Self can represent your physicality, your qualities, your psyche, your individuality, or the character of who you are. From a philosophical perspective self is the ego, the core of us, the soul or spirit that unites all of our experiences.

The Creation of Self

The process of “the creation of self” is what we continually do, as we decide who we want to be. It requires choosing how we live into those decisions—ideally experiencing realities that best mirror our desires to live fully and with purpose.

When we look at self-creation, relative to the concept of self-actualization—whether that’s becoming spiritual enlightened, a creative force to be reckoned with or the best example of a truly philanthropic human—it can be daunting. Many people spend their lives never thinking about pursuing a reality other than what they currently experience, so there are a lot of missed opportunities on the journey. Often they’re overlooked or disregarded, because we don’t believe we can create a life different from the one we currently live in.

Living The Dream

I believe that I have a responsibility to live into my best self. I certainly don’t always get there (I will never reach Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Benazir Bhutto, Gandhi, or Nick Vujicic status), but that doesn’t mean that I should give up the dream.

If we look at the limited time we have, and then elect to flourish and live with as much grace as we can muster each day (which I believe is what God truly wants for us), we will likely end up following a considerably different path than those who determine that they’re completely powerless and helpless Sadly, for some that is their absolute reality, but most of us can take positive steps to live into our dreams.

Making Choices

There are so many choices most of us have.

We can be:
self-aware—cognizant of our individuality and personality, or
self-absorbed—thinking only about our own thoughts and interests

selfless—having little concern for personal fame, wealth or position, or
selfish—concerned only for ourselves

self-made—creating ourselves, and our realities, in purposeful ways, or
self-centered—interested primarily with only our own desires

self-loving—caring about our personal happiness and joy
self-abusive—abusing ourselves physically, mentally or emotionally

self-monitoring—”checking in” with ourselves regularly to make sure we’re living out our truths, or
self-serving—pursuing our interests often at the detriment of others needs

self-respecting—honoring ourselves as valuable human beings, or
self-loathing—hating oneself (one of the most dangerous “selfs”)

And, we can paint our self-portraits (literally and figuratively) in a way that honors who we are.

 Living Intentionally

We all go about the process of living intentionally by way of diverse paths, because our journeys are so different. Often, there are roadblocks that stop us from getting where we want to go (or where we intend to go). Sometimes, those barricades are ones that we never dreamed we’d run into, because someone else created them. And, sometimes, those barriers are self-created because our self-esteem or self-consciousness is not consistent with the beauty of who we are.

In Hamlet, William Shakespeare said through Polonius, “This above all: to thine own self be true”.

In the sanctuary of your spirit, how do your truly feel about yourself.
In those quiet moments do you realize your beauty, and importance, and value to our world?
Do you ever say to your spirit, “To thine own self be true”?
Kay

Blog: peacefullhome.com
Twitter: @kaymclane
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