Knowing yourself

How well do you know yourself? Do you truly understand the kind of person you are? What gives you true happiness? Being with family? Or does work and success come first for you? Do you find yourself getting addicted to your gadgets and gizmos? Or does solitude and discovering new places help restore your internal balance?

What are the things that you consider anathema? Is there some thing that goes against the grain for you? Some things about which you can make no compromise, like dishonesty,  stealing — either a personal belonging or an idea or one’s clients, lack of ethics, disloyalty, and not honouring a commitment?

It is never too late to do a reality check. Very often one gets the feeling that something is bothering us, but we can’t point it out clearly. We are not able to tell or put a finger on where that signal is coming from because we haven’t taken the time to look within and go to the very root of that inner prompting.

Understanding oneself and aligning that knowledge with the larger scheme of the universe is the first step to true joy and happiness.

Whether you compare yourself unfavourably with others or tend to be uncomfortable in a certain group or revolt against actions of some people or find that you cannot play along with their lack of conviction or even be like them, but always  be kind to yourself. Listen to your inner voice that gently pushes you in the right direction.

Instead of acknowledging this voice if you mutter under your breath as to why you can’t be like the next person — who is so cool about what really matters to you and seems to just swim along and reap rich rewards with absolutely no conscience — you are going to get frustrated. Don’t lose sight of what matters truly. If you have always maintained that you will not pay too steep a price for a reward that could cost you dearly, keep it up. If you ignore your inner voice, you will find it very difficult to live with your circumstances sooner or later.

Sometimes, you agonise over decisions you have taken or dissect your reactions and cannot come to terms with the same.

Taking time to reflect on who you are, where you come from and your core beliefs will help you understand what is the trigger for your unease and dilemma.  There should be no reason to want it any other way as your DNA is distinct. Appreciating your uniqueness and working towards evolving into the person the Supreme intended you to be will lend a purpose to your life.

This knowledge will in course of time help you to acquire mastery over yourself and be comfortable in your own skin. It will give you confidence and strength during times of crisis and enable you to be at peace with yourself. So much so that even when you find yourself alone or isolated you can still hold your own from being secure in the knowledge of who you are and having established a strong connect with yourself.

The writer is a spiritual and tarot card reader