The Promise

“The more you achieve and acquire, the more you feel like an empty vessel waiting to be filled up.”

The world—­your parents, your teachers, your clan, your religion—­made an agreement with you. It promised that if you live your life in the pursuit of certain milestones, if you grab the brass ring, if you achieve, you will be happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise. You will find fulfillment. You will gain love, respect, and honor. You will have “made it.” You will be accepted. Worth will be bestowed upon you.

The promise of genuine peace, joy, and fulfillment is real, but the path to revealing it is unexpected and, to most, paradoxical. It will arise from within, once you return to authenticity. It will naturally emerge when you redefine what it means to be human and, most important, when you heal what I call your core wound—­your perceived unworthiness.

You see, your relationship to yourself is based on the role you have taken on in this life and  other people’s reactions to that role. But a role is not the real you. It is a mere facade—­a foggy, manufactured version of your true, authentic brilliance. It is like a dim fluorescent light compared to the clean, bright rays of the sun. It is not “bad,” but it is the source of limitation and disconnection in your life. You’ve created this facade in search of fulfillment and belonging, but underneath it lies a powerful and grace-filled desire for connection, love, and oneness.

For the most part, your facade was formed over time through the medium of language—­what has been spoken over you and what you have been conditioned to believe.

Have you ever asked: “Why do I feel this way? I’ve done the job. I’ve played by the rules and worked hard. Now where’s the prize?”

This excerpt is from Panache Desai’s new book, You Are Enough, published February 2020 by HarperOne. 

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This piece was previously published here.