It's Not Your Fault
May 27, 2024
It’s not your fault.
You didn’t know you were born with a brain that is primed to be UNHAPPY, or why lots of therapy doesn't work.
I’m not only talking about those who are prone to depression, anxiety, and whatnot (no judgment, that's my history, too.)
I’m talking about ALL of us.
Look around.
How many people do you know who are truly healthy... truly and profoundly happy?
If you are like most people I ask this question to… the answer, if ANY, is “less than I can count on 1 hand.”
Yet we all desire to be so HAPPY, do we not? Even if we have a different word for it than “happy”, we all want IT.
Why is that?
We desire true happiness because somewhere in the depths of our best being, we must KNOW
IT IS POSSIBLE.
But, yet, here we are. Pooped and confused, wondering where our ship has sailed.
How did we get to this point?... aching bodies, hearts, and worried minds…. Exhausted.
It is because that is how we are designed.
In a weird but totally sensible twist of fate, our brains, built to prioritize survival, are hardwired to FOCUS on, and EXAGGERATE, pain and suffering.
Like Shawn told Good Will Hunting, "It’s not your FAULT."
But, if you want to make the most of your brain and body in this lifetime it will REQUIRE deliberate, dedicated actions and that is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.
It will NOT happen by itself. Nor will the happiness you seek EVER result from all the “things” you are doing that you think will MAKE you happy.
ONLY YOU can make YOU happy.
You may have heard the ol’ “happiness comes from the inside” adage and sloughed it off as impractical, maybe even unrealistic, certainly unactionable.
It seems a heck of a lot like happiness comes from getting most of the stuff we want and not getting most of the stuff we don’t. But, it turns out that’s a bogus lie. Even when we get mostly what we want, if our brain remains in default mode, we will FIND stuff to be upset about.
It makes sense that we are evolutionarily designed to be dissatisfied.
But there is a higher potential evolutionary option.
You probably didn’t know that there are maps, tools and instructions for training your brain to shift out of the default mode into thriving mode as your norm.
Just as there are natural mechanisms at play that are making most of us stressed, tired, and largely dissatisfied with life,
There are also untapped human potentials in ALL OF US, that can be tapped.
If it were easy, and everyone knew how then you’d know more than “less than the people you can count on one hand” who are happy.
But I won’t make you false promises or claims.
I am not perfected on this path. I have not realized my ultimate potential either.
But what I can promise you is this:
I DO THE WORK and PRACTICE WHAT I TEACH as much or more than anyone you know.
I did not invent the maps, tools, and instructions I can share with you.
I have received them in my ever-expanding quest to live and learn and I can humbly say I’ve added in my own creative wisdom from the lived and felt experience of applying these principles for decades in my personal and professional life.
THE WORK WORKS IF YOU WORK IT.
If you DO The Work, things will get better, you will BE BETTER and as you continue to BETTER YOUR BEST, everyone will benefit.
You, your relationships, your family, your friends, your community, your health, your career, your wealth.
IT ALL STARTS WITH YOU and The Work of Conscious Evolution.
Do it with me, hire someone else, do it yourself. Sure, I'm in business so I have a preference there... but, overall, just PLEASE DO THE WORK.
An acorn can turn into an OAK TREE that produces enough acorns to create a FOREST. Or, it can get run over by a truck and flattened. Not every kid gets a medal in the ways that matter most.
The Work is ALL about cultivating the soil, exposing ourselves to the sun, and soaking up the water of life. WE need everyone to become an Oak Tree. Because only YOU can unleash the special type of acorns that we ALL need for our collective future to THRIVE.
One more promise: while, like you, I also only know less than a handful of people who are TRULY happy, I intend to be ONE of them.
How about you?
The Survival Mode being "on" too much, too often, for too long is the root of all suffering and disease.
Survival Mode is the "default" we are all born with, but we can upgrade to "Thriving Mode" if we know how.
Take the Surviving to Thriving Online Course
Check out our YouTube channel: @ATAtherapytools
