More Than What You Do: Connecting with Your True Self

If I am what I do, who am I when I don’t?  It's worth pondering whether our job, our marriage, our grades, or our performance in sports truly define who we are. When we tie our identity to our achievements or roles, we open ourselves up to dissatisfaction and suffering. Society often conditions us to equate our actions and accomplishments with our worth, but this is a misconception.

I’ve worked with many people who, despite achieving significant success in their careers, education, or sports, still find themselves unhappy in certain aspects of their lives. Your true essence is not tied to what you do or how you perform. Instead, it's the core of who you were at birth—a perfect, unblemished version of yourself. This true essence remains within you, even if it's buried under the expectations and pressures you've accumulated over time.

Your essence is the part of you that was born without judgment, that approached life with curiosity, and that embraced every challenge with resilience—like when you fell countless times as a child while learning to walk, but never gave up. It's the part of you that was fully present in every moment of play and exploration.

To connect with this essence, try this daily practice: Take time to appreciate the positive aspects of who you are, aspects not related to achieving anything. We get what we focus on in life so it’s up to you to change your focus to appreciate ALL of your positive qualities. Realize that who you truly are IS NOT what you achieve in life. 

See you next Sunday! Peace