In recent years, many people have felt an increased need for stability and meaning in their lives, largely due to challenging circumstances. This search for purpose is entirely understandable. Some find this stability in religion, sports, or the pursuit of professional success. Milan Milic, an entrepreneur with a diverse range of businesses and now a retreat organizer across Europe, shares his insights in this article about what truly matters when it comes to self-discovery journeys and retreats. He explains that true self-discovery is not a random process that simply happens. It requires deliberate steps and an open attitude to ultimately lead a fulfilling and vibrant life.
Wealth as the sole promise of happiness - a personal insight
My life's goal for a long time was to earn as much money as possible. Many people seek their purpose and happiness in pursuing professional success and higher incomes. For me, the desire for money and the associated power was always at the forefront, seen as a source of endless happiness. Since childhood, I told myself, "Once I am rich, I will be happy." This voice from the past still occasionally makes itself heard. But it is wrong, as I can attest from my own experience. In 2016, when my debt collection agency suddenly brought me millions, after almost driving me to bankruptcy, I was able to fulfill all the material desires that money can buy. Initially, it felt great and I was overwhelmed by the possibilities. But soon, an uncomfortable feeling began to spread within me.
Happiness in discovering your purpose - how self-discovery journeys have changed my life
Despite the seemingly perfect life I led outwardly, I became increasingly unhappy. I had—and still have—a wonderful, beautiful wife by my side and two charming daughters whose happiness is close to my heart. Materially, we lacked for nothing, yet an emptiness gnawed at me. Perhaps my beliefs about money were wrong after all? It was a shocking realization, having oriented my life around this belief and ruthlessly neglected everything else. In search of my true calling and the deeper meaning of my life, I tried various paths. I participated in coaching sessions, attended personal development seminars, and completed various trainings. These provided me with many valuable techniques, but the key to my inner happiness remained hidden. That changed in 2019 when I participated in a special retreat. There, I took the first step on my journey to self-discovery.
Retreats are not ordinary vacations if they are to have a meaningful impact!
It would be easy to claim that everything suddenly and effortlessly revealed itself to me, but the reality was different. Under the guidance of a shaman and with the help of a special plant medicine, I delved deeply into the depths of my being over several days. During this time, secrets and answers to questions that had accompanied me my entire life were revealed. During these intense days, I was also able to free myself from my addictions. Alcohol had always been a tempting escape from inner conflicts, and I could hardly resist expensive wine in social settings. Yet suddenly, I couldn't bring a drop of wine into me, no matter how hard I tried. I felt healed and fulfilled; there is simply no other way to describe it. My journey of self-discovery took me to places I never thought I would experience. There, the deeper meaning of my life was revealed to me, and it certainly was not in accumulating material possessions.
A new life goal: Facilitating self-discovery journeys
My new life mission became clear to me. With each additional retreat I experienced, my conviction was further strengthened. One of my main purposes in this life now is to create a platform that makes high-level self-discovery journeys accessible to every budget. Ahom Retreats was born. Over the past few years, I have built a network of experts to help make my dream a reality. The feeling of inner healing and the understanding of why we are on this Earth are incredibly liberating. It is such a deep and good feeling that I want to enable as many people as possible to experience it—with all the means available to me. Perhaps we will meet on a self-discovery journey someday, but certainly not in an ordinary retreat vacation.