The Answer is YOU

Essay 19

March 1, 2025

We spend our lives looking outside of ourselves.  We search for answers, for entertainment and amusement, for love, for fulfillment.  Some spend their whole lives searching and never truly feel satisfied.  What if I told you the answer was within you this entire time?

People give their power away every day by seeking for something external to fill a void inside.  The truth of the matter is that nothing external exists that will ever satiate you.  If it does satisfy you, it is short lived.  And thus begins an endless process of searching, numbing and distracting ourselves through material things, people, food, and substances, and finding temporary gratification.

True fulfillment and love come from within.  They start with being present and finding gratitude.  There is so much that we take for granted.  We find ourselves always wanting more.  If we paused each day for a few moments, sat quietly in the now, and reflected on everything good already in our lives, there would be so much to feel thankful for.  Even in the darkest moments and the toughest times, things could always be worse.

Each person who has a roof over their head, food to eat, and clothes on their back has more to be grateful for than many people in this world.  There have been times in my life when those things were all I could think of to thank God for, but I was so glad that it wasn’t worse.  I have even thanked God for the ability to walk.  What would my life look like if I was paralyzed or severely disabled?  Not that those individuals don’t live fulfilling and beautiful lives, but I am fortunate to have my health and mobility.  When we start by finding gratitude for what already is, the need to have more begins to fade.

Everything in life is a choice.  We can choose to see the good or choose to only see the bad.  Whichever one we focus on will continue to grow.  And when something outside of us upsets us, it’s important to remind ourselves that we can only control ourselves – our mind, our thoughts, and how we choose to react.  Eventually we learn that everything doesn’t require a reaction at all.  Sometimes, maintaining our own peace is more valuable.

People have far more power than they realize.  That’s what they don’t want us to know.  We live in a system that would have us believe otherwise.  We are slaves to the clock, to the dollar, and to the system that they built to benefit themselves.  We fill ourselves with food and beverages that poison us.  We distract ourselves with tv and cell phones that waste our time and damage our mental health.  We purchase material things that the internet tells us we need, only to go into debt and line other people’s pockets.  We live in a constant state of stress that creates illness and disease, and we visit doctors who never address the root of the problem.  We follow what we know because we are told that this is what life is.  When did we stop thinking for ourselves?

Everything starts with you.  Your thoughts, your words, your actions, and your willingness to look within.  Who are you inside?  Who do you want to be?  What brings joy to your heart?  How can you do more of those things?

And most important of all, what are you grateful for?

Love,

Phoenix Rising