I first heard this story in a group for Adult Children of Alcoholics, nearly 25 years ago, and was delighted to find it again tonight.  If you aren’t familiar with it, I hope you enjoy it!  If you are, I hope you enjoy reading it again.   An Autobiography in Five Short Chapters A poem [...]

I first heard this story in a group for Adult Children of Alcoholics, nearly 25 years ago, and was delighted to find it again tonight.  If you aren’t familiar with it, I hope you enjoy it!  If you are, I hope you enjoy reading it again.

 

An Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

A poem by Portia Nelson that appears in Claudia Black’s book. Repeat After Me

I

I walk down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in

I am lost . . . I am helpless.

It isn’t my fault.

It takes forever to find a way out.

II

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend I don’t see it.

I fall in again.

I can’t believe I am in the same place.

But it isn’t my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see it is there.

I still fall in . . . it’s a habit.

My eyes are open.

I know where I am.

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.

 

 

Put the Glass Down By Dr.Claude Shema-Rutagengwa, Pr.Dr.Udaya Kumar and Pr.Dr.Dietrich http://www.author-me.com/fict07/puttheglass.htm Once a professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, “how much do you think this glass weighs? ’50gms!’?…’100gms…’125gms’…. The students answered, “I really don’t [...]

Put the Glass Down

By Dr.Claude Shema-Rutagengwa, Pr.Dr.Udaya Kumar and Pr.Dr.Dietrich

http://www.author-me.com/fict07/puttheglass.htm

Once a professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, “how much do you think this glass weighs? ’50gms!’?…’100gms…’125gms’….

The students answered, “I really don’t know unless I weigh it.”

The professor said, ‘now, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?’

‘Nothing’ the students said.

“OK what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?” the professor asked.

“Your arm would begin to ache” said one of the students.

“You’re right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?”

“Your arm could go numb; you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis; have to go to hospital for sure! Ventured another student”, all the students laughed.

“Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” Asked the professor.

“No” was the reply of all the students.

“Then what caused the arm to ache; the muscle to stress?” After a pause the professor asked “Before my arm ache, what should I do?”

The students were puzzled.

“Put the glass down!” said one of the students.

“Exactly!” said the professor, “Life’s problems are exactly like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head; they seem OK. Think of them for a long time; they begin to ache. Hold it even longer; they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.”

It’s important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life, but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT to ‘put them down’ at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh; strong; can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!

Remember to put the glass down everyday!

 

Feeling judged by others is a fairly universal theme among my clients and friends, so I wanted to share some insights I’ve gained which might help you reframe the way you hear hurtful comments. The spiritual principles you need to understand are the relationship between our lower and higher natures, the principle of neither giving [...]

Feeling judged by others is a fairly universal theme among my clients and friends, so I wanted to share some insights I’ve gained which might help you reframe the way you hear hurtful comments.

The spiritual principles you need to understand are the relationship between our lower and higher natures, the principle of neither giving offence nor taking offence; and the concept of “love languages”.

Dual Natures:

We were born with both a higher and lower nature.  The lower nature is the voice of the ego, and the higher nature is the voice of God.  You can tell the difference between the two, because one is judging and condemning, and the other is pure love.

It’s common to hear “you should” . . . and immediately go to “I’m not good enough”.  Both sentences are lies emanating from our lower nature!  The only one who knows what you should do, is God, and you can know His will for you through the Bahá’í Writings.

The truth is that God created you perfect . . .

With the hands of power I made thee and with the fingers of strength I created thee; and within thee have I placed the essence of My light. Be thou content with it and seek naught else, for My work is perfect and My command is binding. Question it not, nor have a doubt thereof.  (Baha’u'llah, Hidden Words, Arabic 12)

. . . and noble,

Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself.  (Bahá’u'lláh, Hidden Words, Arabic 22).

We abase ourselves every time we act from the lower nature, by putting ourselves down or allowing others to do so.   You’re good enough for God, and that’s all that matters.

Giving and taking offence:

To protect us from ourselves, the Bahá’í Writings tell us we’re not to give offence nor take offence:

Thus no member should ever allow himself to be prevented from expressing frankly his view because it may offend a fellow member; and, realizing this, no member should take offence at another member’s statements.  (Universal House of Justice,  Lights of Guidance, p. 179-180)

When we “give offence” we are deliberately saying things designed to oppress a soul – another “no-no” in our Faith:

There is no fire in the eyes of those who have known God and His signs, fiercer than to transgress His laws and to oppress another soul, even to the extent of a mustard seed.  (The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 79)

“Taking offence” means believing someone else’s lie – something spoken from their lower nature.  The best remedy for that is to see them as captives of their lower nature, and forgive them:

If someone commits an error and wrong toward you, you must instantly forgive him.  (Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 453)

Language of love

Dr. Gary Chapman has written a book called “The Five Languages of Love”.  In it, he identifies 5 ways in which people demonstrate their love for each other:

Words of Affirmation:  If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important—hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.

Quality Time:  In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.

Receiving Gifts: Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures.

Acts of Service:  Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.

Physical Touch:  A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive.

For example, I’m a person who values quality time and acts of service, and don’t particularly care about getting gifts.  As a life coach, I’m likely to think deeply about what my clients tell me and sometimes go overboard finding the exact quotes from the Bahá’í Writings which might help them solve their problems.  Sometimes, clients who value words of affirmation “take offence” because I give them lengthy responses which turn into blog postings instead of simply affirming that they are OK where they are.  They feel judged instead of feeling loved, and “take offence” when no offence was intended.  They don’t understand that I was only acting out of my “love language”.

A note to my life coaching clients:  You can be 95% certain that whatever I say, I am not judging you (the other 5% is because I’m human!)  One thing you can know for sure, though, is that I can’t bear to give offense.  If I know I’ve hurt someone, it hurts me even worse!

Click here to find out what your love language is.  You don’t need to give your name and email address.  Just click on “skip this step”.

How has your life been affected by giving or taking offence?  Post your comments here:

 

 

by Rachel Perry Recently I was considering the possibility of short term pioneering, but was unable to fulfill my intent.  I was consulting with my dear friend and life coach Rachel Perry (yes, even life coaches need to be coached!).  She sent me the following email and it was so wise and filled with a [...]

by Rachel Perry

Recently I was considering the possibility of short term pioneering, but was unable to fulfill my intent.  I was consulting with my dear friend and life coach Rachel Perry (yes, even life coaches need to be coached!).  She sent me the following email and it was so wise and filled with a perspective on pioneering I hadn’t considered before, that I wanted to share it with my readers. Here is her email:

As you know from having met me, my desire to physically dwell in a location that is a benefit to the Cause is strong as well. So you can imagine that when I was given the opportunity recently to move across the country I thought it would be good to re-locate as a pioneer. In my prayers and meditations around this topic, my soul continued to prompt me to not travel as a pioneer. Instead, I was guided to focus on my health and well-being, to put my focus on being an effective parent, to put my attention on developing a strong co-parenting partnership with my ex-husband, and even…to enjoy the companionship of a new relationship. It didn’t make sense to me at the time. But I followed the “song of my heart” and gave up the role as pioneer in order to give my attention to my little divided family, and my health.

What I found when I got here was that everything was tested! In every way I was tested! My skills and character as a mother were tested because my daughter went into crisis that lasted several months and I had to be there for her as a parent in a way I had never done before. My skills and character as a co-parent were tested because I was forced to live temporarily with my ex-husband and I challenged myself to do so in a way that was peaceful and nourishing for my daughter. I was also tested as a Baha’i since I found that I was falling deeply, deeply in love with a person who was not a Baha’i and finding balance in this relationship was like trying to navigate a ship in a storm. Baha’u'llah’s plan for me, which I clearly see now, was internal spiritual development, and not community development – which is what I would have achieved if I would have been “pioneering.”

Having gone through these momentous tests, I find myself a new person. I find myself completely transformed. I find myself healthier, stronger, more balanced than I have ever been in my life. I find myself being the person I had always hoped I would be. This could not have been achieved if I had pioneered because when we pioneer externally, our focus is on sacrificing ourselves for the sake of our new community. In my situation, I see now that what was needed was careful consideration of myself because there were some very significant things about myself that I needed to learn about and develop. My sacrifice was that I surrendered the bounties that come to pioneers; however, I found that I was rewarded with tremendous insight into myself and my life path.

That being said, still there is this deep calling in my soul and it says to me “You are a pioneer. You are a pioneer. You are a pioneer.” How am I a pioneer? I know the answer now. I share this because maybe it will be meaningful for you too.

It starts with a dream I had when I got here – briefly, the dream was that I had a bone-deep wound on my left hand that went across the base of my middle finger and my ring finger. It was horrifically painful. At first no one would take me to the hospital, but finally I got there and then no doctor would help me. Finally a character from my favourite TV show approached me and he said he could help. He took me into a room and began applying a balm that eased the pain. Richard’s interpretation of this dream (which had more details which I have omitted for brevity’s sake) was that the wound represented the issue with my marriage – on the on one hand I have to cooperate with a man who I’m not married to anymore for the sake of raising our daughter well, and on the other hand I want to say “back off” because of the difficulties that we have. The dream is telling me that I am healed and healing is no longer needed, so now the next stage of development is actually in my character (thus an actor relieving the pain and not a doctor).

This makes so much sense to me! Yes, and it has given me a guiding light throughout the tests that I had in the 4 months after the dream.

So, how does all this relate to pioneering? It relates because:

1.    Not everyone is willing to sacrifice pleasure in order for character development (which is what happens when we choose to follow the Writings and the Law of God – we know it is good for our character development even though it may be difficult or hurt)

2.    Not everyone that tries is successful

3.    Not everyone that is successful is conscious of the whole process and why it is significant to the spiritual advancement of the human race

4.    Not everyone who is conscious of it’s significance to the human race has the passion and skills for talking and writing about it

5.    Not everyone who has the writing and speaking skills wants to use them in the promotion of character development or knows how to use them (for example, how the Internet can be of assistance in teaching the Faith)

THEREFORE…….It is my life path to keep making these sacrifices in order to develop my character so that I can continue writing about it and continue to teach other people how to do it too…and this is pioneering into the land of my inner self which is just as important as pioneering into the land of the earth because with the treasures that I find and bring to the surface I can empower an entire generation….

WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY SECOND POINT ….the question becomes this….”why is it so important to develop my character and tell people about it?” the answer is this…..not everyone knows that developing our character brings us closer to God, and not everyone knows that the closer we get to God the more receptive we become to discovering  Baha’u'llah,…..so this is a very important message to share…..but not only that….now we have the tools to use to share a message to a more far reaching demographic than ever, ever, ever before.

With the Internet, an entire generation is being transformed. We can share a message, easily, and within seconds it can be delivered to ANY ANY ANY place on the globe! That is just amazing. And when we share our message, via the Internet, we are “traveling” to that place and spreading our message. So, when we send our words to China, to Australia, to Japan, to India, to France, to Africa, via the Internet we are doing what Abud’l-Baha longed to do when He said He wanted to travel to every place on the globe to share the Message of the Baha’i Faith and when we do it for Him then we are fulfilling His wish.

In this time, Susan, everywhere we live on the globe matters. Being a Baha’i and living anywhere matters because we live in a time when the whole world is connected.

So to summarize – I am pioneering when:

• I chose to develop my character by following the Writings of Baha’u'llah and the promptings of my soul guiding me to manifesting my greatness – my True Self.

• I observe the process and write about it for sharing.

• I use the Internet to promote the experience for the benefit of others so that they too may become aware of the process and continue to make positive changes in themselves and their lives towards inner and outer peace.

So few have ever done this before because the Internet is just brand new and the opportunities before us are brand new too, as a woman, as a single mother, as a Baha’i. Never before in the history of the world have there ever been the opportunities available to Baha’is. We are on the forefront of a huge transformation and the Internet is an integral part of this evolution. Not the only part, but a big part.

When I accepted that this form of pioneering is just as important as physically moving somewhere I found a deeper level of acceptance with myself and my life path. And the thought occurred to me that if my writing is successful, and if my speaking becomes as motivational as I feel it can be, then I will indeed find opportunities to travel all over the globe and I can perform service when in these areas and I can choose to have short or long term pioneer posts at any time of my choice. But first, I have to develop my character, and write about it, and promote it…and then when I pioneer physically my message and my teaching efforts will be much more effective in transforming the hearts of men.

When the most recent Ridván message is read with this in mind, it becomes a very inspiring message to keep doing what we are doing.

How have you pioneered to the land of your inner self?  Post your comments here:

How many of my beliefs are coming from God’s teachings and how many from my own pathways and traditions?  I wanted know, so I’m taking the next three weeks to explore that question, through an online course, called “For my Life” – a biblical program based on the teachings of Henry Wright in a book [...]

How many of my beliefs are coming from God’s teachings and how many from my own pathways and traditions?  I wanted know, so I’m taking the next three weeks to explore that question, through an online course, called “For my Life” – a biblical program based on the teachings of Henry Wright in a book called “A More Excellent Way”.

I haven’t done much sharing from the heart in this blog before – most of the postings have come from the head and not from the heart.  I’ve lived my life that way for so long, that I’m only just becoming conscious of a desire to change that.

Six short years ago, I described my heart as a huge brick wall – impenetrable.  Four years ago, I referred to it as a stone, and was thrilled at the progress I’d made.  Now I want to clean out all the debris from my heart; remove the dust and dross; clear out the veils, so that there’s room for God to reside in the only place He wants to live, which is in my heart.

So, with a heart open to new ideas and new ways of looking at my life and the world, I had to come face to face with my relationship to God.

My purpose as a Bahá’í is to know God and to worship Him, something I say everyday in the Short Obligatory Prayer.  It’s become routine, and I frequently say it by rote, so I sometimes need to stop and remind myself of what it means.  I often need to ask myself how well I’m living up to my purpose.

Frequently I get caught up in the minutia of living my life, trying to control every aspect in order to feel safe, which is a remnant of years of violence and abuse in the home.  I forget that God has chosen me.  God is carrying the weight of the world.  I don’t have to!

I am reminded that God created me because he loves me.  He made me in His image.  He created me noble.  He created me as a “mine rich in gems of inestimable value”.  This is the truth.  Everything else I believe about myself is a lie.

I’m feeling sad as I write this.  My heart is breaking for the me that God created, who has been lost for such a long time.  O God, help me to get her back.  Take my grief and transmute it into certainty and a steadfastness so strong that nothing will ever break it again.

As I Bahá’í, I know I have to love God and love my neighbor, but the abuse I experienced as a child robbed me of my ability to love myself and distanced me from God, because I truly believed I was unlovable.  If I truly loved God and my neighbors the way I “love” myself (with hatred, judgment, condemnation), none of us would benefit and it would pull us all down.

I thought it was my right to hate myself.  When I started this journey of self-discovery, looking at what happened in my childhood, I truly believed it was my right to hate myself because I was a “worthless piece of s***”.  Fortunately God sent me an angel in the form of David Sowerby, who asked me ever so gently:  “Susan, are you arguing with God?”  This helped turn me around.  I’ve come a long way since then, and I have a long way still to go.

God wants me to know the truth so that it can set me free and transform the world.  I always thought I was unloveable.  I believed it to the core of my being.  The abuse taught me that.  The actions of my parents and friends and a cruel world taught me that.  And I believed it.  And it’s a lie.  I don’t want to believe a lie any longer!  I need to change my beliefs to match what the Bahá’í Writings say, not the other way round.

My God is the “All-Loving”; the “Ever-Forgiving”; the “All-Compassionate”, and not the fearful, wrathful, judgmental god of my parent’s teaching.

For most of my life, I’ve lived as though I truly believed I was unloveable, despite uncontroversial evidence to the contrary.   I have lots of well-wishers; lots of people who want to be my friend, and yet, something’s always stopped me from being able to feel or receive their love.  That has to change, as I recognize I’m defending a position that’s indefensible.  The only truth that any of us can believe is what we’re told in the Bahá’í Writings.  Just because I believe something, doesn’t make it true – it just makes me sick.

God wants me to accept myself:

Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Edu­cation can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.  (Bahá’u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u'lláh, p. 260).

If I substitute my name, I read this quote in a way that’s more personal:  Susan, regard yourself as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Edu­cation can, alone, cause you to reveal your treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.

Wow!

And He wants me to recognize that there is something valuable and valued in me.  God created me because He loved me:

I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty.  (Bahá’u'lláh, Hidden Words, Arabic 3).

Susan, I knew My love for you; therefore I created you, have engraved on you Mine image and revealed to you My beauty.

And God wants me to see myself as a noble being:

Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself.  Rise then unto that for which thou wast created.  (Bahá’u'lláh, Hidden Words Arabic 22).

 

Noble have I created thee, Susan, yet you have abased yourself.  Rise then unto that for which you were created.

Wow again!  He’s telling me what He wants me to do.  Anything less will not benefit mankind!  Please God, let that change our interactions!  Please God, let me truly believe, in the “twinkling of an eye”, with ever fiber of my being, that I am loveable.

We could all try this for ourselves.  We all need to read the Bahá’í Writings to find out what God has to say about us and agree with everything He tells us, even though it might go against everything we believe to be true about ourselves.  Anything less is disagreeing with the Almighty; we become dis-eased and vulnerable to disease.

So it’s time for me pay attention to the idle fancies and vain imaginings arising from my lower nature and listen to God.  It’s time to open my inner ears so I can examine my thoughts and beliefs, keep the ones that are in line with the Teachings and discard all the others that are veils between me and God.  I’m up for the challenge.  I’m looking for a new way of being.  Are you?  Post your comments here:

by Susan Gammage “Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting”. I love this quote!  For years following my abuse, I was so resistant to looking inside.  I’d lived through it once when I was a child, and again in therapy.  I knew there was a [...]

by Susan Gammage

“Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting”.

I love this quote!  For years following my abuse, I was so resistant to looking inside.  I’d lived through it once when I was a child, and again in therapy.  I knew there was a lot more stuff to clean out and I wanted no part of it.  But where I wasn’t willing to “turn my sight unto myself” to find more memories, I could “turn my sight unto myself” to find God!  That was a whole lot better than finding more abuse, with all its attendant negative emotions!

When I went there, it’s amazing what was released . . . all the neutral and positive memories!  A flood of them!  They came back all at once, and it helped me to see that as awful as my childhood was, there was something I could build on:  my relationship with God.   And I am grateful!

What happens when you turn your sight to yourself?  Post your comments here.

Click here for more quotes like these.

by Susan Gammage, Baha’i Life Coach Would you like to see some changes in your life? You can begin making these changes by building self-awareness. The Bahá’í Writings have a lot to say about the importance of knowing oneself: True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter igno¬rance of his self.  [...]

by Susan Gammage, Baha'i Life Coach

Would you like to see some changes in your life? You can begin making these changes by building self-awareness.

The Bahá’í Writings have a lot to say about the importance of knowing oneself:

True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter igno¬rance of his self.  (Bahá’u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u'lláh, p. 156).

The first Taráz and the first effulgence which hath dawned from the horizon of the Mother Book is that man should know his own self and recognize that which leadeth unto loftiness or lowliness, glory or abase¬ment, wealth or poverty.  (Bahá’u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u'lláh, pp. 34-35).
What is Self-Awareness?

Self-awareness is a self-conscious state where you’re focused on yourself and your well being.

It’s often said, “We cannot change what we will not see.” Self-awareness is the process of acknowledging not only our strengths, but our weaknesses as well. Becoming self-aware entails listening to your body and feelings and taking action based on what you hear.

Bahá’u'lláh, in the Hidden Words (Arabic 31), tells us to:  “Bring thyself to account each day” – so this is the best time to check in.  If you’re in tune with your body, you’ll know when to say no to that extra piece of cake or say no to staying up late, because those things lead to abasement. You’ll become more in tune with your body the more often you respect it. Self-awareness is a process. The more we do it, the better we become at it.

How do you become self-aware?

These tips will help you in your journey to self-awareness:

1. Reflect on who you are and who you’d like to become. While it’s important to notice your faults and weaknesses, it’s equally important to acknowledge your strengths. Bahá’u'lláh tells us to bring ourselves to account – and bookkeepers who do accounting, always look at both income and expenses; profit and losses – but so many times those from Judeo-Christian backgrounds, just look at the things we didn’t do well.  When we only dwell on the negatives, we are continuing to abase ourselves, and we’re not being truthful.

The better we understand ourselves, the better we’ll be able to accept ourselves as we are or change the things we’d like to be different. Self-awareness requires us to be honest with ourselves and have the courage to change the things we can.

• A full recognition of yourself gives you the opportunity to become the self-fulfilled person you’re destined to be.

Looking deep within your soul, you’ll find the many character traits that make you unique. Begin by acknowledging the positive things. This will strengthen and encourage you to face the less favorable character traits without abandoning your new venture.

On the other hand, when evaluating your strengths, don’t let your ego get the best of you. If you magnify either your strengths or your weaknesses, you can’t possibly get a realistic picture of yourself.

• Until you examine the truth of who you are, you cannot move into the person you can become.

2. Pay attention to your likes and dislikes. Far too often, people make life-changing choices without acknowledging deeply rooted personal preferences.

• Before you embark on goals for your future, have a full awareness of the things you especially enjoy and those you prefer not to have in your life.

3. Face your inner self. During your self-awareness process, think about your motivations, dreams, fears and stressors. Think about why you feel the way you do, then begin to work toward overcoming these inner battles.

4. Ask your loved ones’ opinions. The Bahá’í Writings tell us to consult in all things.  Talk to people who know you best and really listen to what they see as your dominant character traits and motivations. Ask them to be completely honest with you and be prepared to hear their opinions.

For further assistance in this complex matter of self and its attributes you may find it helpful to consult Bahá’ís who have been trained in psychology and psychiatry (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer 14 August 1977)

• You may not be your own best judge of character. Accept the way your loved ones see you as part of this process. Consider their opinions along with your own analysis in order to see the full picture of who you are.

Self-awareness is a necessary part of self-esteem and change. If you want to grow as an individual, begin with a complete and honest picture of who you are now. This total awareness will start your journey to becoming the best you can be.

What have you done to become more self-aware?  Post your comments here: