Words With Myself

How well do you know yourself? Most people think they know themselves, that they know who they are and why they are that way. In truth, Some may think they know but very little understand why or how they got to be the person they are today. The contextual history of what makes you you is crucial information to be able to discern between who you are and who you have been taught to become. 

Childish is commonly a term used in a negative way, but children are born with an inherent understanding of the world around them and how to behave in it. We learn to behave differently, to not play, to be scared of taking risks. As our age grows, our egos tend to follow. I am trying to reclaim the lost wisdom of my youth and return to a more carefree and playful way of living. 

We are each just a summation of all our experiences, relationships and traumas. Every little bit of data goes towards creating the self that you identify as you, the things you watch, listen to and read as well as the things you do, form the person you are today. With this in mind, what inputs do you have in your life? How are these affecting your outputs? In this podcast, we discuss the input/output concept and how it can be used and altered to change your life.

Do not let the worst parts of your life define who you are. You have the choice, to accept the cards you have been dealt and take positive action towards the life you want or use your circumstances as an excuse. You are in control of your own destiny, you are in control of how you react and the actions you take.  

If you could see the impact of everything you said and did, I am sure you would make some very different decisions about the actions you took. Just as one positive action can cause a butterfly effect and ripple into many people doing something positive, the same can be said for negative ones. For instance, if you smile at someone as you walk past them, they may go on to smile at all the people they see on their journey, those people may do the same and before you know it you have made 50 people smile just by smiling once at someone. The impact we have on the world is massive, whether or not you choose to see it as so or not, you are powerful. You can make the choice to not only avoid the negative but actively seek the positive. Try to make a positive impact on everyone and everything as often as you can. 

If you frequently feel like people take advantage of you, this one is for you. I have always struggled to set clear boundaries with people and to say no, this frequently led to resentment and the eventual breakdown of many of my relationships with people as I eventually tired from always doing so much or never saying no when I knew I needed to. I am learning and working on this lately and have grown to understand just how detrimental boundaries are in all relationships, whether it is with your friends, family or spouse. It is ok to take time for yourself, it is ok to say no, it is ok to put your needs in front of the needs of others when you know you have to. 

Intimidation of others strength is our ego's perception of our own weaknesses. When we come across people that are successful in areas we want to be successful in, we can choose whether to be intimidated or inspired. We can take the opportunity to learn and grow or let our ego and pride stand in the way of progress. 

We all have our off days, sometimes we get stuck in a rut and don't know how to get back on track. When your routine falls apart and your habits begin to slip, it is important that you find a way to get back on track as soon as possible rather than let yourself wallow in the slump and fall down the spiral. Depressive episodes may come and go, but the quicker we can recognise and turn it back around, the sooner we can get back to feeling like ourselves again! 

The things you are self-conscious about, worry about and hide from others out of fear were taught to you. At some point in your life, you were told or shown by someones actions that these parts of you were wrong, unworthy of love and something you should be ashamed of. Each time you identify this happening, it is important to look at the root of what led you to hold the beliefs so that you can heal from them. 

How often are you truly happy with how you spent your day? If you were watching yourself as a main character in a film, would you be happy with the actions that you took. Too often, we allow ourselves to get swept away in the belief that time is infinite and tomorrow is guaranteed. We must not take the days in our life for granted and learn to live each day fully present and to its full potential.