Getting to know yourself

Imagine a good friend of yours is coming into town. You’ve known them for a very long time and you’ve been wanting to catch up for a while. Would you make time for them over the weekend? I would like to think so. And you’d do it even if you’re super busy depending on how good this friend is.

We make time for our loved ones that we care deeply about. Our spouses, our children, our parents, other family members, friends. We make time for them because we want to get to know them better.

We also make time for work-related activities. Sometimes those relationships rise to the level of friendships, but sometimes it’s just professional. We still slot them into our schedule. We make time for them.

However, do you make time for yourself?

You might be saying, “Of course I make time for myself, Dr. Eric! I’m with myself all the time!”

Let’s take that apart for a moment. When you go out to dinner with friends or family, you make sure to be intentional and present. You’re in the conversation and you’re learning about each other. When you work with a colleague, you are actively engaged in the activity to get the job done.

But when you spend time with yourself, you’re brushing your teeth, you’re driving, you’re working, you’re usually doing something else. You’re not as actively engaged. You’re not really paying attention.

If you treated your friends, family, co-workers that way, what do you think would happen to the relationship?

If you treat yourself that way, what happens to your relationship with yourself?

We often take for granted that we are ourselves. But very few people take the time to discover who they are. This is where the traditional meditation and mindfulness suggestions come into play.

The High Performer belief is that you build yourself up, you build the world around you, and you command your reality.

I believe that you actually discover yourself in life. And if you are inclined to believe in a Higher Power, I believe that this discovery process is to understand how that entity created you. When you’ve found it, really cool things happen.