The biggest problem facing the world is that we believe certain things need to happen in order for us to be happy. In other words, our happiness depends on people, situations and events being a certain way. That "certain way" is an expectation we have in our minds and it's a very personal expectation at that. We all have these ideas about what will make the world a better place, which is great, but we run into a major problem when we believe that our way is the right way and others must obey! If we're constantly trying to manipulate the world to fit our ideal, we will struggle our entire life and most likely fail. We can't control what is outside of us. We can't control other people. We can't control outcomes. The only thing we can control is the way we are thinking about these things. Until each of us looks within and observes what we are believing to be true and how we are trying to force these beliefs onto the world outside of us we will never feel peace within and see peace without. Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." He didn't say make the change you wish to see--he said to be it. These are words we've all heard and could probably agree that they are wise and true, yet have we actually taken the time to think deeply about their meaning? We must look at what's going on inside of our own minds if we are to bring a positive change into this world. Right now, what we're doing is not working because we're doing the opposite! If we want to see a change without we must first make a change within.

When I look at mental health challenges I see how they're commonly viewed as an unsolvable problem. Something we can learn to cope with but not completely heal from. Although this trend is slowly changing, the belief that mental health is something an individual is stuck with is still very present in society. I believe one practical solution that would tremendously help those struggling with mental health is having more truly holistic therapists. By truly holistic, I mean therapists who understand that we are whole, complete, and have everything we need to overcome and transcend any issue in life. This would not neglect the struggle at hand, instead it would see not only the struggle. This perspective would bring an unconditional hope to the person struggling, because they are no longer being viewed as a sick person, they are being viewed as someone who's in a challenge that's helping them grow and that they can and will overcome. As I prepare to be a mental health counselor over the next three years, this is one of my primary objectives as I train and learn. I must be able to see the person's natural brilliance while at the same time acknowledge where they're at in whatever challenge they may be facing.

Some of the most impactful ways I've found to clear my mind are yoga, meditation, writing, and soul dancing. They came into my life in this order too. Yoga was like a gateway mindfulness practice for me. It helped me reorient my perspective of my body and become much kinder and gentler toward it. I learned how to develop focus, something I had never deliberately attempted before. I discovered how steadying my attention could almost magically shift my mood and mindset and bring clarity to issues I'd been struggling with. It also showed me how a difficult situation can become dramatically less difficult, even humorous at times, if I let go of the thoughts about it and allowed my attention to be solely on the task at hand. Then came meditation. Once I committed to a daily practice, my life began to change considerably, and my growth noticeably accelerated. Meditation deepened my experience of what it means to let something go, or let it be as I like to say. Time and time again I am amazed at how insights and solutions are given to me out of nowhere when I simply make the effort to let things be. Whether it's a troubling life situation, an uncomfortable bodily sensation, or a noise in the background, it seems to transform like magic as I keep allowing my attention to come back and rest on the point of focus. It keeps showing me the natural brilliance we each have within us, and as I trust in this more and more, I find that I worry less and less. Years after my academics seemingly came to an end I was reintroduced to writing, and in a whole new way too. Gratitude was the first theme, and I couldn’t believe how powerful such a simple activity could be. Writing slows everything down. We write slower than we talk and much slower than we think. It helps to slow down the mind, and the mind is more effective, efficient, and clear when it’s moving at a slow pace. I’m able to gain perspective and miraculously stumble across wonderful ideas as I follow the slow fluid tempo of writing. Whether I’m writing in my gratitude journal, following a stream of consciousness, or expressing how I authentically feel about something, it feels like I’m lightening my load. Kind of like taking the lid off a pot of boiling water and allowing the steam to release. Most recently, soul dancing has entered my life. I call it soul dancing because there’s no point other than to simply allow what I’m feeling in the moment to be expressed through movement. I’m not trying to move or look a certain way, not trying to compete with anybody, just making my best attempt to be open and free. Soul dancing has helped me drop a lot of self-judgment and has shown me the power of acceptance. I get lost in the music and the wonderful flow that inevitably unfolds throughout the body, and something happens that I’m not even aware of. Sometimes I cry and sometimes I laugh. Other times I dance so much that I just lay on my back and completely relax. All I know is after I allow the body to move freely like the innocent child it is, I feel more love for myself. Thank you for this prompt. I really enjoyed reflecting and sharing these tools that have helped me tremendously. Take good care and sending you lots of love!

"You don't have to change anybody, you just have to love them." When I first heard this quote from Neem Karoli Baba it immediately left a deep impression on my mind. Although I definitely haven't learned this lesson completely yet, it has surely been teaching me a lot about relationships, especially with my family. The relationship with my younger brother has presented me with great challenges in the past decade after he began to struggle with intense mental health states. During this time I've learned a lot about being truly helpful, and it's right in line with Neem Karoli Baba's advice. This past winter, my brother came home to our parent's home for the holidays. He came at a time when a marijuana addiction had a heavy grip on him. He was smoking several times a day and the room he was staying in (my room) reeked of weed smoke. In the past, I would have been getting very angry, judging him in my mind, and trying to convince him to stop by giving him my righteous reasoning. This time I took a different approach. I decided to support him. Not enable him, but support him. I let him do his thing and smoke whenever he pleased. I let him decide how to spend the little money he had on weed, even if I didn't agree with him. As my mind wasn't focused on changing him, I was much friendlier toward him. We had good conversations, laughed, went on hikes, and watched movies together. It felt similar to old times when we were so close that I considered him to be my best friend. He began to open up to me about his struggle with weed and how he wants to stop but feels like he can't. I listened. I didn't condemn him. I felt his struggle, and I felt compassion for him. The incredible part is that he gradually smoked less and less over the four weeks he was with us and was sober for five days by the time he flew back home! I couldn't help but laugh when I thought about how all this transpired. The result I would push for so incessantly in the past came almost all by itself. When I wasn't trying to change my brother, I naturally felt more love for him, and that love brought about the change I thought was more important than our connection. This experience showed me the power of love, trust, and patience. It showed me that if I make these things my primary focus in relationships, I will be guided on what to do, what to say, and when to do them. This lesson has made me a better friend, son, brother, teacher, and student. I am relying less on myself and more on the inner wisdom that only speaks when truly listened to. As I study to become a mental health counselor, I will keep this lesson close to my heart. I will do my best to be patient, focus on loving the person I'm with first, and then let that love present us with the solution.

I'll share one of the most impactful learning moments of my life, something I consider to truly be a miracle. At the beginning of the pandemic, my younger brother moved back home with my parents and me. It marked the first time we were all under the same roof in twelve years, and since then we had gone through some difficult times together. My brother began experiencing severe mental health challenges about ten years ago, and it's been a vicious cycle of highs and lows for him. It proved to be very difficult for the family too. In the beginning, I became incredibly angry and depressed and moved out of my parent's home because I couldn't stand being around them. My relationship with my brother was strained as well and became violent at times. My attempt to help him turned out to be assuming the role of a third parent, and he didn't like that! I had never faced a bigger challenge, but like with all challenges, there's a reward available. I was driven to look at my life and radically change my perception. I began to practice yoga, dive into spiritual teachings and practices, change my career, and move away from relationships that were a huge part of my life for fifteen years. Much of my work involved how I related to my family. So, my brother comes back home amid an intense manic episode. A manic episode, for him, is characterized by overwhelming mental energy, little to no sleep, and an extremely sensitive and defensive victim persona. We all had a lot of business we hadn't taken care of, and we were being given the opportunity to acknowledge it or suffer more. I was determined to be with my brother in a totally different way this time around. In the past, I tried to calm him down or ignore him with an underlying energy of force, fear, and anger within me. This time, I would try and bring acceptance and allowance. Looking at myself over the years, I came to see so much of what he was going through was inside of me too. Maybe it was at a lesser level, but it was there nonetheless. Compassion and understanding had been growing inside of me, and I was seeing my brother through a different lens. After an explosion of anger, he burst into the backyard yelling, throwing and breaking things. I quietly trailed him, calmly replacing what he uprooted. I kept my distance and just allowed him to do his thing. At one point he stopped across the yard, and I gazed at him. A brand new thought came to me: “He doesn’t want to be doing this. He doesn’t want to act this way.” I felt love for him, despite his formidable outer appearance. At that moment he looked at me and we locked eyes. A smirk appeared on his face which spawned one on mine. Then he chuckled and so did I. He laughed and I did too and said, "What the heck, are you laughing??" Everything dissolved. We laughed, embraced, cried, and had a wonderful conversation. The outcome of this manic episode was so drastically different from previous ones that I can't help but call it a miracle. Simply by my willingness to be with my brother’s rage in a different way, we were all blessed with the extraordinary power of love. Thank you for offering this very meaningful scholarship. I really appreciate it and enjoyed sharing this reflection very much. Best of luck selecting the lucky recipients! with Love, Nate

Creativity is something that seemed elusive to me for most of my life. I didn't think I was creative! Although I made entertaining videos with my friends and had a unique perspective on things, I didn't believe I was a creative person. In the past couple of years though, I've learned that creativity is within all of us, and it's not something we have to try and do. It's within us waiting to express itself. All we have to do is allow it to do so! I found that once I stopped judging myself and my unique ideas, the creativity flowed beautifully. I began creating online spiritual development courses once the pandemic started. I designed graphics for them, made posts to share on social media, and videos of me sharing my ideas about different aspects of life. I also began to "soul dance", which is moving the body freely without worrying about how it looks. Sharing these things on social media has really helped me overcome much self-judgment. Putting myself out there has been so healing for me and others as well. When we act without fear we give others the opportunity to do the same. My journey into creativity has been so fun and rewarding. I now encourage people to do the same. I know it's within them too, because I have personal experience of connecting to it within myself! I like to say that creativity is not doing something new for the sake of it, it's doing something new because that's exactly what's within you! You are great. Share it please!

My life changed dramatically when my younger brother and best friend began to suffer from extreme mental health challenges. For the next decade he would be at the mercy of intense swings of heavy depression, violent manic episodes, and some hopeless vanilla phases in between. What seemed like a terrible thing that was happening to him was truly a blessing in disguise. It was helping not only him to grow, but also myself and my family. In the beginning I was very unprepared for this kind of life situation. I had lived on the surface level of life for the most part, never looking within and working on myself. Like many, I was caught up in the expectations of society trying to find a partner, make money, and get as many people to like me as possible. My brother's condition allowed me to question the importance of all of this. I became very depressed. I felt like I had lost my brother. Although he was alive, it was like the person I knew was no longer there. I was also very angry. I kept seeing how I would blame him for inconveniencing my life over and over again. I was so confused at why I was feeling this way. It was basically unbearable. So, I began listening to lectures by Ram Dass. Every day and evening as I fell asleep, I would listen to him talk about out interconnectedness, our inherent ability to love unconditionally, and his very honest and humorous assessment of looking at all the dark stuff within himself. My outer life began to change quickly. I began practicing yoga and meditating. I joined a 200-hour yoga teacher training and began teaching as soon as I could. I walked away from my full-time job as a sports performance trainer and slowly let go of relationships that had been a huge part of my life for the past 15 years. I wanted to live a life that supported becoming truly free from even the slightest twinge of anger or judgment toward myself or another. As I dove deeper into spiritual teachings and practices my inner life began to change dramatically too. I became more peaceful, calm, and accepting. My relationships, especially the most difficult ones with my family, slowly began to transform into something I enjoyed rather than despised. It continuously amazed me how by simply letting of harmful beliefs within myself the world and those around me seemed to change for the better. At this point, one thing I have learned is that we all have mental health challenges. Unless you reach mastery like Jesus, Krishna, or Buddha, you live with these same relentless thought patterns that seem to attack us almost all the time. Some people, like my brother, experience them in more intense forms, but everything he's shared with me I can relate to. He’s not crazy just because he can’t hide it as well I can. I can relate because I have been honestly looking within for years. I have found some insane stuff and it seems like it just keeps being uncovered! But that's the process of healing. We must go to that painful place, that dark place, that place we don't want to go. We must feel it and look at it without fear if it is to be transformed from bondage to freedom. Now, here I am about to begin a three-year journey at Naropa University in August, 2022 pursuing a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. My program will concentrate on Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology. It's founded on the principle that we are all pure. No matter what symptom we are struggling with in life we have the means within us to correct it. I feel like life has prepared me perfectly for this new chapter. Honestly, I don't think I have been more excited for anything in my entire life. I feel like a seven-year-old on Christmas eve! I am so grateful for this opportunity to study alongside like-minded people and learn from people I admire. I have no doubt that this program will help me develop new skills and refine ones I currently have so I can be of even more service to all my brothers and sisters in this world. Nothing makes me more enthused than this. Thank you so very much for offering this scholarship. I know whoever receives it will be so grateful and will put the support to good use. I wish you the best of luck in finding the perfect recipients, and I wish you the best of luck in your wonderful life. with Love, Nate

Before I had one of the biggest breakthroughs of my life in terms of believing in myself I became aware of how I was not believing in myself. Before I could set myself free, I had to see how I was tying myself down! When I was about six I developed a stutter when I spoke. It was intense for most of my life. I shuddered at the thought of getting called on in class to read aloud or give a presentation. I avoided meeting new people because of what they might think of me if I couldn't speak normally. However, as I got older I relaxed more and didn't let my style of speech hold me back as much. I thought I was doing pretty well until I had a mind-blowing insight during a session with a teacher of mine. She asked me what was currently my biggest life challenge. I told her it was not being able to speak fluently. She looked at me and so lovingly said, "Is that what you think about yourself?" I was taken back as I realized that's exactly what I thought about myself! I had boxed myself in as a person who stutters and can't do so many things because of it. I had drawn a conclusion about my potential and abilities. After this session I began to make big changes. I started going for things I hadn't in the past and I saw that not only was I capable, but I was actually damn good! The best part is that all of these things involved public speaking. This lesson has taught me that confidence is natural. It's not something we have to gain. It's something we just have to recognize and allow.

Listening is one of the most powerful things we can do in life, and it goes far beyond just hearing the words someone is speaking. To listen, we must be quiet and attentive, curious and unassuming. When we truly listen we are open and in a place where we can learn new things and broaden our perspectives. We can go beyond the mind we currently have. As Alan Alda so beautifully said, “Real listening is a willingness to let the other person change you.” Real listening is humility. I don’t know, so I will listen. One way I think of describing meditation is listening. In seated meditation we listen to the body, the breath, emotions, or thoughts that float by. We don't analyze, figure out, or fix any of it. We just observe whatever it is and allow it to teach us simply by expressing itself in the moment. This is how I listen to others. I do my best to clear my mind of any preconceived ideas I have of them, the history we may share, and any response I'd like to make. I just listen to what they say and how the say it. When another person is listened to in this way something kind of unbelievable happens too: they listen to themselves. When they aren't feeling challenged by another person's opinion or unseen by lack of attention, they can actually hear what they are saying much better. They can learn about themselves, and they might even have a wonderful insight to whatever they're dealing with.

"You're not here to change the world. You are here to change your mind about the world." My mentor has said this to me many times over the years and each time he does I feel like it hits me at a deeper level. This statement, to me, means being fully responsible for my life. It's not up to anybody or anything else to make me happy. It's not the world's job to satisfy my every need. Life teaches me by challenging me! That's not to say that life isn't sweet as well, because it definitely is, but even the sweetness is temporary if I believe it's coming from outside of myself. The reward of engaging with and overcoming a challenge is priceless and eternal. Lessons we truly learn become a part of who we are and help us change our perception of ourselves, others and the world at large. This statement reminds me that if I expect growth to be given to me, then I will never grow. It reminds me that if I demand things from life, then I will live a demanding life. It reminds me that the best students are willing to engage with the lesson. I am a student of life, and I am not here to change the curriculum. I am here to take it!

Gratitude is one of those things that is often overlooked because of its simplicity, but in its simplicity lies its tremendous power. I began developing gratitude a few years ago when read a book called "The Magic". It's all about gratitude and outlines twenty-eight ways to practice it. To this day it was one of the most impactful things I have ever done. I started a gratitude journal and recapping my day with thankfulness as I fell asleep. I began applying it to my dreams and goals, being grateful for them as if they were already so. I even gave gratitude a try with my most difficult life relationships, directing my attention to what these people have given me instead of focusing on how I felt they did me wrong. I was repeatedly astonished at how the magic of gratitude transformed my perception of people, situations and myself. It affected me so much that two years after reading that book, I created an online course called "Living With A Grateful Heart" and guided a group of people on a beautiful journey into the happiness of gratitude. We all came out of those six weeks as more joyful people. To this day, "thank you" is a mantra that rings through my mind the moment I wake up. The power of those words is unrivaled and brings me into a state of present moment appreciation. It makes me feel safe, supported and content. I feel abundant, not because I have a lot, but because I love what I have.

If we don’t understand what mental health is in the first place we will not be able to alleviate our mental health struggles as a society. Mental health struggles are not limited to just the severe cases. Every person on this planet, save a few masters, struggles with mental health. It’s not until an individual recognizes this about themself that they can truly begin to help someone else. This has been my experience. My younger brother began having psychotic breaks several years ago. I was scared and terribly confused. The help I was frantically trying to offer him was only making things worse. This was before I began observing my own mental-emotional states. It was like I was trying to teach someone how to play basketball without ever watching or playing the game myself! This challenge with my brother pushed me to make big changes in my life. I began practicing and teaching yoga, meditating, changing my lifestyle and relationships, and studying spiritual texts and lessons from great teachers. All this to educate myself about my own mental health struggle. I’ve seen over the years now that the more I have taken responsibility for myself the more I can relate to the struggles of others, and the more I can relate the more I can truly help. The practical solution I suggest is for us all to honestly look at ourselves and make it our most cherished responsibility to heal ourselves first. If we heal, then we can offer healing.