Coming Into My Own

Do you know yourself? Like REALLY know yourself??

I thought that I did, as I’m sure most people would say that they do. But, in reality, there’s who we tell ourselves that we are, and then there’s the reality of who we are. The ”less desirable” parts of us typically get pushed to the subconscious parts of us. Deep deep WAY down there, as far away from our conscious as possible. It’s what Carl Jung would have described as “the Shadow Self”. The parts of us that we try to disown because for whatever reason, we have deemed them unfit. This could be in part from societal norms, trying to fit in, wanting to please others, falling in line with what our religious leaders have to say, or what our parents want for us. None of these things are bad desires. I think it’s all rooted in love, We want to be loved and accepted by others. Therefore, we try to present the best that we have to offer front and center. The other natural parts of ourselves that we don’t want to display typically get ignored or we excuse them away in order for us to not have to deal with it. All in all - it’s a protective measure.

Our brains are so smart! Yet dumb at the same time.

Survival is awesome. I think we all can agree on that. But having our minds trick us into believing falsehoods about reality? Not so cool. You can get to the bottom of it, but… it’s going to require a lot of work.

And not just work… really really unpleasant work. You have to get comfortable with your weaknesses. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Not everyone has the stomach to come face to face with the demons they have under the rug. It means that things in your life will need to change, and THAT my friends is the hardest thing about it all.

But ya know what. Changing those things in your life are scary, but it’s also what brings you closer to living your dreams. To reaching your fullest potential, and to having the most peace and joy in your life. When you acknowledge all parts of you, then you can start to rebuild and realign your life to match your honest self.

I’m not saying that I’m perfect, but I have done a lot of self-reflective work and introspection to start uncovering these parts of myself. I also know it’s not a one-time deal. It’s an every day ordeal. Life is a journey and so is. Rediscovering yourself day in and day out. At the core you’re still you, but sometimes viewpoints shift and change, different priorities come into play, or complications arise, and you need to check-in with what you want and not what everyone else around you wants.

This is part of what I’ve been working on and discovering. I have been using my creativity to spark new conversations with my subconscious, and that’s what this journaling series is dedicated to - me constantly checking in and re-evaluating me. I want to be a little bit better every day.