Most people run away from pain.
It’s uncomfortable and disturbing.
We think it takes us away
from being able to enjoy life.
And yet, on the flip side of pain,
there is always pleasure.
They are two opposing sides of the same coin
that we haven’t learned how to flip to our advantage.
Most people just choose to stuff the coin deep within their pockets,
rejecting both pain and pleasure,
in favor of a routine life,
where both these experiences are tempered,
and life seems manageable.
Except that life isn’t meant to be managed.
It’s meant to be fully lived.
Despite our best efforts, life doesn’t bend to our will.
Instead, we’re the ones getting puppeteered through life,
thrown from one tumult to another,
taking solace in the breaks between each crisis.
What if there is a way for us to align ourselves with the Universe?
To reduce our depression and anxiety,
our chronic loneliness,
always feeling on the fringes,
disconnected?
What if there is a way to be happy,
but it involves taking out that dreaded coin,
and dealing with the pain in our life head on,
learning how to sit with it,
process it,
and ultimately,
release it?
What if the force of releasing that pain
had the power to elevate us,
causing the coin to flip on its own?
Then we might feel the greatest pleasure of all –
connection.
To ourselves.
To each other.
To that spiritual being lying deep within us.
The thing is,
there is no such thing as pleasure
without pain.
If we didn’t have either of these experiences,
we’d be living a life of ennui.
Without the pain of our aching muscles,
getting a massage wouldn’t feel like such ecstasy.
Without the pain of going to school every day,
we wouldn’t have the pleasure of seeing our friends,
or in the long term,
the satisfaction that comes from achievement,
the joy that comes from using our education to better the world.
Without the travesty of war,
we would not truly cherish peace.
Many of us live with deep wounds,
from childhood,
from broken relationships,
from illness,
or the loss of loved ones.
We endure tremendous pain,
absorbing it into our psyche,
allowing it to diminish our spirit,
trying, unsuccessfully, to ignore it
until it goes away for good.
But pain is like a leech.
It won’t leave
unless we learn
how to heal.
The path to healing is personal.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all set of guidelines
for finding your bliss.
Yes, talking to a therapist might help,
or joining a support group.
Yes, medication might be hugely beneficial,
or reading about personal development,
opening up
to new ways of thinking.
Or maybe, for you,
none of this will work.
Perhaps you just need patience
and perseverance,
the sincere desire to evolve,
to transcend this human pain that is constantly weighing you down,
so you might find some semblance of peace –
and dare I say –
happiness.
The path to healing is personal.
You must figure it out on your own
but not necessarily alone.
In fact,
you’re never actually alone.
If you step out of your own way,
start ignoring your inner critic –
that pesky roommate who’s taken up residence in your mind –
let go of all your preconceived notions,
your antagonizing ideas about life,
your impressions of success and failure,
if you let go
and trust
your intuition,
that constant connection you have with the universe,
I promise you,
your heart will open up
to the truth.
Your path will be revealed.
Something beautiful will take shape
from the core of your being.
And if you can learn to trust it,
it will never steer you wrong.
If you are ready to face your trauma,
the challenge will be immense
but the reward exponential.
Because with healing,
comes the ability to help others.
And in the quest to help others,
you may just find your life’s purpose.
In helping others,
you’re creating a ripple effect
that will change the world.
And in helping others,
the person you’re actually helping the most,
is yourself.