Saving the Most Important Thing for Last
Let’s get right to it.
The most important thing is knowing yourself.
As you understand more of who you are, what you really want and need, why you do what you do, then the other important things start to fall into place:
Feeling connected to your world. To people. To animals. To nature.
Accepting the constant changes in your mind and body.
Appreciating what you have.
Being happier and more relaxed.
But let’s not lie. This thing about knowing ourselves is a long-term project. Lifelong. Fortunately, it’s fascinating because it’s about you!
It’s an adventure! Okay, not the traveling-the-world-with-a-backpack kind of adventure. Not hiking the length of the Nile River (all 4,200 miles). Not a wildlife safari to photograph tigers. Not that kind of adventure.
A more important one.
Because whatever you do and wherever you go, you take yourself along for the journey. And traveling with a stranger for the rest of your life could get old.
So find out who you are! What pushes and pulls you, what gives you energy. Or drains that energy. What kind of friends you feel good around – who picks you up, who brings you down. Figure out if you want to be part of a tribe or just have one or two great friends.
Find someone you can go to for help, advice, perspective. Someone you trust. Think about what you believe, what kind of person you want to be. You don’t want to become someone you don’t like. Consider your ideas about spirit/consciousness/soul. Do you feel that human life has meaning and purpose? How do these thoughts affect your life?
And don’t be afraid when your feelings about any of these things change. Nothing in life is fixed. You’re not stuck being one way for the rest of your life.
A question to ask yourself from time to time: What helps me feel good about myself?
All of your thoughts, feelings, and connections are nurtured in simple ways. But you must be awake to develop them. Too much of anything – screen time, couch time, schoolwork, sleep, exercise, food – numbs the spirit. Slowly, day by day, you can find a balance. Rest/exercise. Reading/watching TV. Hanging with friends/hanging with family.
On it goes, making choices, growing up. You’re hopeful, curious, adventurous, sometimes full of wonder, sometimes confused, always connected by love to other people.