Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for

Hear the words of Mark Victor Hansen, who has inspired many to rise into their fullest strength: “Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight.” These are not idle comforts spoken to soothe a restless soul, but a call to action, a reminder that the path to fulfillment begins not in the hands of others, but in one’s own dedication to living well. For the ancients too declared: the one who neglects his own soul cannot hope to live in harmony with the world.

To dedicate oneself is to offer devotion with seriousness and discipline. Hansen’s counsel echoes the wisdom of the philosophers of Greece and the sages of India: life must be lived with intention. The good that you seek will not descend upon you by accident, nor will happiness appear by chance. You must turn your mind and spirit toward it as a farmer turns the soil toward the sun. To desire the good is not enough—you must also honor yourself enough to believe you are worthy of it. For many perish in despair not because good was impossible, but because they never believed they deserved it.

Peace of mind is the treasure at the heart of this teaching. What use are riches without rest? What use is power if the heart is tormented? Empires have risen and fallen because kings sought dominion over nations but could not master their own troubled thoughts. Consider Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome, who in his meditations wrote more about the discipline of the soul than the conquest of enemies. He knew, as Hansen reminds us, that no victory is greater than serenity, no kingdom greater than peace within.

To declare that you deserve to be happy is not arrogance—it is courage. For too long, people have chained themselves to guilt, to shame, to the belief that joy is a prize reserved for others. Yet the wise have always taught that joy is the natural state of the soul when it is aligned with truth. Think of Nelson Mandela, who endured decades in prison. When he emerged, he could have chosen bitterness, but he chose instead the pursuit of reconciliation, because he believed that not only he, but his people, deserved the right to be happy. His life proved that happiness, even after suffering, can be reclaimed if one believes it belongs to them.

And what of delight? This is the flower that blossoms from happiness, the overflow of a heart unburdened. Hansen’s words call us not only to peace but to joy in its fullest form—to laughter, to wonder, to the radiant pleasure of living. The poets of every age sang of delight: the fragrance of spring, the song of the bird, the embrace of a friend. To deny yourself delight is to deny yourself the fullness of being alive.

The lesson, then, is both simple and profound: honor yourself. Dedicate your life not to despair, not to endless striving, but to the good that makes your spirit whole. Seek peace of mind as you would seek water in the desert. Claim your right to happiness, not as a gift from fortune, but as the fruit of living authentically. Allow yourself to savor delight without guilt, for joy is not a sin but a blessing.

So, children of tomorrow, take this wisdom into your hearts. Do not wait for others to grant you worth—know that you already deserve the good you seek. Live with intention, live with serenity, live with joy. Dedicate yourself to peace, happiness, and delight, and you will not only transform your own life, but also become a beacon for others. For when one soul chooses to live in peace and joy, it lights the path for all. This is Hansen’s teaching, and it is a torch to carry through the ages.