I am full of emotion this morning.
Alternating between waves of frustration and a longing in my heart for all of us to see how simple and beautiful life actually is…
…and how easily and innocently we imagine it as something else.
I’ve been in this Born to Flourish exploration.
I love these scientists and citizens with their big hearts bringing well-being practices and flourishing studies to people who would never receive them otherwise. All with the intention to ease the suffering of humanity and make the world a more beautiful place.
And still, my heart nudges me to point to something that can be overlooked.
The message is:
Flourishing is innate…but it needs to be trained in order to live a thriving life.
Really? 🤔
Sure, we can look at Awareness, Connection, Insight and Purpose as trainable skills. But in reality, they are spiritual facts of being human.
Awareness is already here. Everpresent.
Connection isn’t something we create. It’s the nature of life itself, an ecosystem of interconnected beings.
Insight shows up on its own, all the time.
And purpose is a creative expression arising naturally when we’re not lost in the noise.
Thinking of them as skills can take us away from the life-changing, mind-blowing realization that this is what we already are.
There is nothing that needs to be changed or improved for me to be completely whole.
I can be standing on the beach, sun on my skin, breathing the ocean air, one of my favorite places in the whole world…
…and have a mind filled with thoughts of anger and self-judgement.
I’ve been with loved ones who were dying and in pain, a time when I should rightly feel miserable…
…and felt complete and utter peace.
How can this mismatch happen?
It is because our feelings have nothing to do with our circumstances. Not ever. It is always thought, the playdough that forms our experience.
A thought is the only thing that can seem to take us away from the sense of wellbeing and okay-ness that is our birthright.
We don’t need to train something that simply is. We only need stop thinking whatever we’re thinking that tells us life is otherwise.
That’s what I keep returning to. Not adding more things to do so that I can be okay, but noticing what I’ve added (thought) that simply isn’t true.
I’m not rejecting practices or paths. Nor am I criticizing the people who follow them. Do whatever nourishes you, please.
My heart simply longs for us to KNOW that everything we’ve been chasing is right here. And there’s nothing you need to do to earn or create it.
No practice. No study. No habit installation.
It’s already part of our design because it’s what we’re made of.
I’m in and out (mostly out) of seeing this every day all day long. But the beauty of knowing this in my soul illuminates hope in even the darkest moments.
I felt hesitant to share this because it might sound like I’m dismissing the effort these people are making to help. I’m not. I love and appreciate their contributions.
This is just what feels true to me right now, and it feels important to share it.
Here ends my spiritual rant of the week.
Yours in love and play,
Steph 🐲❤️🔥
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