Introduction
All we brought to this world was ourselves and all that we would take back from this world is ourselves. Yet after we are born, we are conditioned to think and feel about everything but ourselves. This world is rightfully known as the ‘Maya Jaal’, and we all get trapped and brutally entangled in this web, so unknowingly, that we lose the awareness of our own selves.
When asked upon to talk about ourselves, all we recite is our name, family background, education, workplace etc., which is all related to this superficial 3D world. We talk only about things we have associated with after our birth on this planet, but not of who we are. It is so unfortunate that we may be highly knowledgeable about our course subject(s), yet so unaware of who we truly are. We may have the quest for owning luxurious home, branded clothes, want education/ work at premium institutions, but we lack the pursuit of knowing about the great personality that we are, made so intricately and delicately by the Supreme Intelligence.
There is some work that we would have already done in this direction in our previous lifetimes, and we have got this lifetime to take that forward. God carefully places us in situations and with people which match the frequency in which we vibrate, to help us in our march ahead. For example, a soul which has done a good amount of work, cleared a whole lot of divine tests, may take birth and become a monk in a monastery, a place where he would peacefully levitate and reach a higher level of consciousness.
So, unless we know who we are and at what stage we are, we may either remain stuck at the same place, or worse, move backwards, and thus waste our precious time of this life.
How do we get there?
You may say that we are too invested in all things that life has given us to handle, to even fantasize about the idea of moksha. One lifetime is too short a span to sword all webs and achieve this. However, don’t get overwhelmed, this is a slow burn. We have been placed where we need to be, to gather the much-needed life experiences, those which will make us seek the truth. What we need to do is just be conscious enough to figure this out. Awareness of the self is pertinent in handling the day-to-day life with ease. Let us see what steps we can take daily to make this a practice:
- Me time – Always take out some lone time like going on a walk, just you with yourself, away from the crowd and noise. You will see that as your mind rests, thoughts will come up, questions will get answered, you may even have some amazing epiphanies.
- Spending time with nature – This helps to ground ourselves. We feel like we are no different, but one among the moon and the stars, the trees and the birds. Nature has its own way of expressing itself to us and has a great calming effect, one which makes us feel secure in who we are.
- Music – You will agree that music has such a healing and uplifting effect on us. And it is in the depths of music that we can make major discoveries.
- Following one’s hobby/ passion – We have seen how happy and satisfied people look while engaging in their hobbies. Happiness is our true nature. We can seek who we are only when we find ourselves happy and peaceful, not when our mind is boggled with worries of the world.
- Meditation – Much hype has been made about meditation, and this may scare us away. But this involves nothing, but all the activities mentioned above. Just that there may be different techniques to calm our nerves and focus on ourselves.
- Seeking self-knowledge – There are many astrological and scientific ways through which we can know more about our nature. Studying about our sun, moon, venus and rising signs will help us confirm why we act the way we do. There are also psychometric tests like Myers – Briggs test, emotional intelligence tests among others which enable us to understand our true characteristics. And we would be astonished to find out how much more unique we are than just our appearances.
- Research – When we truly have a mission to gain knowledge, we would always feel insatiable. This will help us seek more by researching, reading self-help books and discussing with enlightened people. Let us not forget, we only get what we seek.
How does self-awareness help us in this lifetime?
- To stand our ground – If we know who we truly are, no one can brainwash and tell us who we are and what we are capable of. No one can have a bad influence on us, and we get the strength of being in our own character aligned with our values. This way, we become a force to reckon upon.
- To take decisions – When we are aware of ourselves, we know where our happiness lies. Our higher ‘Self’ will guide us to choose the correct path while we stand at a crossroad.
- Self-improvement- We start to recognise our weaknesses. We can identify the situations which make us angry and stressful. This understanding enables us to make positive changes and enforce methods to control situations and handle stress & anxiety. This ultimately transforms our lives.
- Remain calm and patient – We become aware that all situations are playing the way they need to be, and that we cannot control certain things. This helps us to become patient and maintain tranquillity.
- Surrender – As we start believing in the processes of the universe, and that all we are doing in this lifetime is acting as tools of the Almighty to make relevant impacts where he wants us to, we submit to him. Surrendering uplifts us from all the needless burden we carry and feel light and free.
- Become more intuitive – The more time we spend with our ‘Self’, the more it guides and enlightens us. We become more and more intuitive.
- Tackle grief with ease – When we are faced with grave situations like death of a dear one, we know for certainty that the energy of the dear one is not lost but will always be near us. That love has no bounds and we all are indestructible beings of light.
Conclusion
Knowing more about ourselves gives us a re-assurance that we have been so uniquely created by God for a specific purpose. This provides us with a sense of self-worth and thus bestows us with the power to face the world with vigour. Self-awareness helps us to create a balance. And nothing can be attained unless there is balance of the body, mind, heart and soul.
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