I finally completed the Book of Joy featuring Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, it made me realize some of the fundamentals of humanity such as love, joy, and compassion. I find it ironic that many of us spend our lives searching for joy, without realizing that we all have it within ourselves. Unfortunately, I feel like one main reason for this constant search for pleasure is because many of us search blindly into the material world to reach it. I believe that Western culture highlights the importance of achieving the “American Dream,” and by attaining this, you will acquire your desired freedom. And it seems to me that to live this “American Dream,” we need to work hard five days a week or more, even if that means missing special moments with your family and friends. It is a sacrifice we believe is worth doing to achieve the financial freedom that the American Dream has to offer us.
Putting value into our inner world instead of our material world
But I value more what money cannot buy us, especially love, laughter, compassion, and generosity. I feel like much of humanity is blinded by putting a lot of value on the outer world and forgetting that our freedom and that true power lives in us.
I was once blinded by the unattainable pursuit of happiness, especially in the last five years, but I am so thankful for this realization.
I believe that most Western societies put more emphasis on material things for success and prosperity than tapping into our inner selves to attain a prosperous life. I think that this way of living is inhibiting a person from reaching their full potential. Furthermore, it seems that many could spend their lives in this materialistic world feeling like they need to fill a gap. In many cases, these gaps, filled with worldly things like a new sports car, tend to feel like bottomless pits. I was one of these people striving for success in the outside world and always looking for the next big thing to make me happy and feel empowered. But I believe that we need to look within ourselves to reach these feelings. Once someone realizes their inner power, they will feel an unexplainable feeling. I like to view it as grace, and it fills me up. It touches my soul, and this brings an abundance of joy within me. It is so sacred that I never want to let it go and, I just want to keep feeling. I treat it as my guidance system, and I believe that if I follow my good feelings, everything will work out for the best.
What fills me up with joy and lets my inner power soar?
Spending time in nature. Whenever I feel lost and ungrounded in this fast-paced world, I lose myself in nature’s beauty through nature walks, bike trails, and bird watching. It brings me a sense of clarity, and I feel more grounded. I remember that everything will turn out as it should.
Writing reaches my soul like nothing else. Ever since I was a little girl, I would write whenever I felt the need to express something, and it would just blurt out on paper. For example, sometimes when I am going through a difficult time, I just write my situation and my feelings toward this situation.
Honestly, every time I write, I feel guided, a sense of clarity, and being connected to my inner self. Depending on the situation, I also burn the paper. I believe that by burning the paper, my intention or situation releases in the Universe for guidance. However, just expressing my thoughts through writing feeds my soul because it’s my way to express my true self.
Meditating brings me so much joy, and this helps me to connect with my deeper self. It’s one of my favorite ways to connect and feel my inner guidance. Depending on the day, I could just lie down for 15 minutes soaking in the silence and directly connecting with my true self, or if I have a specific topic that I would like to focus on, I follow a guided meditation. I enjoy the Honest Brothers meditations.
Differentiating our ego versus our inner being_
When I first realized how simple it was to reach a state of inner joy, I could not believe it. There is no denying that it is difficult, but it is achievable one step at a time. To reach our inner joy, we first must learn to differentiate our ego versus our inner self, and that is the tricky part. After reading many books, I see the ego as based on fear, insecurity, and materialistic power, while the soul is grace, love, and oneness. When someone decides to face their ego head-on, they start questioning all of their belief systems created by their culture or family traditions. After reading books on the chakra system like The Wheels of Life, I realized that you need to start in your first chakra, otherwise known as your root chakra. We all start here; this is our foundation, and where our need to belonging comes to us. The challenge here is when you decide to inhibit your inner self by fear of being rejected or judged. If you do not allow yourself to shine and to be true to yourself, it can be incredibly challenging to connect with your inner power. When someone feels like they are not true to themselves, this where a person would need to ask themselves: Is sacrificing my authentic self, worth the impermanency of tribal situations? For example, you have the choice to surround yourself with people who love you as you are or detach yourself from those who do not support you. One way to look at it is that your inner self is imprisoned within you, and the only way to free it is by facing your ego-based fears and feelings.
We all have our unique inner power that wants to come out and show its light to the world. The world would be such a beautiful and peaceful place if everyone knew how much power and infinite potential that human beings have within themselves. We can all tap into unlimited possibilities if we allow our inner self shine over our fear-based ego-self.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope that you all stay safe and healthy. Please feel free to follow me if you are interested in learning more about holistic approaches to becoming a better you.
Intuitive Health Nut