Search of Self
One way to find your true path, your dream, is to search your heart by doing a self-appraisal. Buried in this exercise is one way to find your dream.
A self-appraisal is like a performance evaluation. You do it to ferret out your thoughts, beliefs, actions, and behaviors. The point is not to beat yourself up, but to discover your core self.
When you uncover and follow what lies in your heart, you are well on your way to peace because you will be following your dream.
I believe this is because your heart and soul are connected, and when you are doing what your heart urges you to do, you are doing what your soul’s purpose is.
When you do your soul’s purpose, you are in synch with your true purpose in life, and that brings you peace. All this from looking within.
When searching yourself, look first at your positive points, actions, words, and thoughts. Look at ways in which your behavior helped another, or made them feel better about themselves. Then look at how they helped raise you up so that you learned some positive points about yourself.
Then think of things you said to another to build them up. After that, think of your self-talk and determine what you are saying to yourself. Are you positive and encouraging? If not, this is your goal.
Your goal is to identify your positive points and then acknowledge your goodness.
Now it is time to look at your negative thoughts, words, and deeds. In what ways have you torn down another, said disparaging words to them, talked badly of them behind their back, denigrated their spirit?
How do you talk to yourself? What do you believe about yourself and do you denigrate YOUR spirit?
When you shine the light of awareness on your shortcomings, you can begin to heal and change your negative behavior toward others and yourself.
While you are doing this exercise, keep in touch with a friend, spouse, or family member so they can offer you support and clarify your behavior by offering their unbiased perspective. Ask them to provide that for you.
You will find that you uncover some delightful and beautiful things about yourself. You will also discover some embarrassing or damaging things you thought, said, or did. Take ownership of them all. Apologize as indicated if it will not be hurtful to another.
This may be a difficult exercise to complete, as it may bring up some uncomfortable emotions. Stick with it and try to be present through it without self-medicating for a set period every day.
What you find will eventually lead you to peace in your soul and that is one of the things you are searching for, right? Look honestly but fairly at your heart. What do you see? What are you doing to follow your heart’s longings, your dreams?
