We’ve all wished for it, even sought it out in recent purchases: a magic bullet that would exonerate us from not just the mundane obligations of life but also the deeper efforts needed to create a well-rounded, meaningful life.
From the widespread marketing of gadgets, products, and belief systems, we’re constantly being sold the idea that something can make our lives easier, and we must buy it or at least find it outside ourselves. We often fall prey to these advertisements, deciding to purchase that product in the hopes it will offer us freedom. Our widespread consumerism supports the fact that we’re all searching for something more; we believe something is missing.
I believed that once I graduated school and landed a job, I would be exonerated from any more hard work. The Universe quickly laughed at me, and the clinic I worked for asked me to see more and more patients. Alright, so I wasn’t free from the hard work a job requires; that’s understandable. But what I hadn’t realized I was searching for within this promise of a new job and graduating from school, something I had invested 6 years of my life into, was the exoneration from caring for my mental health — from being responsible for my happiness and fulfillment in life.
Struggling on and off with depression, I held onto this belief throughout school that if I worked hard enough, my job would suddenly give me happiness. I was quickly crushed when I found out that I still wasn’t happy; I felt far worse after realizing I would not be exonerated. I realized that all this time, I had been looking outside myself for fulfillment and happiness—the very thing that marketing groups wish to capitalize on.
While I can’t preach how to find happiness or fulfillment for others, I can share that by spending time with myself, working with a therapist and life coach, bettering my wellness practices in ways that align with me, as well as letting go of belief systems that didn’t work for me, and instead exploring meditation and contemplation, things that direct one’s focus inward, I found my connection to the Universe, my god. This connection to myself lead to my connection to the world and the higher forces supporting and guiding us. These answers and revelations did not come from purchasing the newest beauty product or Amazon Prime deal but from within myself. They came from the time I spent connecting with a higher force, one that cannot be bought or sold.
I no longer look for a magic fix but instead continue to expand my blueprint for navigating life and caring for myself in a way that brings me lasting joy and happiness. I no longer wish to be exonerated from something I can never escape, nor would I ever want to. These very struggles teach us about who we are and how we want to live.
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