Who Are You? … Really

 You think you know you. I think I know me.

Well, this may be only partially true. Let me share a few thoughts.

 I wrote a post a few years ago entitled, “The Deep Pool Within” It pictured a huge dome … the size of the earth. We all live on top of the dome. We behave, we act. We scurry. We hurry. We do stuff. The top of the dome is a just a flurry … a blur of activity.

Beneath the dome is a pool. A fathomless deep pool. This pool houses all of who we each are below the surface. Underneath the dome. Our subconscious. Where God might silently calling us. A concept that inspired me to ask the question here. “Who Are You … Really”

What we project to others, daily to the world (atop the dome) is masked. Not who we are … really. More who we think we should be. How we adapt to circumstance, relationships. Understandable.

“How are you?” The always well intentioned greeting, when we meet another? The usual response. “I’m great.” There’s nothing wrong with this. I’m just saying most of us rarely get to real honestly, reveal our true selves. Who we really are. Reveal what’s beneath the surface. What’s in our “deep pool.” “How are you”” Simple. But whether it’s asked of you by another. Or you ask yourself about you. The question rarely surface your truth.

Consider this. We have motives. Honesty, openness, true feelings, being right, admitting wrongs. Our aspirations. Life purpose. We respond to our motives with behaviors that support our motives … or not.

While behaviors and motives are importantly intertwined, they are rarely if ever totally aligned. Motives are our true drivers. Those parts of us beneath the surface. That deep pool, that contains our true feelings … desires. Behaviors are reflections. The way we choose to filter our true motives. Go out into the world. Allow others to see us … but usually not as who we really are. Who we really would like to actually be.

If we go out into the world and behave. And at times our behaviors are misaligned with our motives? The need to be accepted, be liked by others leads us to act more amiably around others. We want them to see us as smart, together, navigating life successfully. While normal, this may prevent us from being our true selves. Deflect us from being fully authentic. We want others to see us as we hope they will see us. Rather than as we actually are.

We receive messages from the day we enter the womb. We look at an infant and say, “Can’t wait til she is old enough to understands.” Not true. An imprint … impressions arrive the moment we’re conceived. The formation of our basic makeup … our life’s motives are immediately underway at conception. Our belief system. Those things that are core to what makes each one of us “tick.” Hard to grasp? Ok. But evidence abounds that our true motives, drivers become hard wired. Immutable. Motives? Morality? We just acquire them,, embed these very early on.

Acknowledging this allows you to discover you. How you can best manage you. Am I being true to who I want to become? Or am I limited by other influences. At birth, in early childhood? To be someone else.
Who am I? … Really.