Perhaps the most liberating moment in my life was when I realized that my self-loathing was not a product of my inadequacy but, rather, a product of my thoughts.
The important thing is for me to feel love towards my fellow human beings – and sometimes, that has to be at a distance.
If you do not let yourself be seen, you cannot see.
Meaning is something we ascribe to things in order to understand them. Reality itself is meaningless. Once this jagged, little pill digests within us, it unlocks a beautiful gift: free will.
Most things that are true are simple. To lose weight, eat less than you burn. To reduce stress, find a job you love. To resolve conflict, be patient and peaceful. These are very, very simple in that they are complete concepts that take no more than a sentence to say. They are not, however, easy, because they must be applied consistently.
In today’s world, it is tempting to follow suit and artificially numb the emotions you don’t want while inducing the ones that you do want. The problem is that pushing pleasure into your veins will not get you out of quicksand, nor will blocking pain bring you relief. The solutions do not lie in the world of emotions, but rather in the world of thoughts.
A child does not decide to be open-minded. As a self-aware adult, you make conscious choices. You earn back your right to be free, to play, to exist without struggling.
As you engage in daily self-nourishment, you will become less vulnerable to promises of quick fixes and magical solutions. A well-fed person is hard to seduce.
Change is not something you do. Change is something you allow.
The most important freedom is freedom from your own self-judgment.
Human beings are not separate from nature. We are nature. The beauty of the sunset is your own beauty. The power of the ocean is your power. We are inseparable from the beauty of the mountains, rivers, and forests that surround us. The more that you can allow your natural self to come out – to honour your natural beauty, your natural creativity, your natural thirst for leadership and compassion – the happier and healthier you’ll be.
The answers to your problems lie all around you. The keys to your self-discovery are waiting to be found in each sunset, each pair of eyes, each breath of fresh air. Listen to the symphony of life and you will hear yourself. Find the beauty of nature and you have found your soul.
It is not the path that you have trouble finding. You knew your path since your first daydream. It’s courage you’re searching for – courage to trust yourself and stop searching for a travel partner who knows better than you where to go. And courage is only built in action.
I believe that the best leadership is loud authenticity. That is what the world needs now. We don’t need more plastic, Photoshooped perfection. I don’t want people to look at me and wish they could be me. I want people to look at me and see their own potential. I want people to be more accepting of their own failures, imperfections, and struggles because they watch me accept of my own.
Don’t let your fear of criticism suffocate your leadership potential. Once you begin to speak your truth, you will discover the people who have been waiting for someone exactly like you. Until you speak up, all you need is the faith that they exist. And I promise you: they do.
Those who seek to listen to their own inner voice forget to listen to the judgment of others.
The truth is staggering, colossal, unfathomable, so we cling to our bite-sized lies. We organize knowledge into bulleted lists and line graphs while the wisdom of the present moment sits patiently at the doors of our perception. Tackling.
Your unconscious inner conversation has helped you mimic the people around you rather than understand yourself better.
Instead of labelling your emotions as problems to solve, you can see them as signals to interpret. Instead of judging your desires as shameful aberrations, you can learn to meet them in healthier ways.
Taking responsibility for yourself is about self-care, not self-repair. Once you learn to feed yourself, you will better understand your hunger. Maybe.
If someone else notices our qualities and talents, we think those parts of us must be worthwhile. Our potential floats like an island in the sea – uncharted, unexplored. We long for someone to discover us, admire us, colonize us. But why must it be another person? Why can’t you sail that voyage and explore yourself?