We’re walking down the road of our life when suddenly we hit a junction and freeze “who do we think we are?” are the words crying out from inside of us.
From the surface, things may look ordinary to anyone who sees us – we are the same old person we always were, right? The same we were yesterday, five, even ten years back and the same we’ll be tomorrow. All fine and dandy. Well, no, not necessarily.
We can carry on walking the same path, replicating the same existence day in, day out and carrying around with us the same belief system and state of health OR we can start to be receptive to the cries yelling out from within us, pleading and longing to be heard. I urge you to listen intently, right now.
Our identities that we’ve created, mastered and set in stone, that we’ve handed out to and convinced our loved ones, strangers and even ourselves of, may very well be masking who we truly are. And we’re going to have to chip away at this protection layer if we want to discover our inner gems.
I woke up to health a few years back. By letting my inner voice be heard, accepted and not resisted to any longer, I was able to end the conflict between my lifestyle as it was at the time – centering around fleeting highs, low lows alcohol, feelings of weakness, helplessness and a lack of direction – and my inner yearning for a more meaningful life. When I really listened to what my heart, my inner guidance was telling me, I knew instinctively I had to make some changes.
Did it rock my identity? Sure. Was it easy? Far from it. But you know what, once I got over the fear, the frustration and uncertainty of not knowing who I was or where I was going, I was then able to start a very special journey and align with my true self.
I spent a while wandering around in ‘no man’s land’. Sick of the old me, unclear of the new. I noticed my friendship circle changing, my sense of security loosening and my sensitivity to life heightening. What was I supposed to be doing? What was my life’s purpose? How could I break free from the old me? With time I could see that this was a necessary step and part of my journey which led me to the answers I longed for.
We need time, quiet space to reflect on what’s important in life to us. Who we think we are. It became clear to me I didn’t want to be carried along by the world, that I wanted to have dreams that I could realise. I wanted to help people feel happier and healthier than they had before. Wake up to health and my vision to own a Retreat House came into existence whilst I was searching for answers – and has stayed my guiding force, my motivation.
It can be frightening to leave our identity behind in setting sail to create a new one. There are risks we take as we leave one version of ourselves behind and put our feet into unknown waters – not knowing where the tide will bring us to. But the thing is, unless we try, we’ll never know. If we cling to our lives, our identities as we know them, we may never experience the greatness we can become.
We need to challenge our identity. Look ourselves in the mirror and ask ‘who do we think we are?’ In presenting the question, we can begin the search to fulfilling our dreams.
