Do Your Self-Realizations Quickly Fade?

Self-realization or self-discovery is a short, but profound moment of clarity in which you see the world differently than ever before and—here's the crazy part—you see yourself differently too. It's powerful. It's inevitable. And it can happen to anyone at any time and any place. It can even happen in any second of your day.

Everything that defines you is small and fleeting, but one thing doesn't—your perception. Your perception is what keeps everything small and fleeting. It's what divides you from the world around you. It's your vantage point, your perception of the world around you—your personal filters that determine exactly what you see and how you see it. And to some extent, it's your make-up.

Most people are aware that their perceptions are as fluid as the weather, but when it comes to self-realization, most struggle to convince themselves that this realization is worth having. In other words: it can seem like a distraction or even a hindrance at first.

Here's the thing: your self-realization is what defines you as a person, so it must be given the attention it deserves.

To get started, think about one of your life perspectives or ideas that you hold dearly and one that you would love to see changed for the better. It could be anything—a belief about yourself, your life, or the world around you. It doesn't matter which one it is. Just really think about it for a moment. Now think about why you hold this belief so dear and what are the benefits of having this perception of yourself , as opposed to seeing things more clearly in some other way.

Now, think about what you would think of yourself if you had this new perspective. How would you describe yourself differently? What might you look like to others? What do other people think of your current perspective on this topic and how do they feel about that?

If you can't come up with some good answers to these questions, then I'll help you out. 

The first thing is that many people will applaud and admire your new perspective/self-realization. And even those who don't agree or admire it will at least see your self-realization as a sign of maturity . Most importantly, there's nothing wrong or bad about having self-realization.

The second thing is that many people have had the same perception of themselves for so long, it's become engrained in them and ingrained in their psyche. You'll see this especially with some surface beliefs about yourself like "I'm intelligent" or "I'm not good enough." Regardless of how much you might back yourself up with facts or studies and regardless of what other people say about you, if you can't accept your own perception of yourself as flawed or lacking, then you're stuck.  For a while at least.

That's when self-realization comes in handy. When you see yourself differently, suddenly the idea of being "intelligent" or "not good enough" goes out the window because where does it come from? Your perception of yourself or your reality? So if your perception changes, so does reality.

Think about it like this: what you think is true is your truth, but which truth is better? What you think of yourself or what other people have to say about you? Most importantly, what would be best for other people who might not understand that you are still a work in progress and that it's okay to be flawed at times? Sometimes you need to see things from a different perspective to move forward with your life. 

And that's what self-realization does for you. As soon as you see yourself differently, you can begin to take action in the real world. Some things will change for the better and some things will change for the worse. It's okay. You'll survive either way because your perception of yourself is much stronger than your perception of external events or circumstances .

So I ask again: which truth is better? The one that is based on reality or on your perception of reality? One thing's for sure: you'll never be able to correct your self-perceptions if they're not accurate.

-Jay

The themes of self-realization and perception are echoed in this poem by Emily Dickinson:

"Go, Go!"

There is a House whose Rooms are all alike; They look the same to every one; But daily one by One is cleared, And placed in Order in the Rest.  In its Rooms you will discover Gems, Golden and Mossy, That sparkle in a New Way.  Its Shadow is subtle and defiled, Its Windows are stilled with Glass.  And on its Corners there are Fruit Trees Where exotic Melons blow. It has a Bridge that spans no River Textured with Chinese Shadows From the Tsunami of Time.  It has a Cloister where the Visions Are warming their Colored Hands.  And in it there's a Forest of Judas Trees Stilling their Bleached Bone Faces.  But in the Middle of the House It has a Room that we call Peace Where we wait in Order—and that's All.  But when we look Inside at our Life, We see it's just A Box of Dishes.

P.S.  Is this the best way to open a blog post? I don't really know what else to say either.  Maybe I should write more of these to help out.  I guess it doesn't matter though because people are going to read this anyway, right?

-Jay P.S. 2 -this blog is not affiliated with my job at Disney or anything like that, nor do i have any intentions of doing anything like that in the future (not even at Disney World...please don't ask).

P.P.S. -i'm going to start posting more interesting content here soon, but I just thought it might be helpful to get this out there today.

P.P.P.S -awesome photo by Emily Dickinson and whoever took the photo of me (see intro).  Copyright and all other stuff is not mine...just saying since i'm putting it on a blog. Thanks for reading!

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-Jay

The purpose of this newsletter is to inspire people like you who are striving for change and higher awareness in their lives... from the mundane tasks of your daily routine to the experiences and insights of achieving greater life satisfaction .

Conclusion

This blog post explores a very important topic and I want to project that the things you think about yourself, especially those that you can't dispute with evidence or reason, are a good gauge of how much work you have to do in your life. 

I've already blogged before on this topic and if you haven't read it already, please check out the link here . There is nothing wrong with having self-realization. In fact, I can probably go so far as to say the only reason anyone would ever feel negative about this concept is because they are not fully aware of it yet.

So keep your eye on the ball and continue to evolve at your own pace .