We Have but One Purpose in Life: To Be Who We Truly Are.

Isn’t it funny how we relentlessly seem to seek outside of us, something that actually always is present within us? As a young woman in my early twenties, I used to look for the source to my own happiness, everywhere but inside of me. I thought that if only I could find someone to love me, I would be able to fill the void within and maybe even love myself a little.

At that time, I didn’t know my own true nature and I didn’t understand what self-love really meant. I thought self-love was the same as being selfish. I mean, how does one love oneself? Is it the same as being devoted to oneself regardless of other peoples needs, caring only for one’s own benefits and interests? If that was self-love, I thought, then count me out.

It took me years to figure out that fearlessly being who I am and unconditionally loving what I am, had nothing to do with selfishness, vanity or egoism and everything to do with worthiness, compassion and understanding.

Here’s what I have learned; self-love is a state of mind where you appreciate, respect and honor yourself. It is a state of mind where you do not break promises to yourself, where you are as kind to yourself as you are to others and where you forgive yourself as easy as you forgive others. Self-love is about being your own best friend, because make no mistake, the most important relationship you will ever have in your life is with yourself.

In the western world, we seem to think that going to the spa, having our nails done, sitting in a meditation, lighting scented candles, doing yoga or eating organic food is the same as unconditionally loving ourselves. To be fair, self-care is a part of unconditional self-love, it just isn’t a very big part. Real self-love is an internal thing that miraculously happens with or without spa, yoga or scented candles, if we allow ourselves to tune in to its ever present soothing frequency.

Seen from a higher perspective, self-love is a question of giving yourself time to pause and become aware of the real YOU – the witnessing stillness – in any given now-moment. It is about the willingness to be present and connected to the indestructible, infinite source of your being, the part that cannot be harmed by anything, and allow it to lovingly guide you.

We all have a silent inner observer sensing and exploring the outer world. This divine part within each and everyone of us – the witnessing stillness – never changes. It always stays the same. It is who we are at the core of our being. The physical outer world, on the other hand, is always changing, constantly demanding our full attention and focus. It is an “illusion” perpetually moving, creating and recreating itself, pushing and pulling, never resting…

Whenever ego “pushes” us out of our stillness into the “movement” of fear, drama, judgment, shame, envy, anger or any other negative feeling, we have a choice to make. We can either “fall” into the illusion and suffer the consequences or gently “pull” ourselves back in alignment with our inner stillness by saying: “No… That is not who I am.” And then silently affirm to ourselves:

I am the light in the darkness.

I am the love in the hate.

I am the calmness in the storm.

I am the courage in the fear.

That is who I AM.

Did you feel the shift in your energy when you read these lines? It’s almost like taking a big, deep breath, right? That’s because, by including yourself in the equation of love and kindness, you are tapping into the core of your being – the truth of who you are and your purpose here.

As a little child, I used to dream about having a superpower of light. Every time someone felt lonely or sad, I would silently sit by their side, and with my Super-Light, I would illuminate their mind giving them a glimpse of who they truly are. That, I thought, would help them see their own powerful true nature and bring in more light in their imagination and reality.

Do you remember who YOU were before society taught you to hide your true self? Do you remember the feeling of following your joyous, playful spirit?

If we all could get just a glimpse of our true nature, we would treat ourselves more kindly and with outmost respect.

Your inner being is divine and so is mine…and so is everyone else’s. When you know who YOU truly are, you know who I truly AM. We are ONE.

I see you and I respect who YOU truly are. Pass it on.