Awakening to Your Authentic Self
Tools to Help Navigate the Path of Self-Discovery
Why do I feel so much inner turmoil?
It’s hard to open the news without feeling stressed. Everywhere – finances, politics, conflict, weather – there’s strain.
Maybe you feel like something big is on the horizon. You are wondering how long our institutions can keep up this seemingly self-destructive path. You are worried about your kids’ future and can’t see a positive outcome amid everything that’s going on.
And when you look internally, you feel lost, stuck, and unsure of yourself. You have a strong sense that you were meant for more, or perhaps, you feel like you are meant for something different. What once provided meaning and fulfillment now feels hollow.
You want to find a path forward, but there is so much clutter, you don’t know where to start.
You want to make a difference, but you feel powerless in a chaotic world.
You want to feel whole again, but it feels like there is something missing that’s begging to be found.
When you add it all up, it’s easy to feel alone, easy to feel like there’s something wrong with you, and easy to quietly give up on trying to change.
I know I’ve been there. When I lost my wife to cancer, I felt out of control, lost my sense of purpose, and felt like I could never become whole again.
But I managed to find my way out of that hole, and the tools I developed along the way are what I want to share now, with anyone who might be feeling the same – lost, stuck, or drifting without a paddle.
Self-discovery: awakening to who you really are:
When we feel lost and powerless to make a change in the world, it’s a tough spot to be in. It’s not because we lack agency, but because we have forgotten how powerful we truly are.
Here’s the thing: You haven’t lost your drive, but you’ve lost your direction.
Amidst the turmoil lies an opportunity: to break free from conditioning, labels, and “shoulds,” and to shape ourselves into who we came here to be. The tension you feel serves as a catalyst that invites you toward deeper reflection and greater awareness.
The goal of self-discovery is to remember what already makes you extraordinary and leverage that in service to your purpose.
That is the path of awakening: becoming our authentic selves.
The Awakening Journey:
Awakening refers to expanding awareness of yourself and the universe around you.
Awakening is the process of remembering who we really are, where we came from, and why we came here.
It’s a journey of self-discovery that translates into purpose and service, allowing us to live authentically and in alignment with our true reason for being.
Like any journey, we face obstacles in our path – in the form of questions surfacing as old frameworks dissolve:
Why do I no longer feel fulfilled?
What is my purpose in life?
How can I find meaning?
In order for us to awaken to deeper awareness, we must be willing to:
Remove the clutter and conditioning so that we have clarity.
Adopt a mindset of curiosity to learn new things.
Trust in our intuition to guide us to where we need to be.
As we embark on this path, we realize that the universe is far larger than we could ever have imagined. You begin to realize that YOU are much more complex and capable than you could ever have imagined.
Once we begin to awaken, we need practical tools to help us navigate what we’re discovering.
Tools to equip you on your journey:
This process may feel complicated and overwhelming, but I would encourage you to view it as liberating instead.
You are not bound by other people. You are free to explore, discover new things, and express your authentic self as you navigate your path.
You become the master of your own ship instead of a passenger on another’s vessel.
Think of the journey like a backcountry hiking trip. To navigate off the beaten path, you will want some supplies:
Map
Compass
Backpack
Mindset
Map:
Most of us start with someone else’s map: family expectations, cultural scripts, or social media ideals. But those paths aren’t yours. Your task is to chart your own trail.
But how do we do that?
Through exploration and curiosity. By courageously taking new paths, discovering new sights, and logging your progress. Each choice and discovery becomes part of your map.
Compass:
You don’t need to know the whole journey, just the next bound. And that’s what the compass is for.
Your compass is your internal navigation system, helping you stay aligned, move in the right direction, and overcome obstacles in your way. You can view your compass as your intuition – the connection between your conscious mind and the unconscious processes that go deeper than you might expect.
When you are at a crossroads, look within for guidance. If a decision feels heavy, off, or distressing, it's likely that it’s unaligned. If the potential decision feels light, exciting, or encouraging, then it is likely the right path for you.
The right path isn’t the easy one; it’s the one that flows.
The more you use your internal compass for navigation, the faster you will grow.
Backpack:
Your backpack holds your supplies for the journey. But for many, their backpacks are filled with too much junk, weighing them down and obscuring their connection with themselves. Our goal is to remove the things that weigh us down, including conditioning, trauma, limiting beliefs, unhealthy relationships, challenging life situations, or anything else that restricts our awakening.
Often, we are catalyzed into our awakenings when our backpacks become so heavy that we are forced to look inward to see what is going on. Sometimes this is called shadow work or the dark night of the soul.
The process of lightening your backpack is often referred to as ‘raising your frequency,’ which is a way of saying you feel lighter, clearer, and more aligned. When we lighten the load, we can navigate more easily.
Remember, you can’t step into the future version of you with one foot stuck in the past.
So, ask yourself, “What am I carrying that I can get rid of?” And trust the answer you receive.
Mindset of Awakening:
Your mindset is your most valuable tool. It sets the foundation for how you experience reality, how you view yourself, and how you interpret the world.
So, what exactly is mindset, and how can we improve it?
Simply put, your mindset is a combination of your beliefs and thoughts that form a narrative or attitude that guides your behaviour.
Mindset = (Beliefs + Thoughts) -> Behaviour
Your mindset creates your reality.
If you want new behaviors, you need to start with your mindset.
The most common challenge in awakening is our beliefs. Our beliefs – or perspectives – shape how we view the world, ourselves, and our purpose.
As our awareness expands, old beliefs often clash with new understanding, leading to ontological and existential questions, such as:
What is the purpose of my life?
Is it possible I’m more than my physical body?
What if there’s more to the universe than what I can perceive?
When I stagnated in my healing after losing my wife, I wasn’t lacking psychological or physical support; I was lacking the existential and consciousness side of it. And it was the exploration of these types of questions that unlocked true healing and self-discovery.
So, what can we do about this? How can we adopt a growth mindset that allows for seamless expansion that doesn’t destabilize, but rather, empowers?
We need a new perspective on beliefs.
Beliefs as stepping stones:
Imagine that you are crossing a raging river in the fog. You can only see a few feet in front of you, and a stone is exposed above the water. You know you must keep moving forward, but you can’t see what lies beyond that next step. So, you take the leap to the stone, and in doing so, the next stone is revealed. You repeat the process until you reach the other side, and when the fog lifts, you are amazed by your new vantage point.
Our beliefs can be seen as these stepping stones. Instead of viewing them as ‘absolute truths’, view them as ‘a truth that helps you reach the next truth.’ Remain unattached from the beliefs themselves and be open to expanding your perspective.
In a world where polarization is deepening and people are becoming entrenched in their fixed beliefs, be the outlier.
Delight in discovery. Breaking or updating beliefs should be celebrated, not feared, because it means you’ve reached a new level in awareness. It means you’ve come one step closer to finding out who you really are, where you came from, and why you are here.
Stagnation is the enemy of awakening:
Anytime we believe we know the full truth, we have succumbed to our ego, fallen for the traps, and stopped growing.
Every time you climb a little higher on the mountain, your vantage point changes. You open yourself up to new perspectives, new beliefs, and new understandings. You get to see more of the world around you and more of the reality of our existence.
And as you progress, you begin to experience renewed joy, wonder, and excitement as you discover the deeper truths of the world, the universe, and, most importantly, yourself.
That is what the journey is all about: pursuing growth and delighting in discovery.
If you keep an open mind and keep moving forward, you will experience the most beautiful moments the universe has to offer, and as a side effect, start living true to your purpose.
Remember these key points:
You hold the key to your awakening, and each door opened is not the destination, but rather, the place for you to discover where the next door lies.
This path isn’t about finding the one truth but about becoming the kind of person who keeps seeking.
If you’d like, take a few minutes to assess your current readiness:
What are you holding on to that could be released?
What decision are you delaying because the intuitive choice feels hard to implement?
What is the next step for you to take or question to ask as you explore deeper?
Aligning to your purpose is not a single massive leap; it’s thousands of little steps. Continue looking inward, listening to your inner compass, and make the decisions that bring you closer to the answers that matter.
