You’re making yourself suffer because of the expectations you placed on the world. We rarely want to look inward. We rarely want to accept that we are fully responsible for our own state of mind, our well-being, our peace, and our contentment.

Everything man-made in this world was first imagined. Someone saw it in their mind, drew it out, gathered the resources, and others joined in that vision, and it became real. That’s the power we hold. We are creators. A bulldozer is human evolution. We weren’t strong enough to lift a thousand tons, so we built something that could. We couldn’t fly, so we created machines that could. We are now a flying species. We manifested that.

But we also manifested war. Poverty. Environmental destruction. Every human-made problem is a reflection of the level of consciousness we’ve been operating from.

Everything we’ve built, every system we’ve created, came from our minds. Minds that came from the universe itself. And we’re still evolving. Still figuring it out. Expanding our consciousness so that one day we might create a world that works for everyone. A world that feels like Utopia.

And it has to be this way, because if we were just dropped into a perfect world without the growth, without the learning, without the struggle, we would destroy it. We’d turn it into hell. Growth is necessary. Awareness is necessary. Responsibility is necessary. That’s how we evolve.

If we were just dropped into a perfect world, we’d grow depressed, bored, lonely, and sad. We wouldn’t appreciate it. That’s why we have to work toward it. That’s the journey our species is on, to earn the beauty we dream of, to raise our consciousness so we can build a world we’re truly ready for. One not just filled with high-tech gadgets, but with love and peace.

A lot of people misunderstand what manifesting really means. They think it’s about visualizing riches or attracting luxury. And yes, people do manifest success. But it’s not just because they visualized it. It’s usually the result of many layers of luck, genetic luck, family support, financial support, being born at the right time and place, and having access to education or opportunity.

Hopefully, they also worked extremely hard and made great decisions. But even those decisions often come from luck, the luck of having a mind that was taught or exposed to wisdom, a brain with the clarity and safety to think long-term and act wisely.

But here’s the thing: many of those people who “have it all” don’t know their kids’ middle names. They don’t remember birthdays. Their assistants buy the gifts. Their relationships suffer. Their marriages quietly fall apart.

Meanwhile, there are people living in small, modest homes who fill every corner with love. With laughter. With kindness. With generosity. That is real wealth.

You might get all the possessions you ever wanted and still be miserable. Not because you intended to manifest unhappiness, but because when success is driven by ego and unchecked ambition, it often leads to emptiness. Many people chase wealth, thinking it will bring freedom. But too often, it brings more pressure, more greed, and more loneliness.

We’re not working to be poor. Of course not. Most of us are working hard to be rich. But if our desire for success is rooted in greed, we may find ourselves surrounded by greed. If it’s rooted in selfish ambition, we may end up isolated and wondering where our joy went.

Elon Musk, one of the richest people alive, once said that people wouldn’t want to live inside his mind. Imagine that. Billions of dollars, and yet, his inner world feels like a burden. He’s clearly suffering. And no amount of money can fix that.

Ultimately, all any of us really want is freedom from suffering. And here’s the good news: that kind of freedom is something we can all manifest. No pill, no technology, no invention, no vacation is needed. It’s already within us. It’s free. It’s universal. It’s available to all.

Ironically, it’s the opposite of what we’ve been taught. True peace doesn’t come from chasing. It comes when we stop seeking it in external pleasures, addictions, or things. It comes when we turn inward, when we discover that what we’ve been searching for has been inside us all along.

So, yes, of course, you want wealth. And I truly believe that when we realize the wealth of happiness already within us, we begin to unlock the ability to create material wealth too. I’ve seen it again and again, people who are struggling, who are in pain, often drink the most, smoke the most. These become natural outlets for stress, for suffering. But over a lifetime, that habit alone might cost them a million dollars, money that could have been invested, used to build something meaningful, used to buy freedom instead of escape.

And that’s just the financial cost. The real cost is the time wasted, the energy drained, the dreams deferred. Every moment spent numbing the pain is a moment not spent building something better.

This is why practices like meditation matter. They’re not just spiritual, they’re practical. They are some of the most restful, energizing, and powerful tools we have. They sharpen our focus. They develop our attention. They build discipline. And with those three things — focus, attention, and discipline — we can create real change. A better life. Not just for ourselves, but for our families.

It all starts with the mind. That’s where everything begins. And when we learn to take care of the inner world, the outer world begins to take care of itself.

When we become highly aware of the consequences of our actions, we become incredibly effective. Whatever we direct our attention to, whether it’s business, relationships, creativity, or healing, our effectiveness is determined by the quality of our attention and the depth of our awareness. It’s not just what we do, but how present we are while doing it.

And I truly believe this: when life doesn’t go according to our plans, when the universe redirects us, it’s for a reason.

We may not see that reason immediately. At first, it might feel catastrophic, like everything is falling apart. The rug is pulled out from under you. What you had planned is shattered. But over and over, I’ve found that those moments are the very turning points that lead to a life better than I could have imagined.

It doesn’t always become clear right away. Sometimes it takes a year or longer to see the gift inside the setback. But this is why it’s so important not to jump to conclusions. Not to label things as “bad” or “unfair” too quickly. Instead, we stay open. We stay curious. We keep looking.

Because there’s always a lesson. Always a new path. And maybe that path will be even more beautiful than the one we originally had in mind.