One of the biggest questions we have to repeatedly face as spiritual beings having this physical experience is how much of my life have I spent trying to be seen,
Trying to prove that I am enough.
Hey there conscious creator,
My name is Anthony and thanks for hitting play today.
In the Dao De Ching,
One of my favorite lines goes something like this,
When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete,
Everybody will respect you.
Yet today we do the opposite,
We try to earn respect,
We chase validation,
We shape ourselves into what we think will make others admire us,
But the more you try to become someone who is worthy of respect,
The further you move away from your true self,
The only version of you that could actually be respected.
We've all seen this happen,
The person who speaks a little too loudly trying to impress but only feels invisible,
The creative or artist who follows all the quote on quote rules yet their work lacks that fire of something truly alive,
That online social media guru who waters down their message only to become one of the many voices lost in the crowd.
I know this paradox well.
When I first started as a writer and meditation guide,
I was constantly measuring myself against others.
I looked at the most successful meditation teachers online and wondered if I'd ever be as good as them.
I studied the so-called formulas,
The best practices,
The strategies.
I thought if I just followed the right steps,
I'd find my way.
But with every so-called rule I adopted,
I felt less connected to my own voice.
Instead of writing from what felt true,
I was writing from what I thought would work.
Instead of trusting my own instincts,
I was trying to mirror someone else's.
And something about my work felt flat to me,
Like I was missing something.
And it was missing me,
The real me.
And if I kept looking outside myself for all the answers to success,
I'd never uncover what was uniquely mine to share.
And this reveals the great paradox that often escapes us.
Real confidence and being yourself isn't about becoming more or adding something new.
It's about letting go of everything that feels false.
It's like chiseling away at a block of stone,
Not to create something new,
But to reveal what was already inside.
Michelangelo,
One of the greatest sculptors and artists in history,
Embodies this idea when he said,
I saw the angel in the marble,
And I carved until I set it free.
Wow.
Meaning you are not something to be constructed.
You are something to be revealed.
So the real question isn't,
How can I be better?
It's,
What will I set free?
What angel is waiting beneath all the heaviness,
All the pressure of who you were told to be?
What truth is hidden beneath the layers of conditioning,
Comparison,
And self-doubt?
Because the more you strip away what is false,
The more undeniable you become.
So what would happen if you stopped seeking and started being?
And there's no strategy for that.
Only a quiet,
Steady return to yourself.
And you can simply start doing that by noticing when you're performing instead of being.
Are you speaking,
Creating,
Or acting from truth,
Or from a desire to be admired?
What would happen if you paused every time you noticed you were seeking validation?
Would you still say or do this if no one was watching?
What would happen if you really allowed yourself to detach from comparison?
Instead of asking,
How can I be as good as them?
You ask,
What is mine to say,
Do,
Create,
Or share?
Remember those words from the Tao Te Ching.
When you are content to be simply yourself,
And don't compare or compete,
Everybody will respect you.
Because respect isn't something you need to chase.
It's what flows to those who are truly themselves.
So let go.
Strip away the false self.
And carve until you set that angel free.
Thanks for listening today.
Have a wonderful,
Beautiful,
And highly conscious day.
Much love.
