Has anything really changed?

Over time, through our many and varied experiences in life, our brain downloads and files away memories, a dossier of what caused us pain or discomfort so to avoid any such things happening again.

There's a healthy awareness for what can cause genuine harm such as learning early on to avoid touching fire or boiling water, your mind knows forever to keep a safe distance or be very careful around those things.

Then there's being in a more consistent state of discomfort or stress that can be very circular, because we operate within the confines of familiar patterns orchestrated by our minds.

Patterns that appear as great virtues like dedication, focus and resilience but all the while failing to see we are seeking fulfilment through material gain and believing our worries or frustrations about 'it all working out', are 'part of life'.

And when fulfilment or contentment is not realised through the familiar pattern, we lean further on our dedication, focus and resilience to try again.

And so, it becomes circular, finding ourselves, unwittingly, back in the same position of wanting change in our material experience i.e. a bigger house, new job or new workplace, more money, bigger holidays, for some sense of fulfilment within.

This consistent loop is a reflection of how we live life in fear and suffering. Fear about things not going well and suffering in the endless loop of actions we take that are neither aligned with our true nature or any true sense of fulfilment.

Ultimately, most of us are shrouded by the delusion that a change in our material circumstances is change in and of itself to improve our lives but these changes lack depth and substance.

And if you think back on any changes in your life such as a career change, change to the home or type of holiday you have, has the way you feel within, changed?

Is your level of worry or frustration any different from 5, 10 or 15 years ago?

In reality, have you ever felt ok, content or can you honestly see that no matter what has changed materially, you've consistently felt the undertone of worry or frustration?

You will find that no matter what's changed materially, the same feelings, physical sensations, the same pattern of events are occurring within you and the reason why is that you've never looked beyond the workings of your own ego.

You've never gone to any great depths to call out the autonomous beliefs narrating your life as you have been experiencing it.

Now calling yourself out can be hard, it takes a tonne of humility but it can also be really exciting because life is a much greater, joyful experience beyond the comforts of your Ego.