Weekly Wellness News

June 11, 2007

Feature: Nosce Te Ipsum (Know Thyself)

What are you feeling right now? What are you experiencing?

If you are like most people, you have very little awareness of yourself at this moment. Your focus might be on what you are doing, what you should be doing, or what someone else is doing. You may be just a little alert to what you are feeling at the moment, but you are probably not very familiar with yourself.

Most people never examine themselves to discover who they are. Most people go through their entire lives continually surprised or oblivious to what goes on inside, what they feel, how they act and react. Most people never learn themselves.

Self awareness, or knowing oneself, is uncommon. While we are quite capable of being self-aware, very few people see the benefit in exerting the effort. Learning oneself inside and out seems to be a major undertaking.

However, those who take the time and go through the process immediately see the value. Being self-aware means knowing oneself well, and that means being able to predict good and bad feelings and thoughts, understanding the implications of decisions you have not made yet. But it's more than just understanding your emotions. It's also understanding your values, your beliefs, your motivators and demotivators, your limitations and abilities in great depth. It means knowing more about yourself than anyone else ever can know about you.

How do you become self-aware? By spending time alone with yourself. By reflecting on who you are, what you have done, and why. By looking deep within, to the very depths of your soul, without judgement or criticism, to see who is looking back. By accepting who you are, both the good and the bad, both the parts you like and the parts you don't. It takes peeling away all the layers that you've put on to protect you from the world.

This takes focus, but not all the time. You don't have to spend years on a mountain-top to attain awareness. But you do have to make time for yourself. Whether you use contemplative meditation or a physical activity, you must devote yourself to the cause wholly and fully during the processes.

Why should you devote this time and energy? Quite simply, because awareness is the first step to life mastery. In order to properly determine your life path, your long-term goals, and your passions, you must first know who you are. The unaware make goals based on a whim or a fancy; the aware make goals based on a passion, a mission, a purpose. The unaware live life on the spur of the moment; the aware live life fully in the present. While it seems easier to be oblivious to the deeper self, the aware understand that through this awareness they can live a fuller, richer life.

There are many paths to self-awareness. Which path you choose is a matter of personal preference. What matters is devoting your attention inside yourself as much as (if not more than) you devote it to external activities or endeavors.

Other news

• As long as they aren't drinking and rolling... More kids injured by rolling shoes than thought [www.msnbc.msn.com]
• My dog wanted a Hummer: Seeking out the ideal dogmobile [www.msnbc.msn.com]
• Menapause without the hot-flashes: FDA approves first pill meant to end periods [www.msnbc.msn.com]

From the editor

Alas, the time has come for me to return to the US. I've been living in Australia for the last six months with the woman I married in December. Now we're both moving to the States for a few years. It's hard to believe I've been here half of a year already... time flies!

Once I'm back, I will be conducting wellness workshops. If you would like to find out to book me for a talk, please contact me using the feedback form. I'll have more detailed information soon on the website (which is being overhauled as we speak - details to come soon).

As always, I look forward to hearing from you!

Healthy thoughts,
Jeff

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Copyright 2007, Jeffrey Eliasen.
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