Who Am I? How To Reconnect With Our True Selves
Who am I?Who am I is the biggest question we can ask ourselves at any time in our lives. And it is one that we will continue to ask as we grow and evolve as human beings. It is an ever-unfolding question.
It can be asked on many levels. Who am I in relation to the roles I play in my life? As son or daughter, brother or sister, wife or husband, boss or employee. It can also be asked in relationship to the outer world, Who am I - what is my purpose, what do I want to receive or contribute? Or there is the biggest Who am I? Simply that, not in relationship to anything or anyone but Who am I as a Soul.
The Who am I question is often the first we ask and it relates in part to our values. Values are what we see as important aspects in our life, the things we hold true like honesty, laughter, good communication or love. As we play out the different roles in our life we can either be true to our values or compromise them to please other around us. One way to reconnect with our true selves is to become aware of what our values are. Values show up in all areas of your lives and one way to connect with them is take yourself back to a time when you felt frustrated or angry. What was going on at that time, what was your mind shouting, what values were being trampled on? Those are the ones that are important to you. Another good example of your values is the opposite – a time of great joy. What was playing out then, what values were being honoured at that time? By bringing your values to light you can commit to living them. In that way the Who am I in relationship to your roles become a clearer reflection of your true self.
The Who am I in relationship to the outer world is about finding our place. That often becomes clearer when we discover our purpose, the thing that gives us the motivation to go out and do that which will give us fulfilment. Purpose is about passion; it has to be the thing that gives us the greatest joy too. Some people feel that our purpose should be huge or world changing and that may be true for some, but it can also play out in a smaller arena, a family, local community or the workplace.
One way to connect with ourselves and start to discover our purpose is to do a written contemplation. Sit quietly for a while, bring yourself to the present moment by watching your breath and then ask yourself, what am I passionate about, makes me feel fulfilled? Sit with this question for a few minutes and then simply pick up your pen and start writing. Keep on writing, no word-smithing or censoring, just allow the pen to flow. Once you have finished you can take a look at what you have written and see what the prevailing answer is. This is just a first step towards discovering your purpose and it is so important to reconnect with your Self as begin this process. By asking yourself for the answers, by touching in with your heart your answers are a true reflection of who you are right now.
Who am I? is what I call the bigger picture question. It often comes at a time when we want a more meaningful life. I know for me it came when I realised that all the stuff I had achieved or accumulated wasn't actually me, I felt there had to be more. The Who am I question takes you past that outer focus and into an inner one. This Who am I is about seeing past the ego and becoming aware of the One inside that never changes. Can you, right now, stop and get a feeling of that part of you that has always felt the same way? Can you take that half step backwards and feel the One looking out through your own eyes? That is One that is you. And I use the word One purposefully. Because the One that is us is the One in all of us. And that is the driving energy behind the question Who am I? The desire to feel whole again, part of where we came from. How to do this? Practise. A wise teacher once said, choose one thing to bring yourself back to your Self and practise it. It might be remembering to be the watcher looking out of your own eyes, or to commit to a meditation practise. It could also be having half an hour to listen to some inspirational CD that brings you back into knowing yourself. For sure it will be something that draws you inside to reconnect with your true Self. In truth we know Who we are, we simply have lost sight of our Selves for a bit, we need to wipe clean the windscreen of our minds to see our Selves clearly once more.