I spent much of my life looking outside of me for my answers. Seeking and searching from one person to another……..What is ‘the truth?’ I was reading books, watching T.V., going to school, going to church (in early days), asking the medical field…just trying to find someone who had all my answers. I was asking them …‘how do I find my happiness, joy and peace’?

The stress, strife, and pain continued to compound into different symptoms, aches, and pain. Layer after layer of stress ate away at my body seeking my bliss. I didn’t believe I was good enough to have my own answers. I believed everyone else had it all together and I didn’t. This was making it impossible to find happiness.

When it all got bad enough, I would go out into nature and be quiet. An inner voice would speak to me; yet for a long time I thought I was crazy. I didn’t listen and told myself I wasn’t smart enough to have any ‘good’ answers. Thank goodness, I had enough pain to finally get me to begin to listen to that inner voice or guidance. Time and time again when I was still and asked my inner self for my answers, I felt much more peace, joy, and happiness.

I also noticed that my mind/thoughts would argue with this quiet calm voice. My mind was filled with everyone else’s perceptions and answers. I certainly could not believe that quiet voice; that would be crazy. For many years I thought the quiet voice was my imagination. Yet I felt much better when I listened to it. Fortunately I grew to enjoy what I thought was fantasy in my earlier days. Eventually I realized I was who I was searching for. I had my answers. I was my truth.

Several years ago, I decided to unplug from believing my answers came from the outside world. I realized that I had to clean up my mind that was clouded by all the outside stories. I became the janitor of my own mind. I allowed my mind to be transformed as the quiet inner voice spoke my truth.

Yes, the truth I had been seeking was ‘my own truth.’ It is expressed from within my heart. The outside is just a mirror of what my mind believes. Therefore I choose to do introspective work much of my life. The outer world is my classroom. Questioning it leads me to what is my truth. I take the outside world and question what I think, believe, expect and experience. i.e. Questions like: Does this make me happy? Does it feel good? Is this my truth? Do I want to change my thoughts? On and on, introspection is an everlasting journey in which I truly find out who I AM. What an awesome journey it is!

***The key to my own authentic health and wellness is to 'stay out' of the stress of all my stories I learn from the outside world. It is preventive health to be as clear and connected within as I can be as often as I can.