Heal Yourself, Heal the World — Amanda Verdery Young

What is the change you wish to see in the world?

Is it the elimination of poverty and disease?

Is it peace instead of war?

Is it less trash and more reusing and repurposing?

No matter the change, we all inherently know it starts with us.

So what prevents us from making these changes whole-heartedly?

I believe it has to do with ownership.

When we experience a problem, it’s not the problem itself that is the challenge.

It’s how we look at the problem.

The problem with problems is we think we shouldn’t have them.

I, like my fellow humans, have fallen into this trap repeatedly. Whether it’s experiencing turbulence personally or witnessing the hardships of the world, it can feel even more daunting to step into a space of owning all of this.

What is ownership really?

The word can conjure up images of owning a home, a car, or a business. But the kind of ownership we are talking about here has an even deeper level connotation.

Often what prevents us from taking ownership of a problem is that the responsibility that comes with it feels so HEAVY. We can blame people or circumstances that are outside of ourselves because to do otherwise means we have to take on that burden.

But placing the fault within is neither taking responsibility nor ownership. It’s self-criticism, and it gets us to a solution about as fast as a slug moving through molasses on a winter’s day.

Scratch that.

Self-criticism takes us in the opposite direction of where we want to go. It just leads us into a downward spiral of continued victimization.

What if ownership and responsibility are actually things that empower us? What if owning your experience could create a sense of lightness and even freedom?

Responsibility is simply the “ability to respond.” It’s our ability to create, to choose how we interpret an experience. When we are able to respond in a way that feels like we are making the choice, this is true ownership.

We own our experience when we recognize that the world is not as we see it, it’s as we are.

When we do not accept the world or the current situation, it means on some level we are not accepting ourselves.

Ownership means looking inside for the solution. It’s laying down blame and suffering and brewing up curiosity and possibility.

It’s when, instead of saying “what’s wrong?” we ask, “what’s possible?”

This possibility lies within ownership. It’s the key to changing our world – whether that’s in our own healing like some of my brave clients, or in the healing of big global challenges.

In whichever case, there really is no difference. Healing is healing. When you heal yourself, you heal the world. And it happens only when we own our divine creative ability to bring a new SOUL-ution into physical reality.

The elixir for curing disease, poverty, scarcity, environmental degradation, social unrest, and even violence is a powerful concoction of possibility held in the cauldron of ownership.

To change this world, we must be able to accept it as it is. Which means accepting yourself for who you are.

The Owner of Your Life.

Love Always,

Danielle LaRock has been called a “visionary empath” and a “small but mighty powerhouse.” As a sought-after healer, spiritual teacher, and change leader, she empowers her clients to heal themselves by dissolving inner blocks and negative patterns that trap them in dis-ease in their body, life, and business. She works with individuals and groups, and is founder of The Haven, a center for visionary change leaders.

She overcame a chronic illness through this transformation work and built her livelihood around reconnecting with the Soul. She believes “when you be you, you heal!” Her vision and life’s work is creating a world where we live as our Real Selves (and enjoy the ride!) When she’s not “working,” she loves baking, writing, and doing handstands. Connect with Danielle at www.DanielleLaRock.com