Every home has a story, and they are as vast and varied as the world is wide. But they all start with inspiration, and inspiration starts with our surroundings. That’s what home is. Family. Friends. A sense of place. An amazing view. It is all part of what makes a space a home because your home is where you truly live. As homeowners ourselves we understand that your best life begins with a home that inspires you.
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“To know yourself, you must sacrifice the illusion that you already do.” — Vironika Tugaleva
Have you ever thought about who you are? What you stand for?
I’m not talking about your life roles or your social identity. You can be a friend, brother/sister, employee, boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife, father/mother, and son/daughter all at the same time, but these are just an aspect of you. They don’t represent who you fundamentally are on the inside. Your inner self is who you really are on the inside.
To know your inner self is to know your purpose, values, vision, goals, motivations, and beliefs. Not what you have been told by others, but what you have discovered for yourself. Knowing your inner self requires a high level of introspection and self-awareness. If you have clarity of at least half of what is listed above, you probably have quite a high level of self-awareness. At the same time, the process of self-discovery never ends — it’s a life-long journey.
You Are More Than Your Identities
Trying to uncover your inner self can be a tricky process. For one, you hold multiple identities in your life, each with its own set of socially defined values and expectations. They may not fully conform to who you are on the inside.
For example, let’s say you are an employee of a car company. As an employee, your mission should be congruent with whatever your company’s mission is, say to improve people’s lives through better transportation. Your goals should also be in line with the company’s, say to increase the company’s sales by 20% in one year and expand its regional presence.
However, as a person you have other goals and dreams which differ from your company’s. Perhaps you love volleyball. Your ideal vision is to be an internationally acclaimed volleyball player and to become a highly sought-after volleyball coach, training national teams. That’s very different from what’s expected of you as an employee of a car company. This applies to your other identities too. For every identity, you are expected to have a set of purpose/values/vision/beliefs which may not be exactly the same as your inner self’s purpose/values/vision/beliefs.
Because everyone is unique, your inner self can’t be boxed in by any one identity or label. I’m a coach to my coachees, a daughter to my parents, a sister to my brother, a friend to my friends, a blogger to my readers, and a trainer to my workshop attendees, but I’m more than just that. These are just roles and titles. None of the roles by themselves accurately pinpoint who I am. The inner me is someone who cannot be defined by any one label.
A good analogy to use would be the sunflower. Your inner self is like the head of the sunflower (the center part where petals are attached to). Your identities are like the petals around your inner self. While the petals are extensions of the head, they are not the head. Similarly, your identities are extensions of yourself, but they do not represent who you are wholly.
Importance of Finding Your Inner Self
More: https://personalexcellence.co/blog/inner-self/