Discovering Your Real Self through Awareness and Connection.

It's VIJEV, and April has brought a refreshing coolness to the Southern Hemisphere. What better time to discuss self-reflection? Despite our relentless pursuit to uncover the world's mysteries, we often neglect the most crucial mystery of all – discovering ourselves. This unexplored territory holds the key to our identity.

In this video, I speak to Deepak John and Naledi King about discovering ourselves and using the tools available to understand it, and we go through their methodologies of uncovering problems in our lives. You then find the connection that reveals who you need to be and let go of the idea of what you thought you needed to be.

From birth, we absorb knowledge from our surroundings, and with our instincts, we craft a vision of the life we aspire to live. However, external factors beyond our control sometimes impose an alternative path. War, family, toxic friendships, societal pressures, and work are just a few examples of circumstances that may divert us from our potential.

It's only upon recognizing that we are in "survival mode" rather than "discovery mode", that we can shift our perspective. We have followed the lessons we've been taught, so we must forgive ourselves for not knowing better and for those around us who meant well but didn’t know either. Indeed, it is through adversity and pain that we ultimately awaken to our true selves.

What is the authentic self?

It is an unknown and mysterious part of discovering the self. There is no destination, merely an experience as you unpack the gift in front of you as you await your surprise. The authentic self is your real you. The one that no one else can find, except you. You can only find it when it's forged with your courage and painfully acknowledged and understood.

We need a way to know the where and why. We don’t need “the what” for now.

It’s like being an archaeologist. You dig and reveal the bones underneath. You may not even know what the bones look like. What you know as an authentic person is… the bones are there.

To look is to take a set of actions to understand where you are currently.

Your Awareness - Do you really know where you are? The pain indicates how far you are straying from your true self. This is the analogy of drowning. You may be drowning, and your instinct is to thrash at the water. You can’t understand why it’s not working. The worst of all… you are not **aware** that you are drowning. The best remedy is to follow these 2 areas to uncover your pain and understand why you are drowning.

1.      The world you see, is who you are. If you are loving, you will see loving people. If you are hateful, you will see hate. See what you are really seeing in the world.

2.      Look directly and acknowledge the way you react to your triggers. What makes you angry? Sad. Shame. Frustration. Understand and study it head-on. What makes you anxious about the past or the future all the time? If you are not in the present, you will not be able to solve the problems you really have. Coming to terms with it is the best way to find your present self.

Once you build the basic awareness, you begin to realize that it is only YOU who can fix it. This is where you take responsibility for your life and actions. Then you can start working on the framework to build up your life.

1.      Physical - Do physical things to move your body that gets your blood flowing. Even better, doing something you enjoy that moves your body. For me, it’s strength/weight training. This form of exercise has allowed me to become fitter and physically stronger. A strong body provides the framework for the next important part. Your mind.

2.      Mental / Emotional - These are exercises