Being myself is a topic that keeps appearing at this moment in my life, ways to understand myself, ways to look for values that identify who I am, and ways to figure out who I really am. Undoubtedly, this is a complex topic that for some reason many people ignore greatly, some others seem to be amazing at finding and knowing themselves.
Befriending yourself seems like a good strategy, how many invest enough time getting to know what we really like, not only as a passion seeker but more as a philosopher, sitting down trying to understand a simple question about themselves? Looking with love and compassion to listen to anything this other person has to say where judging is unnecessary. I am so surprised when I ask around and I find not many people do it outside their psychologist’s appointment, they don’t invest time to talk with that great human within and we do not really know the answer to some interesting questions. For some people it might sound like a crazy thing to do, yet we do it a lot for other friends and for our nephews or sometimes clients. Yes, listening is something that I am working on, but I am also working on talking for real, not about the weather or the economy.
Being vulnerable, is the word that comes to my mind when I think about talking, the idea that we do not know how to open ourselves to someone else. I like to approach this in the same way I approach dancing, one step at a time, starting from simple structures, in an entertaining way. With a steady slope that entertains us and keeps us coming back for more, easy enough that we want to do it. Some people use meditation, some people talk to friends, I like to sit down and write. In the beginning, 5 minutes was more than enough, 5 minutes to remember 3 things that I am grateful for that day or 1 thing I found amusing that I enjoy. Enough time for us to talk with ourselves and enjoy some memories.
Another practice that I used to do was to use Ho’oponopono, that word always confuses me. I forget how many ponos it has. In this practice you have 4 sentences, I love, I am sorry, thank you and I forgive you. People just use them as mantras, but one way I used to use them was by writing. I, Pedro love you because… I will just let my pencil flow with whatever comes to my mind. I did this a lot, I have dozens of note books full of this. I still fall back into this practice when I take a piece of paper and a pen, I am still looking for a very full feeling practice to appreciate a bit better what I am going through in life. Eventually, I could sit down and just write longer pieces like this little personal post.
So tell me please, what are some questions that you found important when getting to know someone? I really want to know some of them, please feel free to send me a message on my Instagram or in the comments of this post.
Not long ago I found a video essay from the channel Better Ideas. With Joey Schweitzer, talking about this topic, it was a great timing because I’ve been wanting to tell you about this for a while and he did it in such a beautiful cinematic way. So it gave me the little push that I needed to bring this topic to you. He mentioned a few interesting questions that I am looking forward to sitting down and answering. I give you two of them: How can I live my life in a way I can be proud of? And what kind of habits my ideal self has? Yes, I do believe these questions are great. I am looking forward to sitting down and writing them out. I think they require a little bit of courage and a language that we can work towards with practice. Maybe using some of the practices above. Yet, I think that answering these questions will help us to navigate, interpret and enjoy everything life has to offer a lot better. I feel a little bit guilty for not knowing some of the answers to many personal questions that I would love to know but I do not invest the time to find out.
I feel a little bit guilty for not knowing some of the answers to many personal questions that I would love to know but I do not invest the time to find out.
I think I am going through the right path in this regard. I am looking for more and more time to enjoy my life, to enjoy what I want, to enjoy what I am. Today, I am here with you to learn about some amazing tools I could use and I am also sharing some of the tools that brought me here, brought me to the place where even though English is my second language I can sit down for around an hour and produce a blog post for you and me. I like to talk to myself when it is fun and deep. Maybe you could start with the little things that you like about the sunset, everyone likes the sunset, but what do you like about it? The colours, the memories, the people that were with you? Did you know that there is one sunset every day? If you like it so much, why not go to see it? Tell me what do you like about yourself? Now tell yourself.
Gracias for reading,
Pedro
Synopsis:
In this introspective blog post, Pedro emphasizes the importance of self-discovery and understanding one’s true self, likening it to befriending oneself with compassion and without judgment. He shares how many people neglect deep self-reflection but find value in practices like writing and using the Ho’oponopono mantra to explore their inner thoughts. Through these practices, Pedro has gained a deeper appreciation for life and his values. He highlights thought-provoking questions from a video essay by Joey Schweitzer—”How can I live my life in a way I can be proud of?” and “What kind of habits does my ideal self have?”—as prompts for meaningful self-exploration. Pedro encourages readers to invest time in knowing themselves, suggesting it leads to a more fulfilling life, and invites them to reflect on what they love about themselves, hoping to inspire others on their own self-discovery journeys.