Wednesday, July 13, 2005

journaling class: lesson 6

Journaling for Self-Discovery

I found this first part of the lesson interesting:
Why is it important to discover who you really are? There are no doubt many reasons for doing so, but I'd like to offer you three reasons that I believe are central to journaling:


Being an authentic person requires self-knowledge. As Pierre Corneille, a French playwright, says in his play, Titus and Berenice, "Self-love is the source of all our other loves." Without awareness of who we are, we will always struggle with how to be who we really are, and we will always struggle with how to love others for who they really are. Hence, to discover who you are is to take steps toward becoming who you were meant to be. How well do you love yourself? How well do you love others? What do you value most in life? How well do you use your values to help you make everyday decisions?


Quantum physics, the scientific study of matter at subatomic levels, proves that thought is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, because at subatomic levels, thought becomes reality. All of existence as we know it is based on this tendency of awareness—of thought itself—to create its own reality. Thus, to marshal the power of your own life and to achieve your dreams requires harnessing the power of your own thoughts and intentions so that you can invite them to work with you rather than against you. What realities do your thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes help you to create daily? Are you your own best friend or your own worst enemy? What fears have you helped to create by focusing on them too intently?


U.S. sociologist Charles Horton Cooley said in his seminal work, Human Nature and Social Order, that "The self . . . might be regarded as a sort of citadel of the mind, fortified without and containing selected treasures within." In our last lesson, I referred to a writing technique that I call inner archaeology, or the process of digging within to discover who you really are. Cooley is suggesting that if you're willing to persist past the fortifications, or defenses of your mind, you may at long last claim something precious deep within you. What selected treasures lay within you, awaiting discovery? Which of your unique treasures were you born to share with the world? What is unique about your treasures? How are yours unlike anyone else's?

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home