Dropping the Game
We're often so invested in who we take ourselves to be that we forget to just be ourselves. This trap is the cause of our constant need to be in control, manipulating how we show up and how we wish others to perceive us. It's an exhausting game.
This blog aims to show a sliver of new possibility. A reality where you get to experience yourself as more than a box of concepts and self-built structures, but rather as a dynamic, fluid, and often spontaneous expression of the present moment
Research suggests that we spend up to 40% of our time managing our image—time that could be invested in learning, innovation, and meaningful growth." – Michael Bunting
The Power of Self-Awareness
That sliver I promised you lies in self-awareness. Now, here's the great irony, which is something I have always loved about the self-development path. Self-awareness can only happen in the present moment. We cannot truly observe ourselves, our tendencies, habits, or defences from a distracted mind. Authenticity works on the same basis. The moment we become present to ourselves is the moment our authenticity kicks in.
This shows us something beautifully unexpected. That the very moment we practice self-awareness is the very moment we rest in our whole and essential selves. Thus our work is done, and we are set free by the very intention of being curious and open to who we are being right here and now. The trick is to keep our minds present.
"Karma is the complete absence of conscious presence. It is automatic. It plays itself out." – Eckhart Tolle
And so, the work is not to be more authentic or true to ourselves. That already exists in the here and now. The work is to expand our capacity to live in this infinite space of now. To practice being in reality without caving in to the many seductive callings to distract ourselves away.
To use self-awareness as a tool to both celebrate who we are and also to be compassionate to who we think we are. When we are able to embody this open and curious relationship to the many facets of our being, compassion naturally flows in, and self-love then becomes a symptom, not some forced idea.
Self-Mastery is a "Staying Energy"
I know. You've probably had enough of hearing this "be more present" line. I get it. The present moment can feel evasive, mundane, subtle, and even painful. Staying with it takes an enormous amount of energy at first, and who has energy in reserve when we're trying to just make it through our everyday challenges in a world that seems to be falling apart?
Allow me to share another sliver. This one has the potential to expand your capacity to be present, using less energy than any other method I've come across so far. It gives you permission to do nothing! Yup. Nothing.
I alluded to it previously. The sneaky, irrisistable force called distraction. Some call these bypasses. It's anything that lures you away from the present moment and therefore tempts you away from your authentic self and your creativity.
Distractions are so powerful in fact that they make you believe that you'll be safer, more worthy, and more in control if you choose to take the ride. They convince you that they will help you to live life more fully. Not sure if you've noticed this, but I've seen how quickly my distractions dump me back in the same place I was before, with no sign of a sustained state of safety, control, or worth!
So the invitation here is to notice the many distractions you have and to practice staying with the inner craving and restlessness without engaging in it. Focusing on your breath is your best way through. The commitment to remaining disengaged from the magnetic and charming pull of distraction becomes a tribute to your authentic life and a path to achieving your goals.
The outcome? Pure presence! Thus, being in the present moment becomes an organic resting point or outcome of staying with the craving without succombing. This is a permission slip to do nothing for a short blip while the beckoning weakens and moves through you. Consent to resilience and transformation! Let it be an ode to your creative life.
In walks the Enneagram
The Enneagram is not something new to most of us. It has been used for decades as a tool to type personality and aid team harmony. However, using it only in this form is limiting. It is more than a typology. It is a sacred map of our journey home to authenticity. Rooted in ancient wisdom and mystical traditions, it reveals the divine architecture of human nature, inviting us to awaken to our essence beyond ego (or distraction).
By illuminating these distractions that steal our focus and energy and distort our perceptions, it offers us a clear view of where we abandon ourselves and how to rest back in the true origin of who we actually are. The Enneagram becomes a mirror and a compass, guiding us toward profound self-awareness with practical tools to induce self-mastery (presence).
Each of its nine points holds a lens through which we defend ourselves in the world, each carrying with it a unique and empowering invitation on how to live in presence. When used for it's original purpose, the Enneagram can thus be a map that discerns the great divide between who we take ourselves to be and our true nature.
"Defense is the first act of war." – Byron Katie
All That is Left is to Celebrate
I wish you a battle that is already won and a journey that is already complete as you learn to land for longer periods of time in pure presence. Your authentic state of being. Such that your focus becomes less about seeking, striving, and hoping and more about celebrating, expressing, and co-creating with life force.
In this way, your life becomes an unfolding, offering you millions of opportunities to see your true nature and respond in fresh ways. A spontaneous responsiveness aligned to right action and your true north. A radical trust in who you already are and the great value you already share with the world.
Stay with any itch that tries to drive you away from this truth and the simplicity of life. Just be here and now, and you will rest in the infinite potential of who you already are—a master.
