SELF DISCOVERY

 

                              

                                                FINDING OURSELVES

                      TO FIND YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE, YOU MUST GO ON A JOURNEY OF                                  SELF- DISCOVERY.

              SOMETIMES THE WORRIOR FEELS AS IF HE WERE LIVING TWO

              LIVES AT ONCE... THERE IS A BRIDGE THAT LINKS WHAT I DO WITH WHAT 

              I WOULD LIKE TO DO, HE THINKS. SLOWLY, HIS DREAMS TAKE OVER HIS        

              EVERYDAY LIFE, AND THEN HE REALIZES THAT HE IS READY FOR THE THING 

              HE ALWAYS WANTED. THEN ALL THAT IS NEEDED IS A LITTLE DARING, AND 

              HIS TWO LIVES BECOME ONE.

                                                                                                                      ---- PAULO COELHO

                                           UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES

                  WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE WITH OURSELVES. WHAT ARE OUR TENDENCIES? WHAT DO WE LIKE? WHAT DO WE NOT LIKE? WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE IN THE FUTURE? THESE ARE ONLY A FEW PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ANSWER TO SUCCEED. AND THIS PROCESS OF INQUIRY BEGINS OUR JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY.

                WE KNOW BY NOW THAT GIVING AND RECEIVING GIFTS CAN STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONSHIPS. ONE STORY ABOUT GIVING GIFTS WHICH I FIND HILARIOUS IS ABOUT A COUPLE ON THEIR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. A WOMAN TOLD HER HUSBAND AS SHE WISHED HIM, I JUST DREAMT THAT YOU GAVE ME A BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND NECKLACE. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS? SHE ASKED HIM. YOU'LL KNOW TONIGHT, HE SAID WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE. HER EYES LIT UP IN ANTICIPATION. THAT EVENING THE HUSBAND CAME HOME WITH A BEAUTIFULLY WRAPPED PRESENT AND GAVE IT TO HIS WIFE. COULD IT BE WHAT I DREAM OF? SHE THOUGHT TO HERSELF. DELIGHTED, SHE OPENED IT, ONLY TO FIND A BOOK ENTITLED THE MEANING OF DREAMS!

 

                    I USED TO ALWAYS WONDER WHY ONE WOULD PUT IN SO MUCH EFFORT USING FANCY PAPER, BOWS AND RIBBONS TO WRAP A GIFT. WHY CAN WE NOT JUST GIVE THE GIFT UPFRONT TO THE PERSON WHOM WE WANT TO EXPRESS OUR LOVE FOR? I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IF WE OFFER A GIFT TO SOMEONE WITHOUT WRAPPING IT, THERE IS NO ELEMENT OF EXCITEMENT INVOLVED. CONCEALING A GIFT CREATES SUSPENSE, AND WHEN IT IS OPENED THERE IS EXCITEMENT AND THUS GREAT JOY. NOT ONLY DOES THE PERSON WHO RECEIVES THE GIFT FEEL HAPPY BUT SP DOES THE ONE WHO GIVES IT.

                  IN THE SAME WAY, EVERYONE HAS BEEN GIFTED WITH SPECIAL TALENTS AN SKILLS. EVERY INDIVIDUAL HAS SOMETHING UNIQUE IN THEM. IF GOD WERE TO REVEAL THAT TALENT TO US STRAIGHT AWAY, FROM THE VERY DAY WE WERE BORN, THERE WOULD BE NO EXCITEMENT IN OUR JOURNEY. GOD COVERS OUR TALENT, SKILLS AND POTENTIALLY ONLY SO THAT WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO DISCOVER IT. AND IN THE PROCESS OF DOING SO, IN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH OUR LIVES, THERE IS A TREMENDOUS SENSE OF SATISFACTION. SELF-DISCOVERY IS NOT A ONE-TIME EVENT BUT AN ONGOING EVOLUTION, AND US LIFE GOES ON WE DISCOVER  HOW MUCH WE ARE CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING.

                    HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED PASS THE PARCEL AS A CHILD? A CLASSIC AT BIRTHDAY PARTIES, THE GAME IS CENTERED AROUND A PRIZE WRAPPED UP IN A LARGE NUMBER OF GIFT WRAPPERS. BETWEEN EACH LAYER OF WRAPPING THERE IS A SMALLER GIFT. AS THE MUSIC STARTS PLAYING, THE PARCEL IS PASSED AROUND A GROUP OF PEOPLE, IN ANTICIPATION FOR THE MUSIC TO STOP. WHEN IT DOES, THE PERSON WHO NOW HAS THE PARCEL IN THEIR HAND REMOVES ONE LAYER OF WRAPPING PAPER AND CLAIMS THE SMALL PRIZE. THE SAME PROCESS CONTINUES UNTIL THE PENULTIMATE WRAPPER, WHEN ALL THE SMALL PRIZES ARE GONE AND FINALLY THE MAIN PRIZE IS REVEALED TO THE ONE WHO HOLDS AND UNWRAPS THE LAST LAYER.

                NOW, WHAT HAS THIS CHILDREN'S GAME GOT TO DO WITH UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES? WE NEED TO UNWRAP MULTIPLE LAYERS BEFORE WE CAN ACTUALLY DISCOVER OUR TRUE POTENTIAL. THE FURTHER WE DELVE TOWARDS REALIZING OUR POTENTIAL, THE MORE LAYERS WE START TO UNCOVER, AND WITH EVERY LAYER WE COME ACROSS SMALLER GIFTS THAT WE WERE HIDDEN WITHIN US. WE DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT TO EXPERIENCE HAPPINESS UNTILL ALL THE LAYERS ARE TAKEN OFF AND THE LARGE GIFT - OUR TRUE POTENTIAL - IS REVEALED TO US. THE JOURNEY ITSELF IS VERY EXCITING AND BRINGS AND BRINGS DEEP SATISFACTION. WHEN I THINK ABOUT THIS, IT REMINDS ME ABOUT THE STORY OF MY YOUNG FRIEND SAIRAJ.

                 SUMMARY

                 * WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND OURSELVES TO KNOW WHAT IS MEANINGFUL TO US, AND WHAT WE WANT TO DEVOTE OUR TIME TO. THIS CAN BE DONE BY UNDERSTANDING OUR PURPOSE, WHICH TAKES DEDICATION AND PATIENCE. 

              

                * DISCOVERING OUR PURPOSE IS EXCITING, JUST AS OPENING A GIFT GIVES THE FEELING OF ANTICIPATION AND JOY. REACHING OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE IS A JOURNEY, NOT AN EVENT.

                * THE JAPANESE HAVE A MODEL  CALLED IKIGAI OR A "REASON TO LIVE", WHICH IS COMPOSED OF FOUR TRAITS WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND. WHAT DOES THE WORLD NEED? WHAT CAN WE BE PAID FOR? SAIRAJ AND HIS FAMILY DISCOVERED THAT FOR HIM EARLY ON HIS LIFE.

                * IF WE ARE OLDER AND HAVE NOT YET FIGURED OUT OUR PURPOSE, WE CAN FOLLOW THE PRINCIPLE, LOVE WHAT WE HAVE TO DO AND DO WHAT WE LOVE TO DO.

                        NOTE : TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR IKIGA, YOU CAN COMPLETE AN EXERCISE IN APPENDIX 2 (IKIGAI WORKSHEET).

                                                                 POINTS 

                 * GOOD CHARACTRE HAS THE ABILITY TO CHANGE LIVES. IT HAS TO DO WITH OUR ACTIONS, NOT OUR WORDS. THE STORY ABOUT THE RATHAYATRA IN MUMBAI IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS.

             

               * THE PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPING CHARACTER ARE:

                         👀 VICHAAR : THE LIFE PHILOSOPHY WE FOLLOW. WE MUST LEARN                                            FROM IT.

                         👀 AACHAAR : THE GOOD CONDUCT THAT IS DISPLAYED TO THE                                           WORLD THROUGH THOSE ACTIONS. WE MUST PRACTICE IT.

                        👀 PRACHAAR : THE GOOD CONDUCT THAT IS DISPLAYED TO THE                                         WORLD THROUGH THOSE ACTIONS. WE MUST PRACTISE IT.

                  * WHAT GREAT MEN DO, COMMON MEN FOLLOW.

                                                                              👀👀👀