LEARNING ABOUT MYSELF ...

LEARNING ABOUT MYSELF

Understanding is deeper than knowledge. Did you know that there are many people who know you, but there are very few who understand you? Of course there are, but why would you expect others to understand you if you don't know and understand your own self? 

For the past several months, life has taken me on a journey, a journey I thought I'd already travelled. Some people may call it "self-development" which in my case has been a time of  're-birth' in many ways. 

I call it a journey because it's a process. Knowing yourself is a journey. To be honest, I did not embark on it willingly, circumstances pushed me to it and believe you me - It takes courage and a willingness to peel back the layers bit by bit. It is a learning process about discovering who you are as a human being – yes the real you. 

When I found myself on this journey, I started searching on the outside. Fortunately, after a while, I stopped searching on the outside and realised that the search was an inside job, it had to start from within before it could manifest on the outside, and I had to ask for God's guidance to do the work, no one else could do it for me.

The journey is unpredictable and engages you deeply as it brings you face-to-face with your deepest fears, self-doubts, vulnerabilities and insecurities. On the journey you question how you are living your life and whether or not it is in alignment with your highest purpose. And if you don’t yet know your highest purpose, start searching. 

Through part of my journey, I have learnt and continue to  have a clear perception of my personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions. This journey is allowing me to understand other people, how they perceive me, my attitude and responses to them in the moment. For example great relationships are about two things; appreciating the similarities and accepting and respecting the differences in people. I am learning each day, simple lessons like understanding the difference between someone who speaks to you in their free time and someone who frees their time to speak to you. Well, sounds easy, doesn't it? But it isn't! 

The journey around knowing yourself can be challenging and scary, however it also changes over time. For me remembering “Refined gold must go through fire’ and ‘joy comes but in the morning’ was a gift and the assurance that a higher power, God, is watching over me and it’s comforting. 

Indeed, a soul that  

realizes God, experiences God's infinite power, knowledge, and bliss continuously. I realise this when I utterly surrender to the infinite power, God. This was after days of covering up more and more of my face, my mind and my soul. After wrestling, I posed and listened and the still voice within told me it was ok, ok not to be perfect, ok to be me and now I don't cover up anymore. There's only one of me so why try to be like someone else? I am myself and I don't ever want to be society's idea of 'perfect' - but what is perfect anyway? My soul is more content every time I listen to the still voice within, I am tempted to call it the voice of reason ... 

This level of surrender means you're inviting in the feeling that anything is possible by a higher power, God, which means you must let go of just about everything you've learned from the world and believed to be true. It's not easy to let go of external stuff that influences our beliefs and affects perceptions, yet it is the only way we will ever find the experience of being truly free.

There's a vision for each one of us that is greater than our imagination can hold - but how many of us have ever asked our Divine creator to use us in this life, and to fulfil our purpose. I have found hope and peace to be the original 'me' because I am not a carbon copy 🤓