Your Inner Voice Calls Your Sensitive Soul
Discover the power of your inner voice and unlock the secret garden within. Explore a transformative journey beyond the ordinary, where beauty, harmony, and infinite possibilities await sensitive souls ready to embrace their true nature.
The Spirit Speaks When the Heart Listens
There was a time in my life when anxiety was a constant companion. For years, I struggled with severe depression that left me hollow, lost, and trapped in a fog of uncertainty. My confidence had crumbled, and the simplest decisions felt like insurmountable mountains. Life became a colorless grind of tight-chested despair and anxious nights, marked by an ever-present knot in my stomach. It was as though I was suspended in darkness – what some call the “dark night of the soul.”
Yet, at the darkest point in my entire life, a faint light began to flicker. It didn’t feel like a dramatic epiphany or a life-altering event. Instead, it was a subtle, persistent whisper from within – a voice that offered both guidance and solace. At first, I didn’t understand what it was. This inner voice, as I came to call it, gently pointed out behavioral patterns I had never noticed. It brought to my attention how my own negative, defeatist self-talk had programmed my life to revolve around repetitive, aimless patterns that brought me nothing but heartache and pain.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had opened a door to a legendary inner source – the voice of the heart. This source is known by many names, depending on whom you ask. It has been called “The Holy Spirit,” “the messenger of God,” “the voice of the Spirit,” and “the muse,” among others. Naming it, in my opinion, is not important; what matters is its function in our lives.
It took me years to understand that function. Initially, I treated the voice with a healthy dose of skepticism and downright suspicion. I didn’t understand its source, and that uncertainty fueled my imagination. I thought it could be a demonic voice or, worse, the voice of madness. These projections were undoubtedly shaped by residual religious beliefs and accepted societal norms. They did not reflect the true nature of the voice or the quality of the advice it gave me. Nevertheless, my relationship with it was ambivalent, to say the least. I fought and distrusted it, not because its advice was unsound but because it revealed things about myself I didn’t want to see. It pointed out flaws in my logic and behavior that I was not ready to accept.
Despite my resistance, the truths in the voice’s insights were undeniable. The real litmus test for me, however, was its application in practical life scenarios. The opportunity presented itself while I was working as a senior scientist at the University of Helsinki.
I was trying to identify and clone an unknown gene that seemed to have a crucial function in a type of brain cells called astrocytes. At the time, nothing was known about this gene; it had neither been sequenced nor characterized. For six months, I tried every protocol and method available, yet came up empty-handed every time. Frustrated and nearing the end of my options, I turned to my inner voice – not because I had faith that it would solve the problem. To be honest, I felt that it was one thing to ask for spiritual or psychological guidance but a completely different thing to tackle scientific challenges, but I had nothing to lose.
The guidance I received was astonishingly simple: switch from adult tissues to embryonic tissues as the source of the gene pool. At the time, I didn’t know that this gene was more active during embryonic development. It was a blind leap of faith, but within two weeks of making the switch, I successfully cloned and sequenced the gene. My inner voice had not only guided me toward a practical solution but had also illuminated a deeper truth: the gene’s heightened activity in embryonic tissues pointed to its role in early development—something I hadn’t considered. And this is the true story of how I discovered and cloned the Astroprincin gene and protein.
This discovery was a turning point. The voice I once dismissed as unreliable proved to be more accurate than my rational mind. Slowly, I began seeking its guidance whenever I felt stuck. But the guidance wasn’t always easy to hear, as it ultimately placed the responsibility for whatever happened in my life at my own doorstep. It consistently reminded me that I was the creator of my reality – not its victim. For years, I resisted this idea, clinging to the belief that life’s hardships were the fault of others or circumstances beyond my control. Yet, as I listened, I began to see how much power lay in reclaiming responsibility for my life. This shift in perspective was both liberating and challenging, forcing me to confront truths I had been raised never to consider.
Last year, I published a book that I consider a collaborative effort between this inner voice and myself. It was written with two distinct voices. In the first part, I narrate my life’s story as it was shaped by my perceptions and struggles. In the second part, I gave space to my inner voice to offer its higher perspective on the events of my life. The book reveals how much of my past suffering stemmed from identifying with a false sense of self – a self shaped by societal conditioning and personal misunderstandings about the purpose of life.
The book, which is considered “channeled,” is a testimony to the power of the inner voice and its ability to produce tangible, intelligible results in the physical world. Of course, my book is not a unique phenomenon. Many influential works have been created through what their authors described as channeled or intuitive guidance. Jane Roberts’ Seth material, Esther Hicks’ Abraham teachings, and Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversations with God are just a few examples of this phenomenon. These works resonate with people because they tap into something universal—a source of wisdom that exists within all of us.
Reflecting on what we can achieve by accessing our inner voices, I started to wonder why this is not a common practice among us. I believe it’s because society conditions us to dismiss it. We’re born with an innate connection to this inner wisdom, but we’re taught to ignore it in favor of external validation and rationality. It’s as if we’re all born with perfect vision in a society that insists we’re blind.
The good news is that this connection is never truly lost. It simply requires intentionality to rekindle.
Today, I see my inner voice as my most valuable asset – a source of guidance that complements, rather than replaces, rational thought. It’s helped me overcome depression, navigate challenges, and achieve breakthroughs I never thought possible. This resource can inspire poetry, tell stories, solve daily problems, direct us when we feel lost, heal relationships, and even lead to scientific discoveries.
This is why I feel compelled to share what I’ve learned. Imagine what could happen if more people – and more organizations – tapped into this extraordinary resource. What breakthroughs might we achieve? What relationships might we heal?
I’m now working to create workshops and talks to help individuals and teams access their inner voices. Whether you’re an artist seeking inspiration, a leader facing tough decisions, or simply someone feeling stuck, this resource can transform your life.
If this resonates with you – whether as an individual or on behalf of an organization – I invite you to reach out. Together, we can explore how to access this wellspring of wisdom and apply it in ways that are practical, empowering, and life-changing.
Let’s uncover the potential within.
—
Check out my book here, and my Goal Setting and Achievement course here.
The Chemistry of human connections
Over the course of our lifetimes, we form tens of thousands of connections with other people. Yet, only a few stand out as exceptional, extraordinary, and sometimes even magical. You know what I am talking about – the people whose mere mention makes your heart flutter.
This happened to me once upon a time. I met a woman, and in that fleeting moment when our gazes locked for the first time, everything else dissolved. It felt as though we were on a stage, with the spotlight on her, dimming the surrounding world into oblivion. Time seemed to retreat into a corner, eager to immortalize the instant our eyes met. In that space between reality and dream, we bonded first through our eyes, then our smiles. Words were unnecessary; our silence spoke volumes. Introductions felt redundant, as if we had known each other forever. But how? And since when?
These questions are not for our rational minds; they belong to the territory of the heart. It is hard to answer why we feel at home with some people and at war with others. What makes one relationship inspiring and another stressful? Why do we shine in a certain relationship but wither in another? Can relationships be governed by some natural laws similar to those in physics or chemistry? If yes, why haven’t we discovered them until now?
My scientific, rational life kept me away from such introspective queries. I lived as if practical pursuits were the only ones worth chasing. Yet, as I grew older, the bonds we create with other humans seemed more important than ever. Now, understanding relationships feels like the most practical endeavor of all. Worldly achievements lose their appeal if not enjoyed with the people you love. Scaling the Himalayas means little if you can’t share the view with someone who deeply understands you. At least, that’s how I see it.
These questions resurfaced recently after meeting a diverse group of people. With some, I felt an immediate connection, while others made building bridges seem impossible. The word ‘chemistry’ is often used to describe this feeling. It usually denotes something inexplicable connecting two people. But what is it about this ‘chemistry’ that makes it so elusive and yet so essential? The scientist in me pondered the appropriateness of this term. Surprisingly, the more I looked into it, the more I felt that we are more like chemical elements than we might think.
Like elements, we can exist in isolation, but we usually seek association and connections. There’s an exception to this rule both in chemistry and in humans – the noble gases and the lone wolves are both content with minimal interactions. For the rest of us, social connections vary widely. Party butterflies are like oxygen, eager to bond with almost anyone. Others, especially introverts, are like gold – highly selective in their interactions.
We can take these parallels a step further by looking at the strength of the connections we forge. Chemical bonds surprisingly mirror our relationships. Some bonds break with the slightest heat, much like superficial relationships that shatter at the first conflict. Our strongest, deepest love connections that withstand the harshest of circumstances stand in contrast to that. These are akin to the unbreakable bonds of diamonds, enduring the test of time.
Recognizing that human relationships are similar to chemical reactions is not going to help us design laws for human connections. That said, however, we can borrow a page from chemical bonds and apply it to our relationships. We can observe to whom we have affinity and are naturally attracted and whom we are repulsed by. We can also observe the basis of this attraction. Are we attracted by something superficial and therefore likely to form an unstable bond? Or are we being selective and building a stable enduring connection? Asking such simple questions at the beginning of a relationship can save us a lot of pain and heartache, as every relationship necessitates an investment of energy and time.
There is more to learn from chemical interactions though. The first important lesson is that to form a stable bond, elements have to give, or share, part of themselves with the other element. This is how chemical bonds are formed. The same is true for human relationships – successful relationships entail deep sharing, sacrifices, and compromises. The individual entity is sacrificed, to a degree, for the sake of the combined entity. But only the wise can see the advantage of the combined entity over the individualistic. And the very wise knows how to grow the individual within the combined entity.
The second important lesson is that the combination of any two elements is more than the sum of its components. Every relationship has a higher purpose that transforms its constituents. Look at water, for example; it is a liquid made up by combining two gases. Nothing in the oxygen and hydrogen on their own can hint at the potential of water within them. This is how truly successful relationships are – they lead to the expression of potential that cannot happen without this relationship.
But be warned – not all interactions produce healthy combinations. Oxygen and hydrogen come together to produce water, an essential compound that nourishes everything. Other interactions might produce toxic compounds that are harmful to everything in their environment. The same can be said about relationships, either personal or professional. Some combinations of people produce teams or couples who have a great impact on their surroundings. Other relationships can be toxic in nature, even though the individual elements are not toxic on their own.
This is the reason why we should seek “chemical” affinity in our relationships. Every heartful relationship can lead to growth and expansion that cannot be foreseen before it. We want to create the kind of relationship which can serve as a scaffold for more growth and expansion in every interaction. At the same time, we have to be wary of unhealthy interactions or toxic combinations. We should be sensitive to the impact of our interactions on our emotional health and our lives. Early detection of negative effects can help us avoid long-term suffering. If we do, then we have learned the chemical lessons of relationships.
You might be wondering what happened to my relationship with the woman who momentarily froze time for me. I can faithfully say that our relationship produced growth and expansion that would not have been possible without it. Unfortunately, the bond was not stable enough to last a lifetime. The willingness to share, sacrifice, and compromise, which is essential for a successful relationship, was not reciprocal. Eventually, the bond was broken. It takes two to tango or to form a connection. So, be careful whom you choose to dance with. And avoid, at all costs, those who cannot dance with you in harmony and love.
To read more about your quantum nature and how you can use this knowledge to transform your life, get your copy of Quantum Being today!
Mindset Matters: How Your Beliefs Shape Your World
The scientific method relies on observation, measurement, and analysis to formulate conclusions. Each addition to the scientific body of knowledge builds upon what was previously understood. This progressive accumulation of information is what fuels the growth and expansion of our understanding. Likewise, the workings of consciousness follow a similar pattern.
From the moment of birth, our consciousness begins to accumulate information. The data we gather is contingent on the existing information within our environment. Each individual amasses a distinct set of information, molding their unique worldview, and subsequently, impacting their life experiences. Thus, it is reasonable to assert that our lives are fundamentally shaped by information.
This statement is not particularly new. We are already well aware that our bodies are subject to the influence of information encoded within our DNA. In recent years, through the field of Epigenetics, we have also discovered that various factors, including our environment, emotions, and even our experiences, can exert an influence through which DNA is activated or suppressed. Clearly, there exists a dynamic interplay between physical and non-physical information sets. One of these sets lies beyond our control; we cannot alter the genes we inherit. Conversely, we wield significant influence over the information we gather. If this collection of information can indeed determine which genes are expressed and which remain dormant, it underscores the importance of our awareness and conscious choices in the information we accumulate.
In my experience, accomplishing this is often easier said than done, but it’s far from impossible. The information we’ve accumulated over the years has created certain patterns that govern every facet of our lives. Our habits, routines, triggers, responses, reactions, disposition, and moods are all embedded within neural circuits that often activate with minimal conscious input from us. These circuits guide our focus and attention, determining which information we notice and which we overlook. They have a tendency to seek out data that reinforces the assumptions upon which they’re built, while disregarding any contradictory information, especially that which challenges our fundamental beliefs.
To grasp the influence of our focus on perception, we need not look beyond the renowned “Gorilla Experiment.” In this study, an individual dressed as a gorilla enters a room where people are engaged in passing a ball to one another. Participants, who were instructed to count the ball passes, entirely overlooked the gorilla’s presence. Their intense concentration on the ball obscured the blatantly obvious and wholly unexpected appearance of the person donned in the gorilla suit. This omission happened despite these instructions were provided mere minutes earlier. Now, contemplate the strength of your focus and its influence on your perception when it is directed by instructions ingrained since childhood. How likely do you think it is for us to notice something new, particularly if it contradicts the beliefs we’ve cultivated over a lifetime?
We often hold the conviction that what we witness is factual and indisputable because, in our minds, only observable events are deemed real, as the saying goes, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” For those participants who failed to notice the gorilla, its presence in the room remains a made-up story. However, this experiment barely scratches the surface of how our perception, and subsequently our entire worldview, hinges on the focal point of our attention. To my knowledge, we have yet to delve deeper into scrutinizing the impact of our beliefs on our perception. Given the substantial diversity in our belief systems, we should anticipate a similar range of variations in our perceptions.
Despite the absence of scientific inquiry into this matter, which, as I mentioned in my previous post, would hold significant implications for scientific reasoning, there exists a wealth of anecdotal evidence. We understand that eyewitness testimonies of an accident, for instance, are often unreliable as they seldom align with one another. We typically attribute this phenomenon to the fallibility of human memory, as it’s challenging for us to entertain the notion that these individuals may have genuinely perceived the situation differently. Similarly, albeit in less dramatic circumstances, couples rarely agree on their recollection of past events. This is chiefly because each person views the world from their distinct vantage point, shaped by the information they have amassed throughout their lives.
Additionally, an entire industry revolves around the deliberate alteration of the information we’ve accumulated throughout our lives: the self-help and personal development sector. While these endeavors do not unfold within the confines of rigorous scientific settings and remain inherently individual and subjective, there exists a sufficient body of evidence to sway skeptics. The widespread consensus on the pivotal role of mindset in achieving success should serve as ample indication for anyone willing to explore the subject. Nevertheless, those who remain unconvinced of the validity of such assertions are unlikely to perceive the evidence supporting them.
This article is intended for individuals who are open-minded enough to acknowledge that widespread acceptance does not necessarily equate to truth. When a multitude of people have achieved success by altering their mindsets, it should prompt us to question why it’s challenging to believe that reshaping our ideas is essential if we aspire to perceive a different world. We can take a moment to reflect and question our ideas, whether they pertain to personal or global aspects that we would like to change. All of us possess blind spots that selectively filter out particular information. The key question is: What are we currently filtering out that, if focused upon, could reshape our perception? Devoting some time to pondering this question may serve as the foundation for significant transformation. Moreover, I hope that posing this question acts as a catalyst for discussions that can help us, collectively, expand our perception.
To read more about the role of information in our lives, get your copy of Quantum Being today!
From particle to wave: the secret that connects our daily lives to our quantum reality
Albert Einstein dropped a bombshell on the world when he discovered that mass and energy are actually the same thing! Every mass can be converted into an immense amount of energy. This knowledge is more than a century old and is an established scientific fact. Today, it is common to split atoms and harness the energy generated to power our modern cities.
Despite this established fact, we tend to consider ourselves as mere mass, often forgetting that we are also made up of energy. The amount of energy locked within an average human being weighing 70 kg is mind-blowing. If that mass were to be converted into energy, it would equal hundreds of thousands of times the energy released by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Simply mind-blowing.
Interestingly, we disregard our energetic reality because we tend to believe that what happens at the atomic level has nothing to do with what happens at our level. It is convenient for us to believe that there is a breakdown of physical laws between the micro and macro environments, and that whatever applies to atoms and subatomic particles does not apply to us. Accepting that it could apply to us would require a paradigm shift that seems too challenging for most of us to contemplate.
In line with this convenient attitude, which somehow implies that we live in a universe different from the one in which the atoms composing our bodies exist, we believe that the quantum reality experienced by subatomic particles does not apply to us. It is a known fact that electrons and other particles have a dual nature—they are both particles and waves simultaneously. However, humans and other macro-organisms are typically considered only as masses without any dual nature in terms of energy or wave functionality.
Personally, I don’t believe that the laws of the universe that apply to the components of my body don’t apply to me, but I understand the reasons behind this convenient attitude. Firstly, scientists have not been able to record any observations that confirm our quantum nature. Secondly, accepting that we could have a quantum nature would undermine the principle upon which our scientific knowledge rests: namely, that our universe is material in nature.
Let’s begin with observations. When an electron travels as a wave and encounters a screen with two holes, it is known to pass through both holes simultaneously. However, when the same electron travels as a particle, it will go through only one of the holes. As a wave, the electron is not restricted to a single option; it inherently possesses the ability to explore all available options simultaneously. On the other hand, as a particle, it lacks that freedom.
Humans, when encountering a fork in the road, have never been observed to travel both routes simultaneously. This led scientists to believe that humans do not have a quantum nature. However, I see this differently. With our body mass and weight, we have acted exactly as expected from particles, limited in choice. But why would that exclude the possibility that another aspect of ourselves has the ability to explore both options simultaneously, just as an electron wave does?
The reason scientists have rejected this possibility is due to its implications. Accepting such a notion would suggest that there is an underlying depth to our existence, extending beyond what initially meets the eye and transcending the confines of our physical bodies alone. This would raise questions about the certainty that the universe is solely the material world we perceive. Questions such as “If I have always taken all options presented to me, where are these versions of myself that have accepted what I have rejected or rejected what I have accepted?” would emerge.
Such a question raises doubts about the principle of materiality upon which our scientific knowledge is based. It also brings into focus the role of consciousness in life. Currently, scientists consider consciousness as a byproduct of biological life, implying that it arises from material existence.
I believe that maintaining an open mind, capable of considering all possibilities and following the evidence, will enable us to answer such challenging questions. We already know that when we measure an electron wave, it collapses into an electron particle. Scientists posit that the act of measurement causes the collapse of all other potentialities the wave could have had, leaving only one particle to be observed. However, in my book “Quantum Being,” I propose a different interpretation for the same observation.
I argue that the information known about the electron is what causes its collapse into a particle. Information, in my opinion, leads to projected materialization. As humans, we possess a wealth of information that distinguishes each one of us. This abundance of materialized information makes it almost impossible for us to be aware of our quantum nature. However, we can adopt the mindset of Quantum Beings by understanding the role of information in our lives. This understanding can provide us with advantages in manifesting the life we desire to experience.
In my upcoming series of articles, I will explore how information is materialized in our world and offer strategies for effectively dealing with it. If you are interested in delving deeper into your quantum nature, I invite you to read my book ‘Quantum Being.’ In the book, I have outlined several strategies that you can use to live a happier, more empowered life based on your understanding of your quantum nature.
Death, a guardian of life
There are some self-evident truths of life that we try to ignore; we banish out of our thoughts. One of these truths is the impermanence of life, that life is a cycle with a beginning and an end. One day, everything that was born will die, and everything that has started will end. This applies to everything including, people, relationships, structures, and empires. Despite the certainty of this fact, the end of what is dear always seems to take us by surprise. We never seem to be prepared to let go of things that are destined to end one day. This is especially true when it comes to the death of loved ones, and more so when the death is sudden. We never seem to be ready to face death. We don’t want to confront our mortality and the fragility of life. We prefer to treat death as something that happens to other people, hopefully to people we don’t know in faraway lands.
I was recently contacted by a friend asking me to talk to someone who had just lost her son in an accident. She thought that I might be able to soothe the bereaved because I have experience in dealing with the death of family members. She was particularly referring to my experience with the sudden death of my sister. That experience taught me that no amount of talking could help. We have to experience the pain, anguish, and myriad other feelings that such an event brings. We have to feel the impact and the devastation of such a loss. Talk is empty and hollow in these circumstances. It has a symbolic place; it is a gesture to show our support, to say to the other person that there is a shoulder they can cry on. But it can hardly soften the blow that our souls receive or lessen the crushing pains in our hearts.
The death of my sister was as sudden and dramatic as any event can be. The day started like any other day. The routine of our morning was carried out as it was always done. We made breakfast, brewed coffee, prepared the kids for kindergarten, and got ready for work. Then the telephone rang as innocently as it had a thousand times before. I answered that call in my normal professional morning voice. The person on the other side was in obvious distress; his voice was unrecognizable. His words came in bulk; they were indistinguishable, blurry and fuzzy, and made no sense. I immediately sensed the gravity of the call but couldn’t imagine how grave it was. The caller turned out to be my brother trying to deliver the news of the death of our younger sister. She was only 28 years old at that time. Her flight the night before had crashed into the sea. There were no survivors. She had her two little daughters with her; the youngest of them was less than a year old, and I never had had the chance to see her. The news came out of nowhere; I heard the words, but my mind couldn’t process them. I was in shock, my heart sank to my stomach, and the world spun around me.
Men, in general, are not well-equipped to handle emotions. I have been taught since an early age to act like a real man and not to show any weakness. I developed a strategy to deal with difficult emotions, which was to sweep them under the carpet and pretend that they don’t exist. In the aftermath of the tragedy, I tried to employ this strategy. I pretended that I could handle this loss and continue with my life as before. Of course, I was only lying to myself and everyone else. This monstrosity was not a normal emotion; no carpet of any size could hide it. As I carried on with my responsibilities and duties as well as I could, that anguish continued to grow; it was devouring me from inside. One day it eroded and overcame all my resistance and I fell like a hollowed-out tree. Darkness settled over my soul, and I saw life through the darkest of lenses. It was not only my resistance that was eroded; I also lost my faith, my self-confidence, my clear rational thinking, and my ability to make decisions and to follow them with actions. I became a hollow shadow of my former self and I couldn’t recognize the man I had become. I questioned and doubted everything I used to believe in. Life became absurd and meaningless and I needed, more than anything else, to find a meaning for what had happened. In that accident, I did not only lose my sister and her family; I also lost myself.
Personal losses of such magnitude are extremely heavy. They take years to process and there are no guarantees that we can find solace and peace at the end. Death seems to be the enemy of life, the terminator and the destroyer of happiness. It seems like a taker that never gives anything back. I suffered its blow as any other person could have suffered. In retrospect though, I could say that within death, that darkest of all dark events, there is a hidden door of light. I couldn’t see it then. I wouldn’t have believed during my darkest hours that there could be any value extracted from such pain, but there was. The sudden termination of those precious and dear lives made me question how to use the time I still had left. It made me re-evaluate the priorities of my life. Above all, it made me look for the only person I could salvage from that wreckage, myself.
Many of us live in a state of trance; we go through life as if we are leaves tossed around by the wind. We feel burdened by our obligations and duties and what we have to do to earn a living, create a career and build a family. We are not always conscious of where we spend our time or how. We don’t pay much attention to what we fill our lives with. Death comes to show us that life is short and time is precious. It reveals that life is not about quantity, but quality. Life should not be measured by the number of minutes we live, but by what we fill these minutes with. Death highlights the importance of being alive while we are still here. It is the ultimate instructor in the art of living because it pushes us to consider what we are doing with our lives. Death nudges us to see beyond the limitations we have built around ourselves. It urges us to take risks, to try something new. If we live with the certainty that we are going to die for sure, we might as well try to live while we are still breathing. This is the philosophy that death teaches us. It shows us that life is precious and says “take advantage of time while you can”.
We can try to make time our friend, not our enemy. This is not about living a hyperactive life where we try to achieve as much as possible. It is about making decisions that make us and those we love happy. It is about creating an enjoyable life experience for everyone. The loss of loved ones is heavy but inevitable. We might as well prepare ourselves for it by giving our best in every interaction. We can try to be sincere and act from our hearts, to be present with a loving attitude. Let’s take the chance to show the people we love just how much we love and care for them. Let’s say words that soothe the heart and create beautiful memories. The memories will always live with us. This is what I have learned through my experience with death. My sister’s untimely departure transformed me. It made me appreciate life and live it as authentically as I can. Her absence will never be replaced, but in the honor of her memory I can, at least, say that I have learned my lesson.
Today marks the 21st anniversary of my sister’s death and this article is written to honor her memory.
Photo by Melissa Castillo on Unsplash
