I’ve maintained a morning routine for about 4 years now. There have been tweaks along the way, and one of the things I’ve changed the most is the last part, my Morning Saying. This is a set speech I say to myself, out loud, every morning. It encourages and motivates me, and it reminds me of the kind of person I want to be.

Within the past year, I’ve added the phrase “I am open” to my Saying. I’ve come to realize it’s a quality I value, one I want to strive for. I know at times in my past I’ve been closed, and I think it’s negatively affected my experience.

But I’ve noticed something recently: it feels good to be open. It feels amazing. There is actually a palpable, physical sensation to be experienced when opening yourself to the universe. You feel light across the chest, and there’s a tingly feeling throughout your whole body. I’m sure there’s some chemical reaction occurring in the brain, some release of endorphins that triggers this feeling, but despite my ignorance, I can still appreciate the sensation.

And what does it mean to be open? It’s to invite anything and everything into you. To truly experience the world. It is to be in communion with the universe. I compare it to our cells’ membranes, how they control the movement of substances in and out of the cell…to be open is to allow your intellectual, emotional, and spiritual membrane to become porous. It is to allow yourself to be moved, to be altered, to be changed. It’s the relinquishing of control. There’s no telling where openness will lead you, but that is part of truly interacting with the universe—that’s living and being alive.

If you’re following this at all, it’s apparent the world needs more of this. Our species would surely benefit from being more open, and it might be the quickest way toward raising global consciousness. As Richard Feynman once said, “I…a universe of atoms, an atom in the universe”—to truly live is to be open. To allow the magic in, open sesame.