The world exists, as far as we know it. The Universe around us seems to be there, and we seem to be in it. This is the basis for all thought. Is the Universe the underlying fabric of which all experiences can be held? Maybe it is just like the stage of a theater, upon which are cast It's characters and dramas? This isn't too far away from the truth that we've all established with our own ideas on how it all works.
And what ideas are those, and why am I proposing to claim this as universal? Maybe there are some of us who have radically different outward opinions, yet I do valiantly believe that within all human beings (and all creatures, for that matter) is an impetus from nature. An impetus that is somewhat like a.... drive or pull towards... something. We are all like moths attracted to a light. Only all of us are being drawn towards a Great Light, One that I feel is within us all.
It is the inner luminosity that trickles down from above and illuminates our day-to-day existence. It is what brings us joy for no reason; what causes us to laugh when we are happy. It is this light that propels us forward despite the darkness edging in, giving us strength to overcome the behaviors that we just gosh dang know that wouldn't help us or anyone else. In the simplest terms, this is the light that says "don't worry about it" when that jerk cuts you off in traffic, because you know that your own peace and well-being is more valuable than a temporary road-rage tantrum.
I use the driving example because it is almost universal in its application. Apply it to anything you've been through in life, and pay attention that often over-looked but massively important detail in these experiences. In all of our hardships in life, we've been picked back up and carried out of our own shit. Now the interesting thing is that no matter where we have been, where anyone has been, we can all look back and recall a situation where it went from bad to worse. Contrast this is with the same realization that we can look back and identify where it went from worse to better. Doesn't matter where you are - no matter how bad it is, there is an opportunity for it to get better. Never forget this when it DOES get better, and we are well on our way to a closer relationship with that luminous being within us that has graced us with better times in the first place.
All of us can admit to ourselves - "I could have done a little better job at _____". There is always room for a little more oomph (that's an onomatopoeia) in life. What the heck is in us that is encouraging forward in this way? Encouraging us to do just a little bit extra? To donate our time? To give our love away so freely, at the risk of sacrificing our own well-being? Identify yourself with that thing. Establish a closer relationship with the driving force in your life, because even though we feel like we are running the show, there is something giving us the strength to do so. Honoring that above all else should be our first and most utmost priority. Fall in love with y
our own being as it is, because out of it all the things are made possible.