Connecting to Your Essence
The goal of self-discovery is to create a strong and accessible connection to our inner guidance. That still, small voice within becomes an active participant in our lives when we begin the process of softening the hold that image protection plays in our quest for ego gratification.
From an early age, through conditioning, we begin to fashion our favorite ways of coping with the ups and downs of life. Some of us pad our notions about ourselves by pretending to be bigger and better off than we are. We form the habit of living above our essence line.
What do I mean by essence line? Imagine an energy current that starts at the point at which we are today, fully connected to all of the life experiences we have amassed to date. This energy line would then connect to our highest and best future self.
The ability to be connected to who we are today and also who we want to become creates a creative tension. When we are willing to stand fully where we are and hold a vision of who we will become, we walk the tightrope of authenticity guided by the balancing pole of intuitive guidance that inspires us to right action, one step at a time.
When we insist on positioning ourselves as “better than”, the energy line into a vibrant future is reduced to a façade, like the children’s game of walking down a secure, cement sidewalk pretending to be a skilled and energetically charged tightrope walker.
If we have chosen to define ourselves as a less than, we sit on the sidelines of life. We avoid our personal main tent because we are afraid that we will be forced to walk the tightrope without any hope of a safety net to cushion our falls or a guiding pole to balance our steps.
When our only goal is ego gratification, pretending to be better than or less than are the only positions available to us. Our experience of ourselves becomes reduced to never being as good as we think we are or as bad as we think we are.
How can you use this information to further your self-development?
First, accept the fact that some of the prices of being connected to your essential self includes a certain amount of visibility, vulnerability and creative tension caused by venturing into unknown territory. Next, take an inventory of those areas of your life where you are holding tightly on to a better than or less than image. Be willing to discover what fears sit underneath these habitual positions.
Identify those areas of your life that easily and effortlessly work for you. These are the places where you are living from your essence.
Imagine that your best future self pays you a visit. What positive qualities do you notice? What aspects of yourself do you want to open up to and embrace to allow you to grow into your highest and best future self?
Living from our essence requires a willingness to trade in hiding behind a false self-image and stepping up and greeting the unknown. Elevating the unknown to a sacred position creates the opportunity to invite your inner guidance to inspire you to grow and progress. When intuition shines its light on the right action steps, following that guidance will lead you easily and effortlessly forward as you create your highest and best future.
Susan is a local author and personal growth facilitator. Find her at susanvelasquez.com.
