What It Means To Be Golden

Peel back the layers to find that underneath the pain, suffering, and challenges that we have inherent goodness and value. Below is a brief story that helped me discover that underneath my suffering, self destruction, and the constant feeling of not being good enough, that I can still love myself and remind myself that, “You’re strong, you’re powerful, you’re wise, and you’re golden”. This shift in perspective completely changed how I dealt with my own suffering and opened up my mind to accepting and supporting my whole self just as I am.

In 1950's Bangkok, a drought caused a 10’ high and 5.5 ton clay Buddha to crack, revealing a startling secret: a solid gold statue hidden beneath the surface. Centuries earlier, monks had covered the gold in plaster to protect it from invaders. Over time, its true value was forgotten, and it was mistaken for common clay.

No one had known that inside this popular but ordinary looking statue was a solid gold Buddha. As it turns out, the statue had been covered with plaster and clay six hundred years earlier to protect it from invading armies. Although all the monks who lived in the monastery at that time had been killed in the attack, the golden Buddha, its beauty and value covered over, had survived untouched.

This story mirrors the human journey of recovery. To survive a challenging world, we often build "protective layers" of clay—defenses formed from trauma, societal pressure, or the weight of addiction and mental illness. We eventually mistake these coverings for our true identity, feeling broken or deficient.

My mission as a Behavioral Health and Recovery Coach is to help you recognize that your "inner gold"—your innate worth and resilience has never been tarnished, only hidden.