Stop Lying to Yourself about Who You Really Are

Create your own true picture of yourself; go on your own journey first, looking at yourself, and only you.  How do you do this?  Well, I’ve learned that the questions here are not overly complicated, but in fact quite simple in their form. You don’t need many.  The challenge comes with the way we apply ourselves as we inquire into these questions, which is ultimately influenced by how well we know ourselves.  The less we know ourselves the more complicated this will feel, and the lying continues.  The more we know ourselves the better, and the lying becomes less.

Try these, in any order; play with them and see what you find:

Who are you?
Why are you, you?
Why are you a success?
Why do you fail?
How do you limit yourself?
Why do you limit yourself?
What gives you pleasure?
What annoys and frustrates you?
What do you believe about yourself that empowers you?
Put your life into a story; tell it to someone you love.

Who makes your decisions?

If you answered the above questions with depth and honesty then you have already answered the question, “Who is making your decisions?”  I’m talking about the decisions YOU make that impact your life — decisions that you make for YOU; not the decisions your boss makes for you, or that your government or people in authority make.  What I want for lunch today is hardly a decision that needs much thought or reflection (unless my dietary needs are significant).  Whether I want to laze around in the garden this weekend or go out with friends, again is not really significant.  Nor are most of the decisions we make.

However, every now and then a big one comes along that can have a huge impact on us, our families, our careers, our futures.  These kind of decisions need to be made from the Authentic Mode.  The stress or anxiety we attach to them can actually divert us away from our Authentic Mode and put us into one of the more Limiting Modes.  We sometimes end up making a decision we regret, but this actually isn’t quite true; the regret comes from WHO made the decision, not necessarily the decision itself.  Decision making under duress is where our Authentic Mode is most needed.