Do You Know Yourself

[sparklekaz]

As we enter in to 2016, many will make New Year resolutions. They will reflect on the past year and come to decisions about where they would like their lives to go. But, it is surprising how few people really view themselves in a realistic and healthy way. Many will focus on what they have failed to achieve, rather than what they have been successful at. They will examine their faults in minute detail, with very little thought for their strength's and positive qualities. They will look back rather than look forward. The truth is, that rarely do we truly know who we are and what we really want out of life. So as an exercise in 'self understanding', I ask you to 'answer honestly' the following important questions about yourself.

Who are you?

What are you passionate about?

What are the achievements you are most proud of?

What are you most grateful for in life?

What are the most important things to you in life?

How would you describe yourself?

What are your values? What do you represent? What do you want to embody?

Do you love yourself? Why or Why not?

What is your inner dialogue like?

What limiting beliefs are you holding on to?

Are they helping you achieve your goals?

If not, is it time to let them go?

What empowering beliefs can you take on to help you achieve your goals?

What bad habits do you want to break?

What good habits do you want to cultivate?

What’s the biggest step you can take now that will create the biggest result?

What would you want to say to yourself 1 year in the future?

We can discuss what you write, or not - the choice is always open and yours. But I think for some who are feeling confused or uncertain about the direction they want their lives to go in, or what they truly want and believe about themseves. It will help to bring some clarity, even if it is only to re affirm what they already know and feel, or to help them realize or acknowledge, what they don't want.

Love and light
Kaz

[gruntal]

Looking back I can honestly say I tried. Some times a lot, other times not so much so. If I could do it all over again I am not sure if anything would have been different. I could have tried harder but then the rewards were a mockery for what I did.

I assume it will be thus in the immediate future. If I judge things by any reward I will have little to look forward to. But I will keep on trying; not as a battery or assault on life but as affirmation there is a right and wrong. Consequences do eventually catch up with you.

That also works both ways. Someday the Cosmos will have to reckon with what I did. I am already working that out on my end ....

[sparklekaz]

Hi all,

I put this post on some time ago, and only George responded. I thought I'd bump it up and hopefully get more response. I think it interactive and engages the reader. So lets hope it does better this time.

Love and light
Kaz

[cyberangel]

Hi Karen

I look forward to reading theae topics and hopefully adding to the experience. As it is just past 1am here now I'm sure you will forgive me if I take up your offer at a more convenient time and when I am more alert ;-) I just wanted to say thank you for posting and I look forward to returning to the forum with full vigor and passion.

Goodnight and sweet dreams

[donq]

Hi Lorraine,
I'm so glad to see you.

Hi Karen,

You said,
"I ask you to 'answer honestly' the following important questions about yourself."

Okay, I'll try my best. :-)

Who are you?
-I am a serious truth lover. What I meant by "serious" is I never take my own sides or anyone sides no matter how close they are to me. For example, I can honestly admit to anyone that my mother is so "selfish". Sure, this doesn't change the way I taking care of her 24/7. :-)   

What are you passionate about?
-Again, the serious truth. Can I call it, the bloody truth? I learned in the very hard way (my ex-wife cheated on me twice) that I was so naive. I never thought that persons could be that cruel, especially the person who were that close to you. I knew someone who could not accept the truth like this just because it was too painful. I strongly believe that, as for me now, I'd rather know the truth even it might kill me than being happy with the fake truth.         

What are the achievements you are most proud of?
-I helped so many people (more than hundred persons) more than I could remember (I used to do NGO job without any payment for years). But what I'm proud of the most might be the books I wrote? I even got an appreciate letter from a doctor who read one of my books. A doctor? wow!  

What are you most grateful for in life?
-Mindfulness, I think. After more than 30 years of practice it, it did help me. I went to hell so many times in my life and still have survived because of it. hahaha

What are the most important things to you in life?
-Good. People. Good people? lol

How would you describe yourself?
-Frankly speaking, an outsider. I've learned that when you know something too much, you would always become an outsider. Less and less people would understand you. There are only a few friends you can talk to. It's sad but true. And I've already got used to it for years now. :-)    

What are your values? What do you represent? What do you want to embody?
-From the last question, I think that the only way to live a peaceful life in nowadays world is, hiding your true values. It kind of one day at a time motto. I know my values. I always used, use and will use it only when it's a right time. I don't want any conflict any more (been there, done that, it was useless if no one wanted my values). I've also learned that pleasure is not real but pain. Don't get me wrong, I don't depress. lol It's just that I want to be so good at coup with my pain. And everyone and I have to get it, right? We all have to get old and sick. It's inevitably. I think I'm ready to face my pain no matter how worst it would be. And hope that I could help other to do that so, more or less.  

Do you love yourself? Why or Why not?
-This is hard to answer it correctly because it was a bit trick question. :-) Sure, everyone loves themselves, right? And that's always the problem. Always the problem as it brought to selfishness/ego. My long time spiritual practice taught me to love myself less and less. But not become a mortifier. It's a middle way. Taking care of myself (physical and mental health) while try to take care of others feelings. In other words, always love my neighbors, too. lol

What is your inner dialogue like?
-If you practice mindfulness for a long time, you will realize that you cannot trust your inner dialogue. It always takes your sides. And a problem arises from that. So, I just watch it comes and goes and learn something from it. But never trust it.

What limiting beliefs are you holding on to?
-Don't understand the question. Limiting beliefs? "Limit" Doesn't sound good. lol. Okay, yes, I might have some bias. Who doesn't? I don't believe that oil and water can get along with each other. Good is good; bad is bad. It's that simple. Even we always try to make them much more complicated than they really are. hahaha  

Are they helping you achieve your goals?
-Ah! My limiting beliefs, right? Yes, I think so. I used to blind myself that deep down everyone was good at heart but I was so wrong. While a good thing/person is real, so does a bad thing/person. My believe might not help me achieve any goal but at least it prevents me from going to hell again (if I believed in what is not real). Besides, I'm old and will die so soon. I don't have 10-12 years to waste again, right?

If not, is it time to let them go?
-See? A trick question.

What empowering beliefs can you take on to help you achieve your goals?
-A tick question again. This reminds me of a lawyer joke. A prosecutor asked a defendant, "Will you stop beating your wife?"  Whether the defendant said yes or no, it both meant he used to do that when he never hit his wife before.

What bad habits do you want to break?
-I always have a preconception that all person are good/great. And I'm always disappointed.

What good habits do you want to cultivate?
-I want to see the world as it really is. Especially, people in the world.  

What’s the biggest step you can take now that will create the biggest result?
-Nah! A trick question. What do have in mind? Just tell me first. :-)

What would you want to say to yourself 1 year in the future?
-Okay, I'll play along. I'd like to say to myself that, "It was so lucky that I didn't believe them" hahaha

P.S. It was a long writing and I don't have time to recheck it. Sorry for any errors.

[sparklekaz]

Hi krsnaraja,

I removed your post because it had nothing whatsoever to do with this thread. Please keep to the topic. There is no problem with one thread giving birth to another spiritual topic, because that is a natural evolvement and makes the reading even more interesting. You did not do that. There is nothing wrong with members bringing to our attention issues that concern them. It is healthy. And it allows problems to be brought to the surface, where we can all do something about it to try and make things better. If you have anything new or relevant to say about it, keep to the thread where it was started please. If you can 'like' this message so I know you have seen it, I will then remove it.

Love and light
Kaz

[baangus]

Which bad habits do I want to break?
That jumped out at me.
Have I got an hour to list them all?

Funny, for me the rest is mostly all the good stuff that I seldom even think about anymore. My life is happy gratitude, and staying aware, and being conscious, and enjoying life and going kayaking.

It's just those dang bad habits...

[cyberangel]

1. Who are you?
I am another version of you, and vice versa, underneath our human exterior I truly believe we are all one.

2. What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about life, ALL life. I love nature and being in amongst nature and the elements. I love the different vibrations life energy gives in a multitude of ways. I can and often am able to connect with different vibrations, it’s a truly wonderful and uplifting experience.

3. What are the achievements you are most proud of?
My achievements may seem very small to some, but even so, I still feel so blessed in a very humble way to be able to think for myself, to truly know myself and be true to myself 95% of the time. Of course there is still room for improvement, which I am currently working on. Another achievement is learning to love myself, truly love me for who and what I am. To be able to accept my faults and still be able to love and forgive myself, this has been a massive undertaking on my part, but I feel I have truly mastered it now, and I regularly give myself hugs, both inner and outwardly, in fact I highly recommend it!

4. What are you most grateful for in life?
I am most grateful for my family and my friends, they keep me grounded and show me daily just how worthy I am of being loved and sharing love. They are the proof in life that no matter how bad things seem, there is always a reason to keep going, to stay the course.

5. What are the most important things to you in life?
The most important things are actually not things, but people. Again my family and friends, and people in general are important to me. Also not just people, but my pets too, they give so much of themselves and I learn a great deal from them. I know some may laugh, but just because we wear different ‘suits’ doesn’t mean we are any different underneath. The same light is within ALL life and that is why I truly believe ALL life is Sacred.


6. How would you describe yourself?
To quote Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens )

“I’m just a soul whose intentions are good, oh lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood”

7. What are your values? What do you represent? What do you want to embody?
I value integrity

I represent myself, the human part of me wholly warts and all, but I also represent the spirit part of me in all the good deeds and intentions.

I would like to show a balance to life, to show that mind, body and soul can live harmoniously, that it doesn’t have to be a constant battle, yes it’s challenging but so rewarding to finally relish mind, body and soul in bliss.

8. Do you love yourself? Why or Why not?
See answer 3

9. What is your inner dialogue like?
Hahahaha...well it’s like a mile a minute usually, just full of mind chatter some good and some not so good, just babbling away in the background. Funny thing is when I meditate and get to silence my mind, this is the most filled ‘emptiness’ I know, for even in the space of nothingness, there is still space. LOL...yes it blows my mind which is why it is often best to quiet the mind first lol lol lol

10. What limiting beliefs are you holding on to?
I guess that would be that ‘I believe’ I have no limiting beliefs lol
11. Are they helping you achieve your goals?
Tough one to answer, but it’s something to learn when I come to realise which beliefs are limiting me

12. If not, is it time to let them go?
Most definitely 

13. What empowering beliefs can you take on to help you achieve your goals?
The most empowering belief is to believe in oneself, to know that anything can be accomplished if you continue to hold onto the belief that one can.

14. What bad habits do you want to break?
The habit of doubting myself out of fear of rejection

15. What good habits do you want to cultivate?
Keeping the balance

16. What’s the biggest step you can take now that will create the biggest result?
To ‘actually’ take the first step...and to not stop climbing

17. What would you want to say to yourself 1 year in the future?
To continue on the path, not to be discouraged or disheartened, to remember to keep moving, don’t get lost or become stuck on the journey and most importantly enjoy every moment of it!