Charles Horton is quoted for saying, “I’m not what I think I am, and I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think I am.” Our self-perception of who we think we are is sometimes based on how other people define us. We become what we believe and do. Writing a new story of who we want to become, is the first step to breaking negative beliefs we have about ourselves. You have to divorce your story and marry the TRUTH. They say the truth will set you free, I believe the truth creates clarity for you to live a narrower life. Therefore, I believe real freedom is having a true sense of “self-awareness”. It is acknowledging who you truly are, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, and beginning the process of working on them daily.
Fear. False. Evidence. Appearing. Real. Seneca believed we suffer more in imagination than reality. In the book, “Think like a monk”, by Jay Shetty, he defines our four key motivations for life:
- Fear. We are driven by sickness, poverty, and fear of hell or death.
- Desire. We seek personal gratification through success, wealth, and pleasure.
- Duty. We are motivated by gratitude, responsibility, and a desire to do the right thing.
- Love. We are compelled by caring for others and the urge to help them.
There is a quote that says, “you can’t be anything you want, but you can be everything you are.” Shetty discusses a plethora of successful habits that can help you win the morning, overcome negative thoughts and beliefs, discover your purpose, build healthier relationships, gain more personal confidence, improve our character and much more.
Here’s a few key takeaways from the book:
-Your passion is for you, your purpose is for others.
-Location has energy; time has memory.
-Change happens with small steps and big priorities.
-We have seventy thousand separate thoughts daily.
-Our mind is consistently predicting what is going to happen next.
-You are who you are when no one is watching.
-People come into your life for a reason, season, or lifetime.
-Trust is a daily practice.
–Five primary motivations for connection: physical connection, material, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual.
– “Love is the absence of judgement.’-Dalai Lama
-Until you heal your wounds from the past, you will continue to bleed.
-True service does not expect or even want anything in return.
“Think like a monk,” was a great read. We are all on the journey of discovering our purpose. We tend to chase meaningless possessions that do not help us become the best version of ourselves. Who we become is a direct reflection of who we believe we are. We become what we do. Life allows us to choose what path we want to take. Self-awareness is a superpower that most people will never cultivate. It is the GPS that helps you make better decisions and create a vision for your life. Self- awareness helps you find your purpose. Mark Cuban is coined for saying, “don’t follow your passion, follow your efforts”. If you fall in love with the process, your journey of personal growth will never end.
Quote of the Day: “Change begins with the words inside of our head.”