this is the voice i heard right during the comedown of one of my most recent trips. It puzzled me that this "voice" was telling me this because I am a college student about to graduate with a bachelors in computer information systems next spring. I was so frustrated with this voice telling me this, after all i am going down a "successful" path....

It sounds funny, but i smoked some herb yesterday right after waking up before work. I remember thinking back on this trip while i was high and it hit me. I really haven't realized that all this reality is coming out of my head, my mind, my thoughts. I have tripped on so many different psychs i cant even begin to estimate it, and yet I find it funny that no matter how many times i trip on psychedelics, i still forget the point every single time i come down, this is all just me....

and if this is all just me, i need to treasure everything that IS me. And if I take good care of myself, my reality will just be that much better. I don't really know why im posting this now but I just felt inspired to write this...

The only person your going to have in the end is yourself, so learn to love yourself before then.

I just feel like I always forget this message that has been shown to me over and over again. Why cant my brain realize this after the hallucinogens are gone for an extended period of time?

To me, this reads like cognitive dissonance of sorts, and I would posit that this non-sequiturial addressing of the issue is the "why" of your question.

Being "successful" within the framework of modern society (i.e. having a degree and thereby being on a path for a career, a 9-5 job in industrial society, etc.) has next-to-nothing to do with taking care of yourself, imo. I have always found that the longest-lasting retention of self-care brought on through entheogenic realizations tends to happen when I focus on my diet, exercise regimen, activities and other such areas...or in a broad sense, when I am actively conscious of uplifting or maintaining my physical and mental well-being. What I'm doing and whether that's successful by society's standards hardly factors in, if it factors in at all.

Just my $.02

Yeah, there is society's definition of success... And then there is real success. I'm not necessarily an expert in this kind of success, but IME it involves personal happiness and fulfillment far more than earning potentials, tax brackets and retirement plans. The physical side of it- keeping the body in good shape so you feel strong and energized- is absolutely nontrivial. Depression from lack of exercise is a burden that is crushing our modern population. At your young age you are still in a position to start your good habits early: stay active, spend time outdoors, eat good food with reverence, surround yourself with people who are fountains, not drains. These are all aspects of taking care of yourself, which determines much of your real personal success in life.

There are many extremely "successful" wealthy individuals in this world who are deeply isolated, fearful, angry and resentful. No amount of material wealth can make up for that.

There was a well known study done recently making a correlation between money and happiness. People living in poverty, not surprisingly, were less happy than those in middle class income situations. But that's where it ended: once a person attains the financial means to be comfortable and secure, additional income does not necessarily lead to more happiness, and in fact often is accompanied by other complicated burdens.

By contrast, real inner happiness has no price, and is available to us all if we are open to it.