I often marvel at people who will spend thousands and thousands of dollars to travel to far off places where they hope to climb a well-traveled path to the guru who possesses all wisdom.
As you approach the guru, sweating from the steep trek up the side of a mountain, you observe they have no possessions. They sit on a blanket placed on the ground, legs crossed, fingers poised, and they have a look of pure contentment on their face. A sense of desire overcomes you as you ask how you can have that experience too. Then the guru says, "You must give up all you have."
Discouraged that you must give everything you have away so you can be content seems unrealistic and downright contrary to your way of thinking, so you leave seeking another hill to climb with a different guru who will tell you what you want to hear, which is really how to keep what you have AND be content with it.
Peace is the destination you find in your heart.
Working for a non-profit counseling center has been one of the most difficult and rewarding experiences of my life. I have made less money by working twice as hard and have found more contentment and joy than ever. I have learned that joy is found not in the things you accumulate, but in the things that you give away. By giving of my time, my energy, and tiny bits of wisdom, I receive joy when I see others change and grow to become the best version of themselves. When you think you will find wisdom at the top of a mountain, realize you may be in for an uphill battle.
"Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 19:24