20 Jul Discovering Your Authentic Self by Discovering Who You Are NOT

“If everyone were cast in the same mold, there would be no such thing as beauty.” – Charles Darwin

Do you really know who you are? Do you know who you’re not? Maybe, just maybe, if you can figure out who you are not, you can get closer to figuring out who you are? Perhaps, if you crumble away those things that you know are definitely not you, you can find the essence of who you truly are. As you think about these questions, ask yourself if these things are NOT who you really are:

• Am I my material possessions? Am I my car or the size of my home? Am I my debt and unpaid bills?
• Am I who I am based on the opinions of others?
• Am I my job or social status? Am I my lack of job?
• Am I the filters that have been created through my upbringing, my social status, my religion, my sex, my race, my authority figures, etc.?
• Am I my thoughts?
• Am I my emotions and feelings?
• Am I my body? Do I get my identity from my workout schedule or what I look like?
• Am I the stories I’ve created about myself (not being good enough, not being loved, being abandoned, etc.)
• Am I the self-judgments I make on myself every day?

If you can honestly answer no to these questions, then perhaps you may get closer to knowing who you authentically are. In any case, it’s food for thought.