Invest Inside?

When we invest inside ourselves, the whole world shifts. Because we do.

Thomas a Kempis wrote “How is it they live in such harmony the billions of stars? When most men can barely go a minute without declaring war in their minds about someone they know.” He believed that when we go out into the world, we return having lost some of ourselves on this trek.

Until we learn to be alone, the noise of the external world seduces us into false belongings and alliances. It is exhausting to try to keep up to the plot turns of a sick society. Krishnamurti reminds us that “It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” When someone advises us to trust the “experts,” it is usually a cautionary tale.

When we face ourselves, something begins to unravel. But first we must let go and feel into everything and not let anyone outside ourselves question our own process. No one is us and none of us need to be fixed. Sometimes, we fall apart so we can transform our disturbances into our own belonging to a calmer, beautiful reality. 

This happens at our own pace and our own rhythm. It may feel like a rollercoaster ride of experiencing the highs and lows. But as we do our work, we can step off this particular ride and trek at our own frequency 

Self-love is not narcissism and takes a lot of courage. The doors we want to open can only be found within. Trying to keep up and be liked is a very temporary high.

Not Everything is as it Appears

Spend quality time with anyone society celebrates and you will also see with healthy eyes that there is no reason to aspire to be anyone else. Just turn on any streaming services or open trendy magazines and see the level of sickness we have created in “adoring” and putting people on a pedestal. Often, at our own expense.

The latest mini series on Bernie Madoff calls him a sociopath. And yet, until we looked under the hood, people would want to say they invested their hard earned money with his firm so he can grow it more. He was believed to be a “legendary” investment manager with celebrity clients, and “ordinary” investors.

And he was legitimized by being the chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market in 1990, 1991 and 1993. It really didn’t help his loyal investors when his Ponzi scheme blew up.

Many of the people today teaching consciousness and healing are working on their own wounds. Discernment is key as we unravel our own true wisdom through experimentation and exploration. But true healing is not packaged and requires us to trek into the unknown. This is why practicing inner dialogue releases us from schemes and dangerous rides.

And some days can be particularly challenging because they help us unlock what is buried and often hidden deep inside. And at the same time, teaches us who is healthy for our wellbeing and who to walk away from.

Facing Ourselves

When we face our own darkness and invest inside, we no longer give our power away. And there is no easy button. This work takes investment to heal ourselves from the inside out.

But when we do, we become aware of what is truly possible. And not everyone will understand us and that’s perfectly fine. Because we can’t expect anyone who has not walked into our shoes to understand our deeply rooted (radical) trek. 

We no longer need to talk about consciousness when we are truly conscious and aware. We no longer feed the machine or consciously decide to deplete ourselves. Who would thought that bringing ease and flow into our lives takes a lot of practice?

There is an inner knowing we have been conditioned and trained to silence within ourselves. And many of us are opening up at our own pace. And when we do, it’s sometimes challenging to continue to see things in the same way because we can no longer lie to ourselves.

Maybe the wisest and healthiest investment is inside ourselves?

One of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves is learning to trust our internal navigation system; our deep knowing. The external noise will grow regardless. But what’s our heart whispering to us? How can we discern and invest inside?

Nature is a fierce teacher of unity and wholeness and everything possible.

Nature is not outside ourselves. When we align with what’s natural—be it real authentic people, food from healthy soil, meaningful work or natural cycles and emotions that feed our souls, bodies, minds and hearts in unity—we reclaim our power. It’s then natural to simply create in flow.

If you are looking for the list of who to watch this year, consider putting yourself at the top of the list and watch what magic can happen. What do you wish you could do if you had more courage to do what’s in your heart? Then, put yourself on your own canvass … no external validation required. Just investing inside. I am hoping to surround myself with healthy people who are on our own treks, have the courage to dream and fully live.