Our bamboo plant was looking dry a couple days ago and I was surprised to see it well today. It took me a second to notice it had just shed its dead leaves. Our habits and beliefs too can be like dead leaves. And some of these may have to be consciously shaken-off to reveal your true self.
Undoing
It’s a bit like the bamboo revealing its green leaves. The leaves we there in the first place, they were just hidden amidst the dry ones that were yet-to-fall.
Much of life is about undoing narratives about who we should be and what we should be doing. Narratives thrust upon us since birth that can become our only reality. Narratives on top of narratives that are like many layers of dead leaves that hide who you are. Like a stifling weight that you might carry around for no particular reason.
Introspection
What to shake-off and what to keep is a deeply personal question. However, the asking of the question in and of itself, is a very fertile place to be in. Because it recognises the complexity of the many narratives and hidden beliefs that play a huge role in how we see ourselves and the world. As such, it is the first step in a very fruitful process. A process of introspection that goes to the very core of who you are and how you experience life.
Start with noticing. Notice your actions and your words and the feelings associated with them. For example, how often do you find yourself in a place of inner tension and fear? What is it about certain situations or people that create tension? How do you relate to them? How would you choose differently? What would allow you to choose differently?
Reveal your true self
Often, there are deeper beliefs behind how you behave and feel that are operating behind the scenes. Hidden away outside your conscious awareness, but influencing so much of how you live. It is your job to investigate them and to shed those beliefs that do not serve you. To discard those internalised narratives so that you can reveal your true self.
Like the bamboo, there is probably a lot of green there that is just hidden away!
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Harsha is a 1:1 coach and independent thinker based in London. He empowers people to find more clarity, confidence and focus in their lives — to cut through the noise, in a world so full of it. Harsha’s new book, Machine Ego: Tragedy of the Modern Mind, is now available in paperback and Kindle through Amazon.
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