Know Thy Self
The Art of Discovering You
- Who am I? I am sure some of us have asked ourselves this question at some point in our lives, usually when we feel vulnerable or unsure of ourselves. We can unknowingly assume assigned identities based on race, class, gender, and cultural norms. We could find ourselves wearing an impostor's mask, living a bogus reality and dressing up in fake personas that have nothing to do with what we value or believe. Finding one’s self can become a long an arduous process in a society of critics, but still worth the journey. As we set out on our individual journeys, nothing will speak confidence louder than when we own who we are without apology.
- The search for authenticity in a world of superficiality can be a daunting chore that incites uncertainty in the certain. Some of us have been gifted with a plethora of tools to assist us and some of us have just what we need. Nonetheless, we can still work with what we have been gifted to create what we want. Being told we are worthy and knowing for sure produces two different mindsets, emotions and actions. For example, someone calls us ugly and stupid. Now if we know for sure in our hearts and minds that we are neither of these characters, it is easier to dismiss the insults as nonsense. But what if we have been told most of our lives that we do not have what it takes to be winners. It becomes much harder to dismiss put-downs as toxic garbage. It is important for us to slow down and take time to discover who we are, what we desire and what brings us joy. Before we can connect with our truth it is necessary for us to understand who we are not, so we can relinquish the impostor within and discover our authentic reality.
- Whether it is a supersize derriere or an enlarged chest, neither will be able to replace how we think and feel about ourselves. We must know for sure who we are, so that unkindness and cruelty will not need to teach us. When I look in the mirror, I see my body as a shell that houses my most valuable assets: my heart, mind, soul, spirit, and organs are all tucked within safely. All that we need to live, breathe, and thrive lie within us. There are no entities outside of ourselves that will tell us who we are or brand us worthy. The one person we must know, love and except with all fallacies is our selves. If we will not love and accept ourselves, we will not have the capacity to love or accept love from others.
Excerpts: Secrets of Beautifuful
It is not easy to fool or mislead intuition, if we listen and learn, wisdom will teach us how to use experiences to guide us to our desired outcome. When we are wise, we will no longer need to consult with the unwise for direction. I define wisdom as divine intuition, coupled with experience, knowledge, understanding, and the discipline to apply useful concepts to all areas of our lives. We are in wisdom’s grace when we discover how to apply knowledge to failed situations for a more favored outcome.
When we bath our beautiful in laughter and love, it becomes even more captivating. The infectious spirit of joy has healing powers that can revive and heal dead, broken spirits. We must not only discover what it means to be happy, but to also find a way to manifest and preserve the spirit of love and laughter as we pursue our dream lives. When we lack joy in our lives and there is no light within us to shine, we become like dull stones lying in a gravel patch with no relevance.
It takes pure confidence and courage to live authentically and not to allow others to stagnate our lives. I believe that we all have something unique to present to this universe. Some of us may not know how to express ourselves, or we may allow fear to prevent us from bringing our art to life. The number one killer of creative expression is the fear of rejection, so when others reject us, we must accept ourselves, express ourselves and have the courage to live our lives in a manner that will bring joy.. We often keep our dreams tucked away neatly in little closed boxes for one day, surprise,today is the day.
The mindset of not being enough or feeling inferior to others have more to do with how we think about ourselves, rather than how others see us. Some of us struggle with feelings of incompleteness and are continually seeking wholeness in something or someone other than ourselves. When we feel broken, we live broken, like a wounded bird unable to fly. Discover what makes you feel complete and do not focus on the things that clip your wings. We must not allow hurt and pain to cripple us, break our spirits, or block our connection with destiny. We cannot buy wholeness or find it in others; it comes from within.
Passion is an emotion that we feel when consumed with interest, vigor, attraction, and intrigue; it can produce a flame so hot that when kindled can revive the weary. The ultimate motivator when we run out of firepower, and the flames of our hopes and dreams are burning low, is passion. Living in the spirit of vibrancy and applying it to all aspects of our lives is easy to do when we unite with our authentic purpose and connect mind, body, and spirit
Our essence is the best of our nature, temperament, demeanor, and thoughts combined in a complex package known as human nature. All that we are and hope for originates from our inner soul, which is at the core of our power center. When the core of who we are is out of balance, our state of being and living will soon follow. It is easy to become lost in the daily grind of life and lose ourselves in the process. Nothing derails a strong essence like negative thoughts and affirmations that confirm our worst fears to be true. Our essence is the core of our power and the spirit that will travel with us on our life’s journey. We must shield and protect the core of our existence from that which seeks to destroy us
Excerpts: Secrets of Beautiful
The mind will not thrive at its best on junk thoughts, just as the body cannot reach its full potential without the proper nutrients. If we do not care for the mind as though it is a garden that we want to grow and produce a harvest in our lives, we will only get dead weeds. We must nourish our minds in the same way in which we nourish our bodies so that our lives are in alignment with our thinking, and we are the masters of our mind and thoughts.
Our attitude is our spirit, our personality and the very essence of who we are. The ability to connect, bond, learn and grow requires us to be harmonious with ourselves and with others. An attitude of joy, gratitude, compassion, confidence, love and peace produces a harmonious spirit that can flow through life, even when all hell breaks loose.
A reason to live will infuse our hearts with passion, give meaning to the meaningless and inspire us to keep going when want to give up. Just imagine what we could accomplish as individuals, if we practiced being our best every day? Sometimes our reasons for going on day after day can become so mundane and routine that we lose our passion for life. When we find ourselves in an uninspired state of mind and less than satisfied with our existence, we could be living in a state of non-purpose but we do not have to stay there.
I wonder what would happen if we thought of ourselves as a work of art, unlike any other human creation, an original masterpiece?
Think of what we could accomplish as well as eliminate from our lives, if we could embrace and become one with the uniqueness of us. The essence of who we are includes our physical, spiritual and mental attributes. It is when we discover who we are and how we are amazing that we can become one with our essence and own our uniqueness. When we embrace our gifts and cease to imitate the standards of others, it is only then that we can become an authentic one of a kind original and connect with our divine glory.
A fearless spirit will take us everywhere, but a fearful spirit will take us nowhere because we will be too afraid to move. There is something highly seductive about individuals who are unapologetic about who they are and how they live their lives. It is our spirit of fearlessness that gives us the power to move and to be, but we must let go of fear before we can live fearlessly.
When we allow fear to become an intricate part of our thought process it will corrupt how we think, weaken our power of choice and influence our decision making, that is too much power to give to fear. It takes hard core courage not to allow our fears to paralyze us but, instead use them as a tool of inspiration to overcome that in which we are afraid.
The mastery of self-control starts with getting control of negative thoughts, unbalanced emotions, and unproductive habits so that our path for success is clear. Seizing control over our life’s legacy will demand that we practice self- discipline in all areas of our lives, to help us create balance and stability in our day to day living. There will be situations that challenge and test our resolve; still, we must remain focused and undeterred by obstacles that could cause us to lose our cool and self-destruct.
Excerpts: Secrets of Beautiful
When we validate ourselves, we
strengthen and affirm what we
believe to be true and relevant
about ourselves, which can either
empower or hinder us depending
on our perspective. How we validate
ourselves is just as important as the tools we use to feel and create worthiness in our lives. Of course, all validation is not equal some methods
can be destructive and some life changing, it is the flow of our lives
that will be the ultimate judge
A diamond is not born a diamond, it becomes a diamond during the cultivation process. There are uncultivated gems all around us, who are unaware of their value. When we become the master of our lives and no longer need the approval of others to move forward and closer toward our greatness, we are on our way to diamond status. If we keep refining the diamond within, we will have our shine.
A healthy self-image starts with a healthy mind. We must heal our negative thinking disease before we can see ourselves as healthy, unbroken and acceptable. What we see when we look in the mirror will sway how we think about ourselves and live our lives. We
can learn to like what we see in our mirrors if we spend less time disapproving of ourselves and devote that energy to becoming the person we desire. The secret to a healthy self-image requires us to like who we are, and to create from our strengths and not our flaws.
In the wake of reality television, social media, and Google, individuals have become more comfortable with seeking their truth from digital resources. Some of us no longer care to rely on what our voices say to us. If only we would listen, hear, and value our wisdom we could find the answers to life’s most perplexing questions. Fear and a lack of trust in ourselves should not be allowed to silence the powerful voice within us. Our inner voices will speak to us, but it is our job to heed the call and hear the voice of wisdom.
Holding on to old hurts will keep us married to unhappiness and create blocks that keep us from moving forward and into our desired position. When situations and people hurt us, we should not water our pain so that it grows and destroys. Instead let it go, release into the air and be healed.
It takes strength and emotional stamina to deal with the truth about our own state of being. Truth is so powerful, it can compel, incite, enrage, liberate, change, and transform us. Why is the truth so complicated? If we are troubled with what our truth reveals to us, we have the power to re-create and transform our lives from an ugly mess and into a beautiful masterpiece.