Working on Yourself to know and manage better
Working on ourselves is the most sacred and generous act we can carry out during our existence, from when we arrive to when we leave this plane.
Life comes to evolve through each one of us. Thus, in each human life, there lives a portion of the Whole that was given to us to be honoured and unfold our consciousness for our benefit and for future generations to come.
Of course, there is free will; it is not our destiny to work on knowing ourselves and becoming more aware with each decision we make. We can choose to evolve or remain in the same place. Or rather, to "last" or "mature" over time, which is not the same thing. We can keep hitting the same wall throughout our lives or develop wisdom that allows us to transcend the same old mistakes and not perpetually repeat the same patterns.
Working on ourselves makes life easier as it prevents us from constantly repeating the same mistakes and allows us to share our talents and gifts with the world. It is also a shared responsibility toward all of humanity. If we complain about the world we live in, we must know that we can change it, and our contribution is to give our best to others and ourselves by living with more freedom and fewer limitations.
"If you want to change the world, change yourself." - Mahatma Gandhi. And I would add... if you want to do yourself a favor, work on yourself to avoid wasting your life by making the same mistakes that lead you to the same places.
If you seek significant change, don't expect immediate results. The word "work" implies understanding from the start that there are no magic recipes, nothing is instant, and it cannot be achieved in a weekend retreat. Skipping steps can leave us uncooked on the inside. Yes, working on ourselves is much like roasting the rawest parts of our personality.
There are no superior personalities; there are more integrated and less integrated personalities. The same personality can function from its light or its shadows. Moreover, at different moments in our lives, even within the same day, we can experience moments of clarity and moments of ignorance or cofusion.
We are a multitude. Let go of the false belief in a single "Self"
Working on oneself involves expanding awareness of who we are, understanding all the parts that make up our intricate personality, and developing a healthy leadership so that no isolated part takes the power to control our lives, leading us unconsciously as if we were hypnotized and programmed.
It's crucial to understand that our personality is not a unified marble piece; it is more like a mosaic of different colors, with pieces of various sizes and even textures. That's why sometimes we don't even understand ourselves. We think one way, then another, behave convincingly in one manner, and later, we might even feel embarrassed by what we were once completely convinced of.
The poet Walt Whitman perfectly expresses what I'm trying to convey in a wonderful phrase:
"I am large, I contain multitudes."
Exactly! This is the reality of our complex personality. Within us, countless parts, "selves," or "sub-personalities" coexist. Some are more developed and evolved, while others are more primitive and clumsy.
Working on ourselves helps us deeply understand our personality. Why? So that we can be sovereign, not slaves to each piece that makes up the complex puzzle of our figure.
Expanding awareness in therapeutic work is like taking an inventory of each of these pieces that make us up and learning to manage them consciously, preventing them from emerging unconsciously like springs and preventing us from leading ourselves as good monarchs of our reign.
A person who doesn't know themselves and doesn't work diligently on their personality doesn't make decisions. Their parts emerge chaotically and impulsively, reacting to external and internal stimuli.
Emotions often experienced by people who don't take the time to know themselves are regret for what they didn't do, anger for what they did, internal contradictions, confusion, disorientation, and a sense of alienation... And after a while, questions emerge from within:
Who am I?
How is it possible that I feel this, think that, tell myself one thing, and do the opposite?
This chaos arises from the lack of understanding of how our personality functions. On the other hand, when we deeply know ourselves through committed personal work, our personality loses its protagonism and becomes merely an instrument to express our true and authentic essence in life.
As long as the personality makes so much noise and is so out of tune, we can't hear the melody of our essence, our authentic nature. Working on our personality is like peeling off layer after layer, removing its density to make it more permeable to the flow and lightness of the essence.
When we make contact with our essence, we can exercise all our parts with full awareness, becoming directors of our orchestra. It is from the essence that we can truly sing our song, express our gifts and talents, and recover more quickly from our lapses of unconsciousness because we already know where to return when we get lost and where to stand when we fall.
When we make contact with our essence, we can exercise all our parts with full awareness, becoming directors of our orchestra.
Harmonizing the surface of our personality to give rise for the depth of who we truly are is the most heroic act we can perform for that portion of the Whole that was given to us, to return it more evolved and clear.
Transforming our lead into gold is to become alchemists of ourselves. That's when we feel completely fulfilled... because realizing ourselves is "becoming real," and this is only possible when we transcend the superficial layers of our limited personality. And we are capable of transcending it when we deeply know it, exercise it consciously, and stop getting entangled in it.
If each one of us turns their lead into gold and their darkness into light, undoubtedly, this world would be much brighter. Are you making your contribution?
When we talk about leaving a better world for our children... that is nothing more and nothing less than each person working on themselves.