We spend an entire lifetime getting to know someone who has been with us from the very beginning:
THE SELF.
Self-awareness begins the introduction.
Self-assessment asks the questions.
Self-improvement continues the journey.
The soul reveals why it matters.
Many animals enter this world and learn much of what they need to survive almost immediately.
They rise, seek nourishment, recognize their own kind, eat, sleep, reproduce—and repeat.
That is their life.
Simple, readable and complete.
Not so with mankind.
For us, being born is only the beginning of a never-ending learning experience.
We do not merely live.
We eventually realize that we are living.
Then we begin trying to understand the person doing all that living.
Welcome to the “self” systems.
SELF-AWARENESS
At some point, we become aware that we are aware.
There may be no announcement and no words to explain it. We simply experience ourselves experiencing life.
This is the soul eating and drinking from life—the nourishment from which it begins to recognize itself.
We notice our thoughts.
We feel our emotions.
We become aware of our choices.
Then we discover other people—their similarities, differences, wants and needs—and that discovery further enhances our own journey.
Self-awareness says:
“I am here.”
SELF-ASSESSMENT
Next, we begin observing ourselves under different circumstances and around different people.
How do I respond under pressure?
What makes me happy?
What frightens me?
Where am I strong?
Where do I struggle?
What brings out my best—and what invites my worst?
With or without realizing it, we begin making course corrections. We move toward what appears good and away from what causes harm.
This is also where role models enter.
We watch the people traveling with us. We notice what works, what does not work and what kind of person we may—or may not—want to become.
Self-assessment asks:
“What am I doing with the person who is here?”
SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS
Then comes the realization that we are who we are—but we may not yet be certain what that means.
This can be an eye-opener.
It is an invitation from the self to the self:
Explore.
Question.
Observe.
Test your beliefs.
Our five senses provide information and feedback as we travel and experience life. We compare who we believe we are with how we actually behave.
Sometimes the two match.
Sometimes they have not even been properly introduced… LOL!
Assessing the self is a full-time job that may last an entire lifetime.
SELF-CENTEREDNESS
Focusing on the self can work in two directions.
Healthy self-focus helps us identify strengths, weaknesses, responsibilities, motives and areas requiring correction.
Unhealthy self-focus feeds vanity, pride, selfishness and the belief that every road should somehow lead back to us.
There is the crossroads.
One direction leads toward self-understanding.
The other leads toward self-importance.
Neediness may pull us one way.
Truth and correction may call us another.
Focusing on yourself is not automatically selfish. Sometimes it is necessary maintenance.
The important question is:
Are you examining yourself so you can become more useful—or admiring yourself while becoming less useful?
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Situations, experiences and encounters eventually beckon us to inquire further.
Why did I react that way?
What could I have done differently?
What have I learned?
What needs to change?
This is where we begin discovering who we are—something commonly called identity.
We may not receive complete answers, but we are on our way.
Remember that identity is deeply personal. Be careful about judging another person who is also trying to understand who they are and what life is asking of them.
They are figuring it out.
So are you.
MANKIND WAS CREATED TO EVOLVE
As we develop, an assortment of AHA moments visits us.
Many of them!
They arrive when they arrive, and they arrive at different times for different people.
Our character forms.
Our values become clearer.
We begin recognizing our uniqueness.
There has never been another person composed of your exact experiences, abilities, questions, struggles and possibilities.
You are one of a kind.
Recognizing that should not produce superiority.
It should produce wonder—and responsibility.
MYSTERY BECOMES A DISTANT FRIEND
The spiritual SELF eventually begins making itself known.
The soul wants to imprint itself upon our being because we were made in relationship to something greater than ourselves.
We begin to marvel.
Our questions may outnumber our answers, but the questions no longer disturb us as they once did.
Wonderment and peace begin traveling together.
Mystery no longer appears to be an enemy withholding answers.
It becomes a distant friend reminding us that life is larger than what we currently understand.
MY “SELF” MEETS “YOUR” SELF
Eventually, we recognize that other people are experiencing many of the same things we are.
The timing differs.
The circumstances differ.
The feelings remain familiar.
Joy.
Sadness.
Want.
Happiness.
Comfort.
Fear.
Hope.
Dreams.
An entire assortment of experiences visits us all.
My self begins recognizing your self.
That recognition is the beginning of empathy.
THE END RESULT
We come together through this shared discovery called life.
Words sometimes fail, and our natural knowing takes the lead.
We begin sensing the depth, meaning and purpose—known and unknown—within all things.
That realization leaves us with awe and two great points to ponder.
THE TWO GREATEST COMMANDMENTS AT WORK
We are guests within something so magnificent that gratitude eventually reaches beyond words.
We also recognize our fellow travelers and begin wanting what is good for them.
The search for self does not end with worshipping the self.
Properly traveled, it leads beyond the self:
Love God.
Love mankind.
HERE THE “SELVES” ARE SATISFIED
Self-awareness allows us to recognize life.
Self-assessment helps us examine how we are living it.
Self-consciousness invites exploration.
Self-centeredness presents a crossroads.
Self-improvement encourages correction and growth.
Spiritual awareness connects the self with something greater.
Love joins my self with your self.
FINAL THOUGHT
Getting to know yourself is not the final destination.
It prepares you to better understand other people, serve with greater purpose and recognize the spiritual meaning within your journey.
PEARLS INSIGHT (SEO)
The “self” systems—self-awareness, self-assessment, self-consciousness, self-centeredness and self-improvement—shape identity and personal growth. When guided by humility and spiritual awareness, understanding the self can strengthen empathy, purpose and love for others.
PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS
A second chance requires more than changing circumstances. It requires the willingness to look within, recognize what has been ruling the self and allow a better self to emerge.
That spiritual transformation is central to Epilogue of Ebenezer Scrooge: A Second Chance.
PEARLS CONNECTION
Which “self” is speaking most loudly in your life today?
The self that observes?
The self that judges?
The self that protects its pride?
The self that wants to improve?
Or the spiritual self calling you toward something greater?
Listen carefully.
RICHIE SPEAKS
The more honestly I examine myself, the less interested I become in judging everybody else.
We are all trying to understand this experience called life.
Different timing.
Different circumstances.
Many of the same hopes, fears and questions.
My self meets your self—and discovers that neither one was meant to travel alone.
FINAL SAY
Know the self.
Correct the self.
Improve the self.
Then allow the self to serve something greater than itself.
Love God.
Love mankind.
Here, the “selves” are satisfied.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
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