“I am who I say I am”
This mantra can remind us that we create our own stories. We have the power to change our self-image which will allow us to change the way the rest of the world interacts with us. The relationship that you have with yourself is the relationship that you have with an idea. It is a mentally illustrated picture of who you are. This is the same with all relationships. You don’t have a relationship with your friend, you have a relationship with your idea of who your friend is. This concept can be extended to all things. You don’t just see a chair, you see your idea of what a chair is. You don’t just see a skin color, you see your idea of that skin color. All of our experiences originate within us and so when we are experiencing someone or something else, we are really having an interaction with our idea of that person or thing. We can’t experience the world around us without experiencing the world within us. For this reason, I often talk about the world outside of us as being a reflection of what is inside of us.
Consider this; when you have an idea of what someone thinks of you does that idea originate within them or within you? Without reading that person’s mind how could you possibly know what they think of you or how they feel? Even if they tell you, you are still only experiencing your reaction to what you think they meant. We project our beliefs about ourselves onto other people and we can identify these beliefs by becoming aware of how we think other people see us. The way we think other people see us is really how we see ourselves. For example, if I say, “I am worried that my partner will think that I am selfish”, what I am actually saying is, “I fear that I am selfish”. When we identify a limiting belief that we have about ourselves we can break it down further by asking questions. When we get to the root of it we can let it go and it will no longer limit us. For example, “what does it mean to be selfish?” “Why don’t I want to be selfish?” “Why might I believe that I am selfish?” All of the beliefs that we hold about ourselves make up our self-image. Our self-image dictates how we expect that the world will and should interact with us.
How this Mama uses this mantra:
I use this mantra to help me notice what I believe about myself so that I can ask the questions that allow me to either strengthen a belief that benefits me, or let go of a belief that limits me. It doesn’t make any sense to set out to change the way the world sees me. As I change the way that I see myself the world just follows suit. This is a process, and the value is in the process. It’s not about getting anywhere or being anywhere other than where I am, it’s about learning to appreciate where I am every step of the way. Knowing that I learn as I go allows me to love myself in each moment because I know that I can only be where I am. Instead of looking back with regret I look at where I stand and where I want to go and I make the choices that will lead me there. I use this mantra to continually improve and strengthen my relationships. It reminds me that the way I think the world treats me is really how I am treating myself. It allows me to see how I am responsible for co-creating every situation that I find myself in. I can change the beliefs that hold me in negative patterns with the people in my life and thus create the freedom necessary for us to create a new story.