MIND Newsletter: "Who are you?"
Happy Saturday everyone!
1. M (Challenge your mindset)
Lately, I have to fill in quite some forms. And you perhaps are no stranger to how a form is being designed in this modern world. “What is your name? Your gender? Your occupation? Do you identify with any of these groups?”
While struggling to decide which box best described me, I wondered “who am I really?” if I didn’t have to use these boxes to define myself. I also wondered how marginalized people feel when the label that speaks to them hasn’t been invented yet. What is the feeling of checking the box “Other”?
Talking about career means talking a lot about possibilities, opportunities, challenges, barriers… These words might seem straightforward, yet their interpretations depend heavily on a person’s sense of identity, no matter which side of the table.
So the question here is, are you (or am I) seeing things as they are, or are we seeing things as we are?
2. I (I’m my own coach)
Can what we usually refer to when we say “I” tell us who we are? Quite the opposite, it can distract us from getting closer to the answer.
Each “I” is in fact a combination of so many “I”, or inner voices. We switch back and forth between them in our daily life to interpret the situation, try to make sense of the world, solve a conflict, or very often create a conflict. Many times confusion, suffering, sadness, and disappointment occur because we are so attached to the “I” we were told to carry, either by ourselves or by others.
With a lot going on inside our minds, let’s pause for a moment today, to practice an ancient mindfulness exercise: RAIN
R – Recognize
Identify those voices that are creating the unpleasant feeling in you. Recognize them.
A – Acknowledge
You might have not wanted to experience that way or be put in that situation. But acknowledge that it happened, acknowledge your emotions, your thoughts, your attitude and behaviors toward that. Acknowledge what those voices are saying.
I – Investigate
What is underneath that unpleasant feeling? Why is your body so tense? What contributes to that voice? Is this a social convention you feel you should follow? Is this part of your culture? How does your past experience contribute to this current voice?
N – Not-Identify
Try being the observer. Distance yourself from those voices. Like you are watching a movie whose characters share no relationships with you. What would you say to the director?
The word “I” embodies the greatest error and the deepest truth, depending on how it is used.
3. N (The power of Now)
Do you like yourself at this very moment?
4. D (Do)
What inner conflict could you work on to help you move forward?
