Being Genuine

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

R.W. Emerson certainly must have known me in a past life. I spent a four decades trying to be who I thought you wanted me to be, and no one, and ultimately that included me, knew who I really was. Can you relate?
From my mentor Dr. Randin Brons, more wise words:

When we don't know who we are -- or if we are afraid to be who we are -- we betray ourselves. We pretend to be who we think we are. Our self image is made up of our experiences, desires and other people's ideas and expectations of us.

Maintaining this false self is a betrayal of ourselves. In all deep spiritual journeys, there is the experience of betrayal. Betrayal always tells us to adjust our life to be more authentic. What we identify with is all important.

There are large betrayals (e.g., your partner leaving you) and small betrayals (e.g., disappointments). They are all experiences of being wounded for the purpose of breaking down the defences of the personality. When we allow the wounding and accept the betrayals as divine gifts, we greatly benefit.
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -- Dr. Seuss (via Elena)

"What you must dare is to be yourself." -- Dag Hammarskjold
Through the co-creative process of life recovery I can today be happy just being me. I have learned to live by Popeye’s philosophy, “I am who I am and that’s all that I am” and today that is good enough. Interested in learning how? Contact khbray@hopeserenity.ca.