Our world is ego-driven and as a result most of us have become ego driven. We constantly compare ourselves to others, judge our performance (usually harshly), define our worth by our financial and career achievements, and criticize ourselves for failure. This ego-based drive for success and happiness is of course ineffective. and will always leave you wanting more, never feeling quite satisfied. And that’s because your definition of happiness as something that can be obtained externally is fundamentally misguided. Of course, it is a good thing to achieve external success and take pride in what you have accomplished through hard work. However, true unwavering happiness comes when you feel fulfilled, and in order to feel fulfilled you need way more than material possessions and accolades—you need to feel loved and that you belong. Today, allow yourself to recognize that if want a fulfilled life, you have to look inside and find love there first. Today set your intentions to begin a new commitment to reconnecting your body, your mind and your heart; to recalibrate your life toward inner peace and joy, and away from self-focus, fear, and your perceived brokenness and separateness. Today, give yourself some quiet time for meditation, journaling or yoga-any activity that focuses your attention inward. You can never achieve your purpose if you continue to let the outer world dictate your life. Today, stop being a slave to your ego and start living a freer, happier, more authentic life.

Just for today, I take time to meditate and to quiet my mind. I feel newly energized by these periods of restfulness. As I quiet down and focus on the beautiful things in my life, I open myself up to my own healing powers. I release the need to blame anyone, including myself. We are all living the best way we know how. I know that all the answers to all the questions I shall every ask are already within me. I allow myself to listen to my intuition. I am safe. I am loved and everything is working out for my highest good. And so it is.