The Search for Self; personal growth and healing

I found the most awesome poem; Sandra Kring (thank you Sandra) has written a poignant and "spot on" poem about our SELVES.

If you want to find yourself 
but don’t know where to look, 

search for who you were before you were told to sit down and shut up;  
there will be your spirit.

Search for the traits you both admire and abhor; 
there will be your nature.

Search for what you give away;
there will be your needs.

Search for what brings you to life;
there will be your heart.

Search everywhere; 

there will be Self trying to find its way home 

~ by Sandra Kring

When we "unpack" this; we can see the damaging results of insidious covert (mental and emotional) abuse by others as well as the internal conflict and confusion caused by our own self-deception and denial.

• We have been told to "sit down and shut up": and with that our spirit was squelched, crushed, downtrodden and silenced. 
• Both admirable and abhorrent traits within us, that we have hidden from ourselves, will reveal our once concealed true nature.
• We give to others what we ourselves need.
• What brings us life is where we will find our heart's desire.
• In all of our searching in hopes of discovering our SELF, we alone can bring who we are back to ourselves.

As Dorothy Gale in the Wizard of Oz so poignantly stated:
 

"...if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, 

 I won't look any further than my own backyard; 

because if it isn't there, 

I never really lost it to begin with."

Our search for self starts with a search WITH our self; honestly and openly revealing who we are to ourselves. It is not "out there" or "somewhere over the rainbow"; it is within us; in our hearts and minds and spirits. It really all starts with what we really want out of life. 

If we want authenticity and true contentment, self-discovery is essential. The pain of inauthenticity and lack of growth has to overpower and conquer the fear of change. When this happens, we can follow our heart and then no doors will be closed to us.