alive and you will feel alive.
Purpose is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing in the world to have. Let me repeat that one more time, as many people don’t fully understand the importance in grasping this: PURPOSE IS EVERYTHING.
The reason why you have suicidal thoughts and the reason for being unhappy, is because you lack purpose in your life. You have no clear idea what the heck you are here for, and that doubt crawls inside of you, takes root within you and it will make your life feel hollow.
Even if you could have everything you wished for, a girlfriend/boyfriend, beautiful children, all the money in the world… if you have no clear purpose, all that is merely dust to the soul.
It isn’t those anti-depression pills which are going to make you feel all OK again, no. It is having a reason for being in this world and being part of this thing we call life that will make you better. Spend your money and time on looking for that. It’s the cure for life.
The main reason I have so strong feelings on this subject is because I lived 6 years of my life with suicidal thoughts, and there were times when I came way too close. I don’t need pity.
I am only sharing this small glimpse of a deep and dark episode of my past in the hope that it will show the truth about why people commit suicide.
I want to provoke a sense of the inner core – the place we can derive great strength from. I want to help you, and anyone who is in danger of falling under the spell of these dark thoughts.
I have lived it. I have escaped it. So can you.
I wrote a whole article on finding purpose and the importance of finding it. Read it. This article was written to show the link between not having that purpose – or not knowing what that purpose is, and the rise of suicidal thoughts.
I also wrote it to tell you that I greatly care about your well-being and that if you need someone, talk to me, send me a message and we’ll talk about finding your purpose in life.
Of course, I know I am not able to give it to you, but I can give you some guidelines to help you to find it yourself.
A last reminder, it is purpose you are missing, nothing else.
Working on yourself can be scary, overwhelming, confusing, messy, challenging, and lonely. On this podcast, hosted by Jellis Vaes, an aspiring clinical psychologist who once battled severe emotional struggles, you’ll gain valuable insights from experts in psychology, neuroscience, and relationships, as well as people like you and me, to support you on your mental health journey, help you feel less alone, and untangle some of the complexity of mental health.
For more support, visit Inner Path Seekers.
Show notes can be found here:https://theipsproject.com/2026/04/reason-we-stay-addicted-kevin-cornelius/
Addiction is complex, deeply human, and often misunderstood.
In this episode, we take a grounded and practical look at what addiction really is and how it can be treated effectively.
I’m joined by Kevin Cornelius, a licensed marriage and family therapist and clinical director at the Feeling Good Institute Silicon Valley.
Kevin specializes in TEAM-CBT, a powerful and evolving therapeutic approach developed by psychiatrist David Burns.
What I am hoping you get out of this episode, besides learning some of the reasons why people stay addicted, is that you will learn some practical techniques to start taking a small step toward freeing yourself from whichever addiction you might be struggling with.
If, after this episode, you’d like to learn more about the effects addiction has on the brain, do have a listen to the episode I did with Dr. Grisel, titled The Brain on Addiction.
📚The IPS Academy📚
If you feel that you’ve gained some insights and lessons from this video, and you are curious to see what else we offer at The IPS Project, check out The IPS Academy, where we offer online courses taught by guests here on the podcast.
Simply go to https://theipsproject.com/academy. Each course has a few lessons to try for free, so you get a taste of what the course is like. We have countless reviews from other students so you can see what others think, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee if you end up not liking the course.
Again, check them out at https://theipsproject.com/academy
Learn from Dr. Rick Hanson about the two wolves we all have in our hearts and why nurturing love in our lives is so important.
Richard Ayling is a life coach and a Wim Hof instructor. Learn in this interview about the Wim Hof Method and how to become superhuman.
There are three paths in life: stay still, take the destructive route, or choose growth. Learn how to grow as a person by choosing the harder, growth-focused path.