Identifying Self

Subject: Identifying Self 9/7/2009, 12:05 am

Quite simply, if we ask ourselves what we are not, suddenly what we truly are, comes shining through. It is a simple task to ask yourself what you are not; "I am not unkind, evil, greedy, etc.", and most of us can answer this question. But it does require an honest answer in order to uncover the truth of who we are. If we answer this question without complete honesty, we are fooling no one but ourselves. But over all it is a good starting point for identifying who you really are. And quite possibly to make any changes that we realize we are in need of.

But don't confuse your true identity with the ego. And through this careful evaluation of questions, some answers will clearly be ego rather than self. In this case, don't take the ego too seriously. In other words, don't be too hard on yourself. The ego is not who we really are, and I will explain this further. The person who you are is found deep within you. Your deepest, most inner values, and beliefs. The place where you always find peace, even in times of turmoil, especially in times of turmoil. The place where you find hope, and faith in something bigger than you, more powerful than you. However, it is you, that holds this hope, faith, and strength within.

The Ego:

The "ego" is our worst enemy over all, it is the "core" of "all dysfunction" in one's life. It is always easier to point out the ego in others rather than ourselves; however, at times we realize that it is our very own ego that is what "we allow" to drive us through life, and often times it will bring additional frustration or suffering of some kind. Developed at a very young age, this ego becomes a part of us, or what most of us consider to "be our identity", but really ego is simply "thoughts of the mind" and that is all; and our "real self" is far deeper than that of the ego. The ego is judgmental, jealous, conceited, unsatisfied, seeks power, and so on. It struggles to fight against anything that comes it's way to justify itself, and ultimately...to "win at any cost".

The Spirit, or true identity:

The real part of who we are is found when we look deep inside "without thinking or allowing ego to take part", and we discover that there is something there that is always at peace regardless of any opposing things that come our way. And it is at this place where a person turns to in order to reconcile with any problems that they may be facing at the time. And yes, this is your spirit, your authentic self, your identity, the part of you that is eternal life. And often times, people do this without even realizing or being conscious of the fact that they have turned inward for the answers that they are so desperate to find. Or simply to keep peace in their lives. This is the exact reason why many people meditate on a regular basis. There is the old saying "If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust?"; this phrase is referring to your deepest, most inner self, not the ego.

Truly, when we look within ourselves to discover the shortcomings that we have, we learn that we still have more room for improvement. Unfortunately, there is no graduation period where we find ourselves "perfect or flawless" by the experiences we go through and learn from. As long as we have this imperfect body, ego, etc., as well as dealing with others who are imperfect; we will continue finding additional challenges that come our way throughout our lives, as well as ways to better ourselves. And that my friend, is what life is all about. Some challenges are small and some are large, however, they are all lessons that help us grow. And we should not necessarily invite these challenges (we don't want to cause problems or self sabotage), but when the challenges do come our way we should simply look at them as lessons for additional personal growth.

The benefits of identifying self:

The benefit from looking within one self is most importantly that we find a place that is always at peace. This peace we carry with us everywhere we go and through every experience we encounter in life. Even in the most tragic of times we find that a "certain strength" comes from within that we never knew even existed. Many people think that it comes from a higher power or God; however it is the part of you that has always been there. And yes, it came from God, but was place in you when you were born. And until the moment arises where you actually needed it, or without self "awareness" or turning inward "consciously"; you never knew it was there.

Lastly, the benefits of identifying self and looking within on a "regular basis" are endless. The blessings that follow the personal growth that we have through the years are countless and priceless. Suddenly our outlook on life becomes completely different as we mature into beautiful, unique individuals. Our gratitude for the smallest things become large monumental blessings that give us additional strength and hope. We find ourselves giving to others who are less fortunate to extend our wealth of peace in life. And we find over all that our lives become more fruitful and fulfilling in every aspect of our lives.