The Authentic Self

mohammedshazeb khan

Published in

Betterism

5 min readJun 2, 2019

All of us are searching, some are closer than others -Pexels

”When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”
— Viktor E . Frankl

You are busy. You are tired, and doing everything except what you should be doing for yourself.

You accept what happens to you and, sleep or talking with your loved ones is the only true therapy you can afford (I assume).

The same repetitive and monotonous cycles that consume most of your day were never part of your ideal or your plan.

Deep down we all have harboured feelings, dreams, thoughts that never reach fruition and eventually we accept the status quo and forget what we are truly meant to achieve.

~The authentic self is your truest most unique self , your dream self, your fantasy character, your badass alternate reality. ~

When you realize your true calling, nature gives you the tools to pursue it.

Buckle up, and during all times stay alert of your surroundings because we are about to take off on a realization journey

[Deep breath!]

Let's begin.

Rewind- A walk down memory lane

Think of your life like a youtube video and we are going to rewind the video to the beginning and this time using your memory, revisit your early self

Where do you see yourself, what was it that you loved to do and daydream about, long before people told you what to do and how to do it. Recall your best moment What was different from then and now, your habits, attitudes, recall every last bit of detail (*I know its probably a lot but keep thinking).

Ok, what you saw (let's say you imagined) was a glimpse of your unrealized authentic self. If you have realized the difference in then and now and want to make a change and embrace that “authentic” version of yourself read on.

Being biased is being ‘you’

search for that which sets you apart from others

You are many things except a single person, you have a different set of approaches for different people and situations.

Have you ever realized the simplicity in being who ‘you’ are without conforming to society or standards

Be yourself, make decisions that are wholeheartedly yours and don't change yourself based on what people say.

Everyone is unique, each with their own set of skills, qualities, attributes, so show your uniqueness by embodying your authentic self.

Sometimes you don't need to think

Find that special calling no matter how small or big, how insignificant or extraordinary, difficult or impossible and pursue it headlong

The sign that you find your calling will be that you will spontaneously and instinctively bypass thought while you are immersed in your passion.

If you need answers start asking questions

All problems are questions that can be answered and one of my favorite quotes that I want to share with you is

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche

That is, if you have found your way, then how is no longer a thing to be worried about or to be stressed upon, you will find ways to tackle problems that you would have never thought about.

Give time to yourself

Set aside a particular time daily, free from any care in the world and reflect on your day, your progress towards your goal and plan your days, whether it be through meditation or journalling or simply sitting down and calmly thinking out about your current day and the day to come.

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
— Søren Kierkegaard

Wake up call

Before we part ways , I present to you two pills (do you see where this is going?) A red and a blue pill, if you take this blue pill you will continue living the same way, you will wake up the next day and continue to do what you were doing without a second thought.

But take this red pill and you will start working to achieve liberation from your current condition into that of an elevated and renewed sense of being, working your way to finally achieve that which is meant for you :