We are born with the capacity to learn how to dream, and the humans who live before us teach us how to dream the way society dreams. The outside dream has so many rules that when a new human is born, we hook the child’s attention and introduce these rules into his or her mind. The outside dream uses Mom and Dad, the schools, and religion to teach us how to dream. Don Miguel Ruiz

My mom used to tell my sister and me, “It doesn’t matter that you are girls; you can grow up to do or be anything you want to do or be!” This was a great positive message and I believed it. Not everyone, however, treated me this way. There were many things I learned, subtly and overtly, that I couldn’t do or have because I was a girl. The reverse happened to my guy friends. A box was laid out that we were each supposed to fit into—a box that defined what our lives were supposed to look like, what success meant, and how we would know if we were happy.

But now it’s time to wake up from the societal trance. Your good, your joy, happiness, love, or peace isn’t out there. It’s not in your bank account, the gifts under the tree, the job, or the house. Stop being run by what you think should make you or others happy! Listen to your own inner being; follow your inner guidance; find out where your joy lives. Bliss is an inside job, and it requires you to be awake.

Spiritual Contemplation: Are you still living inside the box and asleep to your true desires?

Affirmation: I am awake. I desire only that which supports my bliss and the bliss of others!