There’s this house I’ve seen for years on my runs.

 

It stands out like a sore thumb in a neighborhood of beautiful homes.

 

There are broken-down cars in the driveway, junk piled on the front porch, and another car sitting in the backyard.

 

I’m not trying to be judgmental, but it’s hard not to notice it.

 

A few years ago, the house caught fire and burned down.

 

Eventually, they rebuilt it, and honestly, it looked great. Clean. Fresh. Different.

 

But slowly and surely, as I kept running past it, things started showing up again.

 

A car returned to the driveway.

Stuff piled back onto the porch.

More things appeared in the yard.

 

And today, the house pretty much looks exactly the same as it did before the fire.

 

It reminded me of something important.

 

How often we try to fix things externally but never address what’s happening internally.

 

You can rebuild the house, but if the people living inside don’t change, eventually the same patterns return.

 

I think this is also why we see the same thing happen in some inner cities.

 

Millions of dollars can be poured into rebuilding neighborhoods, cleaning streets, or improving buildings, but if the pain, hopelessness, trauma, and destructive patterns inside people are never addressed, enough time goes by and things often return to the same condition.

 

Because the real problem was never just the environment.

 

It was the hurt, the habits, and the mindset underneath it all.

 

I see this phenomenon everywhere.

 

Someone takes a weight-loss drug but never changes their habits.

 

They may lose weight, but the deeper issues remain untouched, so when the next health challenge comes, they’re unprepared.

 

Someone leaves a relationship without looking at their own patterns, only to attract the same kind of relationship again. (This is why 2nd 67% and 3rd marriages 78% have higher divorce rates than 1st marriages 41%.)

 

Someone has money problems and inherits money only to be right back in debt down the road.

 

I've heard people say this is just bad luck or Murphy's Law, but this isn't the truth.

 

It's an explanation but not a good one and certainly not an effective one.

 

Most problems are not solved externally.

 

They’re solved internally.

 

By changing our habits.

 

Our patterns.

 

Our thinking.

 

So, what do we do?

 

We look within.

 

I know that’s not always easy, and it’s definitely not the typical path, but I’ve found it to be true.

 

So why do this kind of work? It's hard...right?

 

Well, not hard but different.

 

But the real reason to do it is that we are not meant to be stuck, sick, poor and just getting by in life.

 

That sucks and it's not what we have been given life for.

 

We're given life to grow, learn, explore and be as engaged and happy as we can.

 

It’s one of the reasons I’ve dedicated myself to the work I do.

 

Doing my own inner work brought me a level of peace, comfort, and love that I had never experienced before.

 

And I’m deeply grateful for every teacher and every person who loved me enough to help guide me along that path.

 

So, if this spoke to you, and you feel like your “house” needs attention, reach out.

 

Much love and peace,

 

Bert