A new week begins. The snow is all gone. The temperature is already in the 50's heading for the high 60's. And the trees look fuzzy...reminds me of a teddy bear...with the buds appearing but no yet opening.
So this week begins a new focus...and the focus is on you. Do you know who you are? I know, that sounds a bit trite, but how many of us really know who we are. Many of us never take the time to go below the surface of who we are, or who we think we are.
Have you taken that time to really think about yourself and who you are, who you present as you to others and who you think of as you...lots of 'you' in that question!?
What I would like you to do this week is spend some time actually thinking about 'you'. Not with any criticism or sorrow, but with compassion and understanding. Being the best that you can be requires knowing who you are.
Sometimes it requires looking at the ourselves, our past, and deciding to discard those experiences that no longer serve our better self. Many times in looking deeply into who we are enables us to understand our actions...good or not so good. And it gives us a way to change based on a new understanding of who we are.
One way to dig deeper is journaling. Many of you may hesitate to begin a long journey with journaling so I suggest that you create a small journal like this one...
It's only 3 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches and has six sheets of paper (6 1/2 inches by 4 inches) folded in half and stapled to the cover. Decorate each page with stickers or decorative tape or even by hand...
Then, set aside some time each day...not too long, but long enough to really begin thinking about yourself, maybe 20 minutes...to get to know yourself. After that period, write down briefly something that you discovered about yourself.
Throughout the week, we will focus on different areas for your consideration but don't hesitate to follow wherever your thoughts lead. And do so with interest, with love and without judgement. After all, everyone of us has worth and is worthy of our compassion and forgiveness.
And remember, any journey begins with the first step and in this case, the first step is to take time to discover who we really are.
Talk with you tomorrow...