Exploring the One True You

1) Be Freely Alone – In the overlapping complexities of our human interactions, we rarely take this time because, in the past, alone has been equated with despair and loneliness. It is only when you are alone that you can take unbiased stock of your values and views. Interview yourself and answer honestly. Knowing how and what you feel, without any intrusion, gives you deeper insight into the person you are.

2) Prepare your Mind – Whether it means turning off the technology, taking a forest walk or blocking out sensory disturbances in the middle of a crowded metropolis, make room for your inner journey. Meditative practice does not eliminate the clutter of life as much as it mentally downsizes it and puts it in perspective. Empty your thoughts of past and future. Instead, zero in on the moment that is at hand. Now is the only true moment that you really have. All the others are over or have not yet come.

3) Open Your Eyes – Literally look at yourself, but not in comparison to anyone else. See your own colors and contrasts. Observe the shapes of your ears, eyes and mouth. Look closely at your skin, fingers and toes. See yourself outside of what commercial advertisers want you to see, minus the masks and make-up. See the person who is the raw, untouched you, the outer shell that holds your inner thoughts…and see yourself without prejudice.

4) Test the Waters – Remember an instance when you were false to yourself. Recall how it felt. Let what you wished you had said or done come to you. Replay the scene in your mind and imagine responding in words and actions that are uniquely your own. Think beyond the incident and now mentally deal with any consequences that may have changed because of the difference. Then reflect on how those changes would have made you feel.

5) Practice – The new you, the real you is not an overnight discovery. It may be a journey that lasts as long as you live, but it is a work in progress. Honoring who you are by being true to yourself is a truth that needs to be told; however, the first listener must be you.

“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery…” – Thomas Merton