The Vault Within: Be Yourself, For Yourself
13 August 2026
There are only another five months before we start counting down to the end of another year.
Wow.
Time really does move, doesn't it?
But before we rush towards the next month, the next goal, the next achievement, I want to invite you to do something much simpler.
Come into the room.
Just one hour.
From 9 to 10.
And for that one hour, be yourself, for yourself.
No performance.
No need to impress anyone.
No need to be the version of yourself that the world expects to see.
Just come back to yourself.
Your Inner Vault
I was thinking this morning about the things we collect throughout our lives.
Our emotions.
Our experiences.
Our dreams.
The things we wanted to do but never did.
The places we wanted to explore.
The goals we once had.
The wishes we still carry quietly.
Sometimes, we don't have to throw these things away.
We can simply put them somewhere safe.
Think of it as your own little goodie bag.
Or perhaps a safe deposit box that belongs only to you.
Put the things you want to keep inside.
And when you need them, take them out.
Use them.
Look at them again.
Maybe something you wanted ten years ago is no longer relevant today. That's okay.
Maybe something you thought was impossible suddenly becomes possible.
That's okay too.
Your inner world doesn't have to be emptied just because you aren't using everything today.
You can have a vault full of possibilities.
But there is one thing I would encourage you to remove from that vault.
The emotions that are holding you back.
And let me be very clear:
I am not saying emotions are bad.
They aren't.
Your emotions are part of you.
They tell you something.
They reveal something.
They can even guide you.
But when an emotion keeps you trapped in the same place, keeps you afraid to move, keeps you repeating an old story, then perhaps it's time to ask:
"Is this emotion still serving me?"
Because sometimes we don't need to let go of the emotion itself.
We need to let go of the grip it has on us.
Who Decided What "Proper" Means?
This morning, some of you may have noticed that I was adjusting my bra strap.
And I know, in certain environments, somebody might immediately think:
"Wow, that's so impolite."
Especially in the corporate world.
But I have to laugh a little at that.
Because it makes me wonder:
Who decided what is proper?
Who decided what we are allowed to do?
Who decided how we should sit, speak, dress, behave and present ourselves if we want to be considered professional?
Now, I'm not saying corporate culture is bad.
Corporate culture has its own purpose.
There are structures, standards, ethics, benchmarks and expectations.
And honestly, today's corporate world is very different from the rigid hierarchies of the past.
But the pattern is interesting.
Throughout history, there have always been systems where somebody at the top decides what is acceptable.
In ancient kingdoms, the king had the power to decide.
In modern organisations, there are leaders, policies, procedures, performance benchmarks and corporate cultures.
The environment has changed.
But sometimes the human tendency remains the same:
Fit into the box if you want to belong.
And perhaps that is why I have always struggled with being put into a box.
I have never been very good at simply following a rule because somebody told me it was a rule.
I want to understand it.
I want to question it.
I want to know why.
And sometimes I break it.
Not because I want to be rebellious.
But because I want to know whether the rule still makes sense.
I Don't Want to Live in Someone Else's Box
I often say that I don't want to jump into the corporate ocean.
Not now.
Not ever.
But if the corporate world wants to come into my world, well...
They might be surprised.
Because my world has flowers.
It has colours.
It has strange conversations.
It has metaphysics.
It has coaching.
It has BaZi.
It has emotions.
It has laughter.
It has words that sometimes flow beautifully and sometimes come out completely unexpectedly.
And that's okay.
Because I am not trying to create a perfect world.
I'm creating a world where we can be human.
And perhaps that is what I really mean when I talk about awakening your worth.
Your worth doesn't come from how perfectly you fit into somebody else's system.
Your worth doesn't increase because you receive a promotion.
And it doesn't decrease because someone thinks your behaviour isn't "proper" enough.
There is something much deeper inside you.
Something that existed before the titles, the roles, the job descriptions and the expectations.
And that is the part of you I want you to reconnect with.
Even Words Have Rules
This morning, I also found myself thinking about language.
Why are certain words considered vulgar?
Why are some words acceptable in one culture but offensive in another?
Why can one person say a particular word and somehow make it sound almost elegant, while somebody else can say exactly the same word and it immediately sounds offensive?
I've even been curious about certain Cantonese expressions and the infamous F-word.
One day, perhaps I'll have enough courage — and enough knowledge — to explore that properly.
For now, I'll simply say this:
Don't use a word carelessly just because you know it.
Understand it first.
Understand its context.
Understand your intention.
Understand how it may be received.
And yes, I may use certain words because I'm old enough to know what I'm doing.
Or at least I think I'm wise enough to know.
But here's the interesting part:
If those words exist in the dictionary, why are we so quick to decide that the words themselves are inherently bad?
Perhaps words aren't simply good or bad.
Perhaps we have to look at the person using them, the intention behind them, the relationship between the people, the culture, the context and the meaning being communicated.
And isn't that exactly what we do with our own thoughts?
Your Thoughts Are Not Automatically the Truth
This is where Inner Dialogue comes in.
A thought enters your mind.
Does that automatically make it true?
You feel something.
Does that automatically mean you have to act on it?
Someone tells you that you are not good enough.
Does that automatically become your identity?
Of course not.
You can pause.
You can question.
You can listen.
You can have a conversation with yourself.
That is Inner Dialogue.
It is not about silencing yourself.
It is not about pretending everything is positive.
And it certainly isn't about getting rid of every uncomfortable emotion.
It is about becoming aware enough to ask:
"What is happening inside me?"
"What am I holding onto?"
"What belongs in my vault?"
"What is time for me to release?"
And perhaps most importantly:
"What is actually mine?"
Because sometimes the rules we are following aren't ours.
The beliefs aren't ours.
The expectations aren't ours.
Even the definition of "proper" isn't ours.
We simply inherited them.
Come Back to Yourself
So this morning, when you come into the room, I don't want you to come here just to listen to me.
Come here for yourself.
Give yourself that one hour.
Be yourself.
For yourself.
Take whatever you need from the conversation.
Put it into your inner vault.
Maybe today you discover a goal you forgot about.
Maybe you uncover a wish that has been sitting quietly inside you.
Maybe you realise that an old emotion has been taking up far too much space.
Maybe you simply laugh.
That's okay too.
You don't have to transform every morning.
Sometimes reconnecting with yourself is enough.
And when you are ready, open your vault.
Take out what still belongs to you.
Use it.
Explore it.
Live it.
And leave behind whatever has been holding you back.
Because awakening your worth isn't about becoming someone new.
Sometimes, it is simply about remembering who you were before the world told you who you were supposed to be.
**Be yourself.
For yourself.
And trust the wisdom of your own voice.**
Footnote: 130826 TikTok live transcript- with help of Chatgpt in presenting this in a blog manner.
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