Understanding Who I Am
When I hear activist/activism I think of Greenpeace members on a rubber boat fighting off whale killers or oil tanks or something. It’s not something I ever would consider myself to be. As a result, this topic really sent me exploring. I have many different interests that are dear to my heart, but which one is me, which one am I exuding on a daily basis?
My brain came up completely blank and I turned to a dear friend to see if she saw something I didn’t. It was interesting where her mind went: power of self. What? Only when she gave me an example was I able to see it for myself. I am committed to finding out who I am and how I can be the best version of myself.
I remember that even as a teenager I loved to do those personality tests in magazines to find out my character traits etc., and I also loved to have friends give their impressions of me, before they got to know me, as well as after. Thinking back it was an attempt to get to know myself, through the eyes of other people.
The desire to learn about myself and understand all that I am, my mind and my emotions, my body, my tendencies and character traits, as well as my skills and gifts, is so natural to me that not only did I think for a very long time everybody is like that, but was surprised when that was what my friend pointed out to me: “I think that is your crusade, this is what you fight for in life.” It’s true and I love it!
I love to get to know myself for various reasons. I am super interesting! I don’t mean to brag, but it’s true for everyone, really. Humans are so complex and diverse that we are all interesting. Authenticity is important to me and the way I pay tribute to that, is by continually learning about myself. The more I understand myself the better I can come into balance with myself. I think that in part it has to do with being empathic; it’s important to be able to figure out which emotions are mine, and which ones I’ve picked up are crucial to re-balancing myself and feeling peace. Knowing myself also means understanding what I want to change or where I want to evolve. For me, change is always possible, in fact I can get worked up when people say otherwise. The more I really get to know myself the more I love myself, as I can see how divinely unique and wonderful I am.
My friend attested that by learning about myself, I invite and encourage her and others to do the same. Also, I can see that the more I am okay being who I am and am able to communicate from this standpoint, the more others can open up and genuinely share themselves. My personal soul-searching, including learning about my own flaws, has resulted in being able to accept people. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes people can get on my nerves, after all I am still human. But, when people come to me and share about their challenges and worries, as well as their failings I am in acceptance, for I know all of this is human and part of me, too.
Written by: Sabine Roggermeier; Gluecklich Im Sein
