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Introduction to Dries Cronje’s Channel

Below is an edited, improved, and structured transcript of the video for those who prefer reading.

Written Version

Introduction

Hi there, and welcome to the Dries Cronje YouTube channel.

I’ll also be sharing these videos on my website, DriesCronje.com, as a video blog — or vlog, if you want to call it that.

My name is Dries Cronje, as you may have already guessed. I’m South African, and I can’t really speak South African 😄 — so my name and surname can sometimes be a little tricky to pronounce for English-speaking folks.

What This Channel Is About

I’ve always had a very strong desire to understand ultimate reality.

From a young age and into early adulthood, I found myself asking questions like:

  • Why are we here?
  • What is the purpose of life?
  • What actually leads to lasting peace and joy?

I explored religion and spirituality deeply, and I’m still very much on that journey today. I’m a 48-year-old man, and while I hope I’ve learned a few lessons along the way, I’m certainly still learning.

This channel — and my blog — will document my personal experiments with things like:

  • Surrender
  • Presence
  • Gratitude
  • Inner freedom

A Commitment to Showing Up

In the past, I’ve tried to start writing projects and video projects, but I haven’t always followed through.

I’m not sure whether I simply wasn’t ready at the time, or whether resistance got the better of me at key moments. Probably a bit of both.

This time, my commitment is simple:

I will publish content weekly throughout 2026.

This video was recorded on 15 January 2026, and from here on I plan to post at least one video per week.

Influences & Current Focus

We’ll explore many topics on this channel, including:

  • Spirituality
  • Ultimate reality
  • The purpose of life
  • How to experience true joy, enthusiasm, and love

Recently, I’ve been deeply immersed in the work of Michael A. Singer. I’ve also been a long-time student of Eckhart Tolle, and I participated in his School of Awakening in 2023.

At this stage of my life, I’m especially interested in surrender — not so much its “power,” but the effect surrender has on inner joy and enthusiasm.

Inner Work & Honest Self-Observation

I’ve identified some blockages within myself.

For much of my life, I’ve wanted to be considered a success in worldly terms. Whether I am or not feels less important now than this realization:

I’m not okay inside unless I feel successful on the outside.

That’s something that needs to be observed and healed, rather than chased or resisted.

There’s a lot of inner experimentation happening at the moment.

Gratitude as a Living Practice

One area I’ll be exploring this year is gratitude and appreciation.

I’m not primarily interested in how gratitude affects outer circumstances — although, as a husband and a father, those things do matter. I don’t want to be a failure to the people around me.

What interests me more deeply is:

  • How gratitude affects my inner state of joy
  • How it influences my sense of freedom
  • How it softens attachment and resistance

Non-Judgment, Non-Attachment, Non-Resistance

I resonate strongly with the principles of:

  • Non-judgment
  • Non-attachment
  • Non-resistance

— as taught by Eckhart Tolle.

I aspire to live in a way where:

  • I don’t judge or mentally cut up reality
  • I experience life fully as it presents itself
  • Gratitude arises naturally from presence

For example, I work as a financial market trader, and I practice not attaching to outcomes — not profits, not losses, not results. I aim to accept reality as if I chose it, moment by moment.

I also try not to resist life through fear or strong preferences — not pushing away what I don’t want, and not clinging to what I do.

Closing Thoughts

That brings us to the end of this introductory video.

I wanted to introduce myself, share a bit about my journey, and explain what this channel will be about.

If you’re watching — great.
If no one is watching — I’ll still show up.

The practice of publishing weekly is important for me.

It’s about moving through the fear of putting myself out there.

I’ve been walking this path — meditation, spirituality, inner work — since around 2009, and it feels like the right time to start giving something back.

I won’t be focusing on views or subscriber counts. I’ll simply show up, at least once a week, and share honestly from my life and experience.

Thanks for watching — if you did.
I’ll catch you in the next video.