When I’m negative about myself, maybe just a few little life-sucking judgments, this negativity impairs my ability to listen to the undiluted instruction of my heart.

Some part of me actually thinks it’s useful to tell myself that I am lacking and then start tallying the ways. This isn’t just sad. It’s destructive. I am closing myself off from the energy within that can fill every lack I ever thought I had. I am blocking the incoming signals of divine intelligence.

And let’s be real. Self-criticism is a wicked gift that just keeps on giving. I am harsh with others when I am harsh with myself. Unless you’re enlightened or on really good drugs, I know you know those kinds of days. When I’m crazy, I can think that the way my partner breathes is the obvious source of all my problems. Don’t get me started on how he chews.

So, this is my work now. I am taking responsibility for my life. I am taking the reins for my point of view: The voice I listen to inside myself, the stories I tell myself, my energy and vibe.

I intend to use my life force and my creativity for the good. The wisdom of A Course in Miracles teaches that inspired messengers are different than your average Western Union type deal. They’re not just delivering a message. They are the message. We are all a message. We teach others what we are choosing for ourselves.

I am asked to forgive myself, accept myself, receive myself, and express myself. I am a representative of love. I am one lantern, one way the light flies into our world.

We need all voices here.

I know you might think you already have enough on your plate– without having to worry about being your best possible self. I get it. There are days when I’m lucky to have matching socks and my “highest potential” seems like an undiscovered exotic island in a country where I don’t speak the language.

But at some point, if you’re interested in moving forward in your life, you realize that everything in life goes smoother when you’re coming from the right place. It really is easier to live our highest potential than it is to deny it.

That’s why I want to let go of listening to an inner voice of self-attack. I want to know the clarity and integrity of being undiluted. I am devoted to becoming free of self-limiting beliefs. And this kind of self-dedication isn’t vanity, ambition, or self-absorption. This is liberation. This is allegiance to what is true—and only what is true—the truth of who I am when I’m coming from my love and strength.

Because I believe in us humans. Our true nature is pretty freaking cool. And we are given the chance in this lifetime to work through our misconceptions, to spin the gold, and end the struggles within. We can align with the best parts of ourselves, tap our storehouses of love, and shine like diamonds on bright white snow.

We are all mysterious powerhouses, secrets even to ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I want to explore all of my real potential. I’ve wondered: what other faculties do I possess? What else awaits me in my dowry or knapsack? I know this much: I won’t really know myself until I express all of myself. Because a seed is not an apple tree. And an apple tree is not a seed.

And, so, I’m going to dare this. I am going to be a steward of my life. I want to be a dynamite concierge at this particular hotel. A doula of the miraculous, a champion of the possible. This is not to make me better than someone else. This is to make me better than I have been in the past. This isn’t about seeking perfection. I’m in it for progress, growth, and healing. I keep upgrading my phone and my computer software. So why wouldn’t I upgrade my own ways of being in this life?