Get to Know Yourself

"I intend to allow myself the time and space to be still." | Support Cathy's Intent

Unless explicitly intending to do so, we humans rarely ever sit absolutely still. We are constantly fidgeting, wandering, moving and tossing about, even in our sleep. In this way, our mind and our thoughts parallel our body: One minute we are thinking about what we are going to make for dinner, the next we are remembering the person who bumped into us without apologizing at the grocery store. But it is stillness of the mind and body that allow us to step away from our distracted selves and get to know our true selves a little bit better.

Lao Tsu, the founder of Taoism, speaks about the importance of self-reflection in his book Tao Te Ching, written around 600 BC.

Knowing others is wisdom
Knowing the self is enlightenment
Mastering others requires force
Mastering the self requires strength
He who knows he has enough is rich
Perseverance is a sign of will power
He who stays where he is endures
To die but not to perish to be be eternally present

But it is important to remember that self-reflection is not an end in itself. Knowing yourself should become a motivation to change. It should be coupled with action that improves your life and the lives of those around you. Spend time learning about who you are. With that knowledge, allow yourself to become your best asset and an asset to others too.

Share your intent at Intent.com.

For more by Intent, click here.

 

Follow Intent on Twitter: www.twitter.com/intentdotcom

Comments

[Soul Dancer]

10:42 PM on 08/18/2012

Based on decades of being blessed as a soul others have turned to - for support - to learn how to enjoy a more quiet mind - I always invite them to first start with sharing such intention with the ones they love. Why? The profound effects of really getting to know oneself is often unnerving for folks who 'think they know you.'

In gratitude I bow to every person who takes even a moment in silence!

[soma77]

07:42 PM on 08/18/2012

Thank you, I also believe we all have different interpretations of the one Truth according to our needs and the things we are pursuing in our lifetime so I feel it is important to listen and be mindful of the silence within to chart our own course to fit what we are ready for. In essence, we need to cultivate, deepen and expand our listening skills so the Soul can inspire us with compassion and generosity to the highest truth in our life. http://thinkunity.com

[realitytrumpsbull]

10:52 AM on 08/17/2012

Meditation's a good tool, but there's also the question of how you got so scatterbrained to begin with and what your common influences are that cause you to be that way, and the modern life with all the computers and cellphones and deadlines and appointments and money worries and so forth can run just about anyone ragged, unless they STOP, sit down, take notes, take stock, get themselves kind of organized and centered, figure out where they're at, and what's up, and get a handle on things. That's right, get a handle on stuff, before it gets a handle, on YOU. How much of your daily routine is a product of external pressures and influences, and how much of it comes from your own volition, your own decisionmaking, your choices? And, there are many influences and people out there that just want you to passively react, not analyze, just go along, be an American Consumer(R), do as you're bid, pay what's demanded of you, and comply, comply, comply, kind of like a trained poodle etc. Free will? You're free to pay your bills next month or else face having points docked off your credit score. Arf!