I was chatting with a good friend this evening about life and what we make of it. He was excited that he has recently applied to Johns Hopkins for a masters in Public Health, and nervous as to whether he will be accepted or not.

I wanted so much to tell him he will never find happiness in credentials – in outside validation of who we are, but he is not yet in a place where he can accept – that no one requires external validation to make us “whole”.

The man is a total GENIUS! I’ll bet his IQ is 180 or higher. You can tell that from a single quick conversation. His intent is true, but his perception of reality is distorted. Just look at his educational accomplishments:

Columbia University, Certificate (Personal Leadership), 2013
Harvard Law School, Certificate (Negotiation & Leadership: Dealing with Difficult People & Problems), 2013
Cornell University, Certificate (Plant-Based Nutrition), 2013
Western University of Health Sciences, Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy), 2008 – 2013
Stanford University, Professional Certificate (Energy Innovation & Emerging Technologies), 2013
University of California, Berkeley, B.A. (Interdisciplinary Studies) – Honors. 2005

In addition to all those he is currently working on:
Boston University, M.C.J. (Masters of Criminal Justice), 2013 – 2014 (expected)
University of Cambridge, UK, Certificate of Participation (Psychology in the real world), 2014 (expected)

I have total confidence he will enter into Johns Hopkins for his next educational accomplishment, but when will the quest for external validation end? NEVER until he learns that all these credentials will not give him one single advantage over someone with NO credentials who loves his/her job and is passionate about every day of life.

May this beautiful man find the truth of unconditional love in one’s self. And that there is no REAL benefit to the outside accolades to our accomplishments. They buy us 10 minutes of fame – but the lasting joy comes from loving everyone – understanding that if it is not recognized or appreciated by some it is not a negative reflection on us. We are WHOLE without ANY acknowledgement from outside ourselves.

I have no doubt in time he will come to understand this truth, but in the mean time – I am sorry for his emptiness. His NEED for outside validation of his existence.

I love him unconditionally and eternally – and hope his awakening is sooner rather than later.