Allow Me to Introduce Yourself to YourSelf

Searching for the Authentic Self- a seemingly daunting task- simply involves learning to be who we are, or really, just learning to be. Our Authentic Self shines through when we aren’t striving. It’s who we are when we are content, and feeling good. It’s when we are a human being and not a human doing.

Ask yourself these questions and maybe record your answers in a journal. Who am I when I’m not trying to impress someone or achieve something? Who am I when I’m doing my favorite activities, or with my favorite people? What are a few words that describe me in this state?

Banana Slugs, of all things, tend to present me with a great opportunity for finding my identifying words and connecting me inward. I’ve been moving them off woodland paths my entire life, since I was quite small. I am The One Who Moves Banana Slugs Out of Harm’s Way. If I don’t move the Banana Slug, I feel uneasy. I feel disconnected. But that simple act of moving one to safety always brings me a feeling of gladness and calm, and a connectedness to all things. I feel the same (without the slime) when I’m reading my beloved Tolstoy or doing my yoga practice. Then I do my utmost to take with me that deep connection to Self when I am doing the dishes, or stuck in traffic. And this, of course, is the real goal here: to take the happiness and tranquility we find in doing the fun stuff, and apply it to the daily tasks of living.

There are as many ways of identifying our Authentic Self as there are personalities. Over the next few weeks, let go of competition and comparison (you don’t need Russian novels or gastropods) and move toward what you love. Try to find freedom from the micromanagement of your mind as you do the things you enjoy. Write down words that suit you and reference them often.

I invite you all, as we move into the New Year, to make a commitment to finding this elusive Self with a capital S. Allow your Self to present itself to your self more often!