Thursday, June 29, 2017

Know your Spirit - Authenticity leads to Happiness

If I were to ask you who you are, what would be your response? How about if I asked you what you love? What do you do for fun? How´s your spirit? It may sound crazy but many people do not know how to answer these questions. We live in a society that celebrates followers and it does not like pioneers. A society that is not comfortable with different as it prefers when people follow the normal whatever that normal is. Many people get lost trying to fit a container that does not fit them. They may seek validation or just acceptance but in that act of seeking, they lose their authentic self and their spirit vacates their body as it can not stay where it has no place to be authentic. Other people may use responsibilities or workaholism as a escape from reality. Others just get sucked into social media and technology wishing for the life they would want to have but never having the strength to go for it as it would mean going against the norm. There are several ways to numb or quiet our Spirit from pushing us to live from our true self.  

The other day, I was reading The Happiness Project by Robert Holden and he mentioned that people usually believe that they will be happy if/when... and that happiness comes from an external source when actually happiness comes from within and no matter how many things you have, you will not find happiness outside yourself. He mentioned that happiness is also rooted in being able to be our true selves and he believes that if you know yourself and you are authentic, you will be happy as well. That happiness is not something we need to look for but that when we embrace our authentic self, happiness happens next. Happiness is the consequence of living from our Spirit.

The question becomes how can people be happy if they don´t know their Spirit. No wonder why people are always seeking happiness but never get there because when you seek for happiness outside, the happiness you get is very short lived. You may be happy for a day or two but then comes reality that you want another thing to fill that void. This is the void that is left when you do not live from your Spirit. You do not need to keep buying stuff, you just need to connect and get reacquainted with who you are. The true you, the one under the layers of conditioning. 

The other day, I was talking to one of my students, and she was mentioning how she always tried to fit in and was not able to because she is a medium and sees things. She mentioned that she never connected with any of her friends and felt quite lonely because she wanted to be normal but was not normal and feared people would think she was crazy. As I heard this story, I couldn´t help but feel that I´ve been down that road before but that in the end, it leaves you feeling empty and lonely. Today, I rather have one good friend with whom I can be myself than ten fake friends where I am always putting on a mask or adjusting to their needs to my expense. It took years for me to embrace who I am and not take into account what other people think about me. It´s not an easy road but it is a road that leads to happiness. 

If you want to know your Spirit, first you have to get grounded in your body and then you need to connect with your heart. Do the things you love and bring you joy. Have the courage to be you without masks. If people walk away, they were not meant to be in your life because not matter how much you may want them to be, if you have to become somebody else to be with them, it´s not worth it. My teacher and mentor, Sonia Choquette, taught me that in order to connect with my Spirit, I have to give it voice. Get a piece of paper and a pen. Set up a timer for 5 minutes and write straight beginning with the phrase My Spirit says... Then read what you wrote. Repeat this exercise as much as you need until you feel you know your Spirit.

Knowing your Spirit is the first step towards living in authenticity. 

Authenticity leads to true Happiness.

Stop looking outside and just get busy - Know your Spirit.

Many blessings,