We all need to heal. The world needs to heal. How do we know? Look around. Our lives are telling the story. Our world is telling the story. The natural disasters. The incidence of mental illness and addictions. The earth overheating. The families in turmoil. Our children the sponges soaking it all in, manifesting struggle and pain like never before.

Guys, I am not a pessimist. I am a radical optimist, actually. But I am also one that can read the signs. And what I see all around me is that, for the most part, we are asleep, chasing things that will never satisfy, and creating constant havoc in our world and lives. What I see is that we have to wake up to heal our world, our families, and ourselves. 

Inner healing is a powerful thing that sadly few people truly achieve. For one, it’s scary. We have to uncover the crap to heal it. Two, it changes the direction and quest of our lives. And three, though many people are overwhelmed by their inner struggles, they have no idea where to begin to heal them. Well, never fear. I have been there, done that. Follow me and I will show you the way that was revealed to me.

 More than ever, life is calling us to arise, to wake up, and to heal our lives. What this has meant in the past, however, is not what it means for this time in history. We are being called to a deeper awakening – to the journey of the soul. As we awaken our souls, we heal; as we awaken and heal ourselves, we help others to heal and awaken too.  

Unfortunately, the same old half-baked solutions won’t solve our problems or fix our world. Only the solution Ghani posited will bring the results we need: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” That is what healing is all about. And that is what we all truly desire – to feel whole and complete from the inside-out, to feel in control of our decisions, to trust ourselves to show up for our lives and make empowered choices, and to release the inner baggage that has been holding us back for years.  

I realize that many people want to start the journey but struggle to understand how to fix things that are so ancient, so ingrained, and such a part of their identity. I get that, trust me. But I assure you, it is more than possible.

It is for this reason that today I begin a series of articles delineating some of the most powerful tenets of inner healing. These are life principles that will allow you to begin a journey inward that will revolutionize your very existence. These include mindsets, belief systems, and habits that we must adopt in order to change.

Here are some indicators that you are in need of deep inner healing:

• General unhappiness, depression, or mental health struggles
• Self-defeating patterns, habits, or addictions
• You feel incomplete or not enough
• You try to make changes, but always revert back to old patterns
• Your relationships are in turmoil
• You feel stuck or in a rut
• You feel weak or disempowered

WE HAVE TO REALLY WANT IT!

The first tenet of inner healing is that we have to really want change.  

All our inner issues cause dysfunction and destructive consequences in our lives. Unfortunately, humans who are living lives run by their egos, aren’t thinking about these consequences; they are thinking about what they want, when they want it, and how to get it. Yet all these pursuits, most of which are run by subconscious programs, are constantly creating our reality.

For this reason, people invariably fall into one life crisis after another. I used to live like this. Each crisis was usually abetted in some way, but because I wasn’t actively trying to change my life or lifestyle, I as chronically unhappy and my life continued to spiral. My inner emotional problems, addictions, and destructive habits were wreaking havoc on my life. Until I became ready to change myself from the inside-out, my life didn’t begin to change.

This is what I mean when I say that we have to really want to change. That is, to want to change in a permanent way, from the inside-out, as opposed to the pattern of seeking quick fixes to feel temporarily better, while ignoring the unconscious triggers that will invariably create another ensuing crisis. This is akin to taking medication to treat the symptoms of an infection, while leaving the infection itself to fester and grow. This is the vicious cycle many find themselves in.

Unfortunately, until we really want to change with our entire heart, we won’t change. We cannot fool God, life, or the universe. Life is a mirror that is always bringing things according to where we are, what we need to learn, and what we truly believe. If we don’t like what we see or experience in our lives, then we must pay attention to what the mirror of life is showing us. It may be hard to look in the mirror, but it is the only way to change. We cannot fix what we first don’t acknowledge (shout out to Dr. Phil who often says this).

Unfortunately, because of the fear of true self-awareness and what we might have to learn about ourselves, most people only seek quick fixes and shortcuts as a solution to their problems. They get into a bind, get some help to get out of it, and as soon as they start feeling a little better, they quit. These individuals will never get out of their own way because they don’t really want change; they just want to feel better now.  

The answer is courageous and radical self-honesty. We have to realize that we are the problem, as we are the common denominator in our own lives. Our inner lives, our destructive thoughts, our compulsions and addictions, our codependency, are our problems. It’s not the outside that is the problem.

I am in no way minimizing the pain and wounding that we have all incurred through the experience of life and relationships. But those things are in the past. It is we who are making choices today that are causing trouble in our lives. It is we who think our thoughts and perceive our world the way we currently do. Thus, it is us that needs to change. Until we realize that, and until we become wholly determined to begin that journey, we have not gotten to the point where we really want to change. As a result, our lives will not begin to get better, and true change will continue to evade us.

So, don’t let your current or next crisis be in vain. Face it wholeheartedly. Be honest with yourself about the role you are playing in your misfortune. Let the pain and discomfort of your patterns bring you to your emotional rock bottom. The bottom hurts. The good news, however, is that the only way from there is up.  

Namaste <3