Do You Know Who You Are?
Undoubtedly, you are a wonderful being, full of light, with more attributes than you ever considered, essential for several people, interesting, with good intentions, with hundreds of virtues. This is a bit difficult to see with our own eyes, especially if we are sad or depressed.
However, it is necessary that you look at your being from the perspective of another person, such as your partner, your mother, your best friend. They undoubtedly see you in a very different way. The most beautiful person in the world, the best person, the one who is always present to listen, etc.
An excellent exercise you can do to strengthen your sense of being is to ask yourself, who do I think I am? Surely you have never thought about it. If you dare, consult the people around you, what am I? They will be able to tell you an infinite amount of adjectives that qualify you, from mother to tired, going from religious to overprotective, student or French, etc. You will find out so there are many ways to identify yourself as an individual.
It will undoubtedly be a lesson that you will never forget. It is that the sense of yourself is what keeps you connected to the earth and determines what role you are assigned, what are you here for, etc. One of the first things that is lost when we have a lot of work or we are stressed is that connection, we forget what really is important on the path of self-realization and we put too much load on our shoulders.
Life does not have to be this way, although it is true that mere mortals need to work, it is not the only thing that matters during our existence. It will give you more satisfaction to spend an afternoon with your children in the park than locked in the office doing overtime. They will appreciate it more.
Make a list with your attributes
Maybe you think that with a small piece of paper you will be able to make a list of all your skills. That is not true at all. You have so many good things to write down that the sheet you have set aside for this exercise will not reach you.
Begin the list as objectively as possible, don’t lie to yourself. Take into account your roles in society, your occupation, your religion, your nationality, your ethnic origin, your hobbies, your interests, your tastes, your activities, etc. Everything that defines you as a human being and that can be seen by others just by seeing you or talking with you for a while.
But in addition, this list must contain the “internal” virtues, that which you and those who surround you or frequent you know often. Something describes you does not mean that it defines you, do not forget it. If at this moment you have a job as a cashier at the market because the only thing that allows you to pay the bills, do not write it down in the list, because it is not defining you, but it is a circumstance. What defines you is your love of music or poetry, for example. Although you can also find something beyond your position, such as realizing that you like talking to people, asking them how they are or even making them smile with a compliment. That is a virtue.
You must be honest with yourself on this list. No one has to see it, so don’t lie to yourself. Not everything you write has to be flattering or a skill. If you are very jealous, fighter, or nervous, write it down as well. If you are overweight, too.
It is that a part of this work is to be able to fix or solve what can hurt you, both you and your loved ones or the neighbor next door. It is also necessary that you eliminate everything that does not contribute anything positive to your life, such as being an addiction (to tobacco, alcohol, to work, etc).
You may even find yourself at a point where you cannot express with words what defines you, but with some specific action. It could be “I would never wear a yellow dress”, “I always get lost in the supermarket parking lot”, “I leave good tips at the restaurant”, “I like to help animals”, and so on.
The right time to make this list is up to you to decide. A good idea is that it is during the weekend, on your vacations or on a day off that you have. You don’t need to set it up at a certain time or take a certain amount of time. Each one manages their emotions, their activities and their minutes in this life.
Once you’ve finished it (or so you think), put it away where you can see it whenever you want, like on your nightstand or desk drawer. Every so often it is good that you take a look to see what has changed and if there is something you can add. Surely you can remove an item (if you no longer smoke, if you stopped being so jealous with your partner, if you lost a few kilos, etc).
Get to work as soon as possible with this list, which will allow you to change a lot as a person, be happier, go back to your origins, connect with what really matters and have your feet firmly on the ground.
