The person observing your ego is the real you, the true you, the one without the need for all the social structures. That’s the you that never needs to succeed a day to know your worth because, success is not something the real you needs to know, ever. That observer in you is the tallest mountain, the clearest diamond, the rarest gem that resides deep within you, me and all of us. That is where your truth resides. When someone held you as a newborn, this incredibleness was all that you were because you were free from ego. Even then, you helped because when someone holds a newborn baby they are helped by pureness, by the pure gift of love. This is the person I want to help you get to know.
The practice of gratitude is one way to begin to know the real person. As you observe your thoughts, try to reframe the negative ones into positive ones, by being compassionate instead of loathing yourself. Consider, for example, these statements that I have heard repeated in so many variations over the years: “How can I call myself a social worker?” or “When was the last time I helped anyone?” or “Aren’t we just making things worse?” It is within our control to actively search for a better feeling-thought such as: “I enjoy going into the office each day and seeing Charles, he is so funny and such a friendly, loving person,” or “I am so grateful to have a job, some people can’t find a job.”
This is about identifying truths that are more positive and feel better than the negative things that may also be true. We can all agree that there are things in our lives that could be better or, let’s face it, that completely suck. This isn’t about me trying to convince you that your life is butterflies and unicorns, this is about turning your awareness onto the things that don’t suck and away from the things that do.
