Take a deep breath and dive into yourself.
We are so used to traveling outward—exploring new cities, hiking majestic mountains, and diving into the depths of the ocean. We have mapped the entire planet, and soon, we may even set foot on Mars. But all of that is outward exploration.
What about the inner world waiting to be discovered?
Carl Jung called part of it “the shadow“, referring to the aspects of ourselves we have never visited or illuminated. And just like in the story of creation where the first step in organizing this chaos is, “Let there be light“, we need light in order to truly see what’s in there.
In our inner world, this light is our attention—the conscious beam of awareness that changes everything. But we are not accustomed to turning it inward. Our attention is constantly seduced by distractions, now more than ever, leaving us disconnected from ourselves. We’ve lost the special glasses that allow us to see within.
Relearning How to See Ourselves
The good news? We can put those glasses back on. With practice, we can reactivate the muscle of self-observation. But be prepared: what we see inside may not always be easy to face.
At first, we may notice in ourselves the very traits that irritate us in others. It might even feel like we have become worse. But that’s not true—we are simply turning on the light. When light enters a messy room, we suddenly see the dust and clutter that were always there.
The instinctive reaction is to immediately start cleaning—to rush into fixing what we don’t like. But pause for a moment. Take a deep breath. Resist the impulse to change things instantly.
Instead, observe without judgment. Look at this part of yourself from multiple angles, across different moments and contexts. By doing so, you will map your inner world, allowing you to make changes in a way that is harmonious and sustainable. Otherwise, you risk making impulsive changes that may create new imbalances.
The Power of Awareness Itself
Even before you take action, simply seeing yourself clearly is already transformative, as some processes cannot happen in the dark. The very act of shining light on yourself initiates change.
If you feel self-judgment after observing an uncomfortable part of yourself, try telling yourself:
“I love myself“.
Say it with sincerity. This doesn’t mean accepting yourself in a passive or superficial way—it means recognizing that deep, authentic change takes time. And in the meantime, you can love yourself through the process.
As Buddha said: “Happiness is along the way.” It’s not something we reach only at the final destination—it exists right here, right now, within whoever you are in this moment.
Step One: Turn on the GPS
Self-acceptance is like turning on your inner GPS. If you falsify your location, the navigator cannot guide you forward. Only by acknowledging exactly where you are can you begin to move toward where you want to go.
So, don’t be afraid to turn on the GPS, even if it means accepting that you are farther from your ideal self than you thought. That’s where real transformation begins.
And once the GPS is on, we need to make sure we have enough fuel for the journey—and that our tank isn’t leaking.
But that’s for next time…