Who am I: The search for the authentic self

The goal I have with this blog is to help you become conscious of who you are and to awaken your authentic self. Most of my articles are an invitation to investigate this so you can start the journey toward a more conscious life. This article is no different and is about the question “Who am I?”.

Who am I? If you would ask me who I am I can give you multiple answers. I can tell you that I’m a father and husband, a facilitator and coach, a blogger, someone who likes to travel and hike in the mountains or tell you I am a nice guy who enjoys drinking a good glass of wine. I can also tell you I like to dress casual and sometimes more formal. I guess all of the above is true, but is it what really defines me? Is this my true identity, is this the real me?

Many people mix up the roles they play in life with their true identity; the one who they are behind all the false beliefs, facades and survival strategies they developed when they were a child. They have identified themselves with them and may have long forgotten who they truly are. Our society plays a role in this as well and if may be difficult to resist all the false messages that are coming to us through the media, social structures, work and other sources.

I think asking yourself “Who am I” is the most important question there is. This question alone can be the start of a self discovery journey to find your true self, your authentic self. If you like, ponder this for a while:

• Am I my job?
• Am I the status that I have?
• Am I my bank account?
• Am I the car I drive?
• Am I the clothes I wear?
• Am I what others tell me that I am?
• Am I my religion?
• Am I my anger or frustration?
• Am I my fear?
• Am I my joy?
• Am I what I’m thinking?
• Who am I?

I think human beings have much deeper layers than what appears on the surface. On the surface we only play a role. Someone who is angry all the time may be hiding his insecurity on a deeper level. Someone who is funny may be hiding his sadness. We’re like an onion which can be peeled to unravel the core of our being. Every layer brings us to a deeper level and closer to our self. The trick is to unravel ourselves so much that our true identify, our authentic self, can shine thru.

Once this happens we have finally found who we are. We have found our true self, which has been hiding in the basement of our being since early childhood. Now is the time to let it out. Now is the time to awaken our authentic self. We can finally live a free life, free from all the roles, free from all the restrictions we have set for ourselves.

To conclude this article: There is another reason why finding out who you are is so important. There is a lot of anger and hate in this world. People think they are different because of their race, faith or the language they speak. If you start this journey of self discovery and dare to go deep enough you may discover we are not so different after all. At the core of our being we are all the same.