Self-Knowledge Introduction

When we are born, we have a clean slate. We have no knowledge or understanding of this world. That is unless you are one that believes in past lives and still then, most times the information lay dormant or inactive until a special time when it becomes important to retrieve or the art of intentionally make the connection is learned.  This is where Self-Knowledge comes in.

So, let’s just say for the sake of argument we have a clean slate and start from there. No information, knowledge, or understandings reside inside. What we do have though is chemicals naturally released into the body creating emotions. Thankfully, through time there have been many psychologists and scientists that have spent years researching the subject.

Emotions

According to Dr. Paul Ekman, the psychologist who introduced a detailed scientific dive of Micro-Expressions to the world, the primary emotions we are all born with are:  anger, surprise, disgust, enjoyment, fear, and sadness. The body creates all other emotions from these basics by releasing chemicals. The rest of the emotions we have come from combining the initial few much like mixing colors when painting. 

Mix Red and Yellow and you will find the results to be Orange. Blue and Red gives you Purple. Mix the emotions of Happy and Excited and you will find an intense joyful feeling. You might often describe this feeling as ecstatic or overjoyed. When Anger and Sadness are mixed, the resulting emotion can be described as Resentment or Bitter.

Blank Slate

So, if we are all born with a blank slate, then the only thing we have is emotions. How do we end up like we do in adulthood? 

Our environment and experience provide us with all we get. It starts with parents and siblings, the people we are around the most. Then, as we grow and we have more experiences and get closer to others and that creates a broader field to pull from. Basically, an experience happens, it is observed then stored away as a memory. This memory contains all of the sensory data that was a part of the experience to include Visual – seeing, Auditory – hearing, Kinesthetic – feeling, Gustatory -tasting, and Olfactory – smelling. At the same time, chemicals are released into the body, and those chemicals can mean the difference between a good or bad experience. 

To simplify things, during healthy and happy times, Oxytocin, the natural chemical of Love, is released into the bod,y providing a positive memory. When there are issues or troubles, the stress hormones Cortisol and Epinephrine work together to boost energy, giving enhanced alertness and providing guidance towards fight, flight, or freeze.

Change the past

Now, as you may have heard, the past is the past, and whatever happened cannot be changed. This is so very true. An event happens. How can you make it not have happened? That is something that has had the world pondering for quite some time. There is good, ok great news though. While we may not be able to change the past event, we can change how we view it. 

John as an Example

Here is a quick example: Let’s say John has worked at a bank for almost 15 years and loves it. Out of nowhere, the company reveals plans for a merger. During this merger, leadership is doing everything they can for a successful project. Unfortunately, confusion is everywhere and leadership disappears through time. John notices management is really just looking after themselves and not for the people under them. Nobody at the company feels safe so it becomes a survival mode issue at the individual level. By now, it’s anyone’s guess who will survive and who the layoff machine will claim.

While John loves his job, management keeps piling more work on him as others are let go. Through time, this wears on him.  Working more hours every week with no break in sight drains his energy. It is common sense that pushing this hard for too long will continue to drain him both physically and mentally. As expected, working 70-plus hours a week eventually drives John to the point of wanting to quit. Unfortunately, he feels like he can’t because then what would he do? What could he offer the family? 

Then out of nowhere, the company lets him go during yet another downsizing. The loyalty he has shown this company makes the pain of the layoff even worse. Despite his dedication, the company dismissed John without offering a simple ‘Thank you for your service.’ That in itself is an awful feeling. Then add the fact that John now feels like he is no longer in control of anything and is not contributing to his family the way he used to be able to. It can be a very helpless feeling.

Future John

Fast forward to five years later as John is sitting on his yacht, enjoying a cool beverage. He was crushed by being let go from the company he was dedicated to and loved for years. From that experience, after some time for healing the emotional wounds, John used it as motivation. Instead of only putting focus on “that one time I was let go from this miserable company”, shifting to “I can help people by providing training for creating new paths in life”. He was motivated by the event that hurt him and made a better life for himself and others.

When we focus on the negative, chemicals are released, driving negative emotions. Shifting perspective towards a positive future, or hope, we put ourselves in a much better position to enjoy life.

As you picture John five years later enjoying himself on the water, consider what he now thinks about the day he was let go. My guess is he is actually very thankful for the experience. Without it, he wouldn’t be where he is today.

To wrap it up, how long do you want to hold on to the past, give others your power, and restrict life? Always remember, this is YOUR life to live. Instead of giving others from your past the energy you should be using to build a brighter tomorrow, it is time to develop hope instead of the opposite. 

It is time

Now, it is time to take the energy back and use it to make the world a better place. Come on, somebody did something 15 or 20 years ago or longer and you are still holding onto it? If the emotion provides a good feeling, hold onto the emotion! If not, it’s time to release the emotion and find the lesson inside. A good starting point would be “I’m better than that and owe it to myself to rise above simple petty stuff. It is my turn now!”. Though John’s example involves a job, the principle works in every part of life where change is needed.

An event is just that, only an event. The emotion and energy we put towards the event define what it really means. When we shift to see things differently or from a different perspective, we can change the emotion and energy around us, starting by wanting to.

Better Understanding

Now that we know we were born with a clean slate, we can more easily see how life layers experiences that shape the life we live. With this new understanding, we can begin to make changes that allow us to live our best lives. Sometimes it is easier to see where the issue came in and tackle it ourselves. Other times, you may need tools to get to that point. Feel free to poke around the site and see if there are any tools here that strike your interest. The good news is you already have the first tool. Simply wanting a better life is the first tool in your kit. 

Everyone is worthy of living the life that fits best! What is next in line for you?

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Wikipedia Explanation: Self-Knowledge