Self discovery is a life long process. Understanding one’s own introvertedness or extravertedness is just scratching the surface. It’s not enough to say I’m people-person or a task-person. It does not do any one any favors by distilling who they are to a single category, a one-dimensional sketch of who they are.
One of the thing that I love doing is sitting down with some one, hearing their story, and discovering what makes them unique. Over the course of the last two years I’ve had quite a bit of time to process all of my findings. It’s astonishing how many people have chosen career paths that they are somewhat dissatisfied or don’t align with what they envision themselves doing for the rest of their lives.
When I ask a person who are you? I get a variety of responses. It’s not always as simple as what do you do or what are your favorite things in life but it’s more of a question of “what is your essence?”
“What makes you…you?”
It’s quite a mystery. Exploring this question with people has led to so many “a-ha” moments not only for them, but for me as well. We are not the sum total of our activities. We are much much more.
Think about it. When a child is born, what is it made of? What makes that child distinct and what holds it’s distinctness together? What encapsulates its essence? Is it merely atoms that form flesh and bone? Or is there something hidden deeper? As if there we’re in indelible mark left on each one of us that gives us meaning. Purpose. Essence.
This “essence” as we call it not only makes up our psyche, our intelligence, our emotions, but also our strengths and unique abilities. As someone who often speaks with people about their strengths and what is in their hearts to do, I find that every one wants to be firm and they are. Right now. Not after the accolades or special accomplishments but right now.
The part of the human essence, something we all share in common, is this deep longing for affirmation.
So, be good to one another.
P.S. For those of you who are fellow philosophy/theology nerds, I believe the bifurcation of body/soul, or body/soul/spirit is an artificial line that is more of a Platonic type of dualism. Often this leads people to make some sort of leap to belief that when someone dies their “soul” or “spirit” goes to an ethereal realm that some Christians think of as heaven. That is not what I am alluding to above. Nor am I saying that we are only body and no soul. It’s more of a mystery, an art than a science. The core idea is that we are integrated beings. There is not one part of us that only fits in a physical box and another part that fits in a spiritual box. If you’re interested in learning more about how I arrive at this conclusion, start out by reading N.T. Wright’s “Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.”
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