We live in a world that constantly invites us to measure ourselves against external standards — our wealth, our success, our appearance, our relationships — but none of it truly defines who we are. These illusions are mirrors, reflecting back only the stories we’ve been told to believe, not the truth of our infinite potential.
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There are countless ways we can feel inadequate: our career, bank account, body, car, home, friends, church, school, city, country — anything. Outward appearances give us plenty of ammunition for self-destruction and spiritual shrinkage.
Too often, we forget that these so-called realities are, in truth, mere apparitions — tricks of light. We trick our senses into believing in them, and our adherence to social, cultural, and memetic programs only perpetuates the illusion.
Modern life is full of noise designed to keep us numb, distracted, and disengaged. Advertising and consumer culture thrive on this. Amidst it all, it’s up to us to discern where consciousness is absent — and to stop feeding it our life force.
Yes, it matters to connect the dots of awareness and understand the experiences that sowed the seeds of our inequity. But true power lies in the moment we create choice. Helpers, messengers, omens, and reminders are all around us. Listen closer. Love is ubiquitous, timeless, and non-judgmental.
What persists in our lives is relative to what we’ve carried with us — consciously or not. We can remain in the victim state indefinitely, but life holds so much more for those courageous enough to move beyond it. And the sooner, the better, because life is short.
Time and again, we discover that when we overcome a hurdle, worry, or terror, the familiar realization arises: “Hey, that wasn’t so bad!” You’ve heard others say it, but perhaps didn’t believe them. You will. The universe is just as willing to support our experiences of worry, anxiety, anger, fear, and futility as it is our experiences of ease, grace, joy, lightness, passion, daring, love, and success. It’s all “yes!”
Ultimately, our perception fuels the emotion and focus we place on a thing. Every feeling offers instantaneous feedback from our higher self, revealing what lies behind the mirror. We simply need to train ourselves to allow more presence into each stumble, fumble, and fall.
Inadequacy may feel debilitatingly real, but it is not universal truth. It is just another opportunity to become more of who you truly are.
Let go. Let love.
Solvitur ambulando