After years of outward focus, we eventually realize that all of our experiences have been leading us on a journey home to ourselves. This realization and truth can dramatically alter our approach to searching outside ourselves for what is ultimately an inside job. We gradually begin to have the awareness that we’re actually not trying to get anywhere. It starts to dawn on us that we have all the resources we need, all the answers, all the compassion…it’s all been right here, lying in wait within each and every one of us.

The problem of course is that so often our experience feels like anything but having it all within ourselves. So, the search starts from a very young age to looking towards the world outside ourselves to fix, fill and fulfill our inner longings and soothe our fears. This is inherently the problem of course.

We have been looking outside ourselves to solve and heal our wounds. We can’t find the answers or solutions “out there”, it is only within ourselves that we will finally find the answer. So how can we start to turn inward and trust that we don’t need to arrange the outside world to meet our needs. How can we begin to relax into a symbiotic relationship with our inner self while transacting with the outside world?

One important way is to take a step back from our typical pattern of behaving and become willing to try something new. For example, sometimes we are so busy being self-reliant we don’t really trust that there is a bigger plan for our life. If we could just let go of the reins a little bit, life would demonstrate for us that our meddling and orchestrating is sometimes (actually often) delaying our desires or goals from arriving.

We often operate under the false assumption that goes something like this, “if anything good is going to come from my life it’s all up to me to make it happen and it’s going to require a lot of hard work!”. The truth is, there is a bigger plan and that plan can and will unfold with the timing and details all in perfect order. The perfect order may take longer than we think, involve setbacks and disappointments and often come in unexpected ways. That is where the faith and right-minded thinking come into play.

Life doesn’t unfold on our terms; it unfolds according to the circumstances and conditions that contain mysteries beyond our paygrade. Our job is to trust that whatever shows up is tailor-made for us to learn, grow and experience something essential for our unfoldment. Afterall, that’s why we are here having this human experience.

We are a wholly complete affirmation of life. Life is good and beautiful – even in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances. Many of us have learned to live in exile from our true selves, our authentic selves. We no longer recognize the inherent goodness and perfection, both in ourselves and others. We get stuck always trying to improve, achieve, acquire and use something outside to feel better inside. The fact of the matter is the only thing needed is to unload our mind from the idea that more “work” on ourselves is necessary. The core of any spiritual work is less about adding to and much more aligned with releasing and letting go of our false ideas about ourselves and life.