Be Who You Came Here to Be - Day 84 of 365 Days to a Better You
Why are you here?
Yesterday I said something pithy about spelunking around in the cave of unknowing. This week we're going to spend some time doing just that. As we do, I'd ask you to apply yesterday's concept - question everything at least once.Today we begin with, perhaps, the biggest question of all. Why am I here? Human beings have sought to answer this question a million different ways in 10,000 years of recorded history and likely long before that. It's a question you've probably stumbled across a few times, if you've spent a moment in reflection.Warning! I'm about to stroke with a BROAD brush here. Looking at our world today, all of that pondering and the angst and conflict that has come with have arrived at two broad systems of thought. We hear them referred to as Western and Eastern thought.Broad strokes continuing.Western thought - spiritually, scientifically, and politically - tends to be more individualistic and rational. It views the world and time as a straight line from here to there. The plight of the individual is at the center of the story. I am Ray Davis. My unique first name comes before my family name. The whole (or God) and Ray are totally separate in this way of thinking. Politically, the order of things is what individuals come together and decide it is.Eastern thought tends to be more about the whole of existence and how the individual fits into that whole. Time is cyclical and repeats according to perceptible pattern. The whole is always present within the individual. The separation is not because they are separate entities, but because of the delusion of separateness manifest in this world. Wisdom, rather than rationality, is the means for attaining truth. In most eastern cultures, family name comes before personal name. The whole always comes before the individual.Now, certainly there are some exceptions to these generalities and our modern world is blending and bending these distinctions more and more each day. However, this dichotomy is a great first question to ask in understanding why you are here.You are the only one with the answer to this question for you. However, here are some important questions to ask yourself to help you drill down and get some specificity about why you believe you are here. There are no right answers except the honest answers for you.Note: You may see these things as a scale and not absolute. You'd be right, but by choosing it forces you to define who you really choose to be.
- Which do you consider more often? Your own advancement, success, and goals or the benefit of the whole?
- If you had to choose, is wealth or love more important to you?
- Do you prefer math and numbers or art and literature?
- Do you prioritize your spiritual path or your daily life?
- Do you want to change the world or change yourself?
- What are three things you're most passionate about?
- What are three things you're really good at?
- If money were not an object, what would you be doing right now?
Power hack: Take the answer to these eight questions and list them on a piece of paper. Study them and really think about why they are your answers. What do these answers tell you about who you are and why you're here? Hopefully, you have more clarity than you did about it.Now that you have that clarity, is your current life aligned with your answers? What immediate steps can you take to get you there?There are no limits on who you can choose to be, but there is imminent wisdom and power in recognizing who you want to be and beginning down that path without distraction.I'll close today with 10 of my favorite Being You Quotes.Have an awesome day, my friends!Ray