Pic credits: Unsplash

Very often, life brings us to a crossroads, to a dilemma of sorts, where we do not know where to go and whom to turn to. It is during these times that our inner strength, our inner self comes to help us. But what is this inner self? Where does it come from?

These are some perpetual questions that need to be answered.

Since we are young, we are fed with a lot of pre-conceptions: about ourselves, about others, about the world in general. Some preconceived notions keep on hampering our growth, without us being aware of them. This set of ‘myths’ about ourselves and others can take various forms.

Below I list some of these:

We are Limited!!

…or so is what we thought… isn’t it?? From a young age majority of people are fed with this belief of being restricted, being limited; fed with the idea of things being out of our control; we as only the mute spectators of what happens in our lives. This notion needs to be fully removed. To be free, it becomes imperative that we understand the meaning of ‘freedom’ and think of ourselves as unlimited versions of the human race.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, (1883-1882), the famous American essayist, preacher, and poet, in his famous essay on ‘Self-Reliance’ (1841) puts this thought as ‘Know Thyself’. When we explore ourselves, we realize that nothing is impossible; solo traveling, I can do; eating alone in a restaurant, without being conscious, I can do. I can do anything to which I positively set my mind. I am boundless. I can expand myself, widen my horizons and my thoughts. 

I can’t do this:
 Ever thought of going in for bungee jumping, skydiving, or venturing out solo…. but how can I do it? It is only for people who have the expertise, not for novices like me…!!

Is it even possible for me?

Most of us can relate to this….!!

Taking chances in life is worth a try. Everything on this Earth is possible. The fact is that when we come out of the limiting attitude that restrains us, we realize that there’s nothing that cannot be done. The things we thought of as holding us back, are the things that liberate us. As soon as we try doing something new, a transition occurs; new patterns begin to emerge where we are presented with new prospects both material & spiritual. When we accept these with gratitude, we are liberated; we cross the barrier of not being able to do a certain thing. As long as we fear ‘change’, we will remain stagnant.

Everything bad happens to me:
There were times when I used to brood on my situation and think of myself as a victim of circumstances over which I had no control. It was only later that I was exposed to this liberating truth: “Everyone on Earth has their journey. My voyage is not the same as my friend’s. In the life journey, everyone faces trials, and I am no exception to this rule. My journey requires me to undergo certain trials and tribulations so that I grow and evolve.” This is the purpose of life. So, if we’re facing difficulties (financial, emotional, health-wise), we should take it as just another ‘test’ that we are supposed to excel at.

‘Think Positive’: hey What’s this???
Very often we have heard people say or advise others to ‘be positive’. No, I am not talking about a particular blood group here, but yes, being positive can bring more life to your blood. Simply stated, being positive means believing that everything that happens is there for a reason. Nothing happens without any purpose.

I am not good enough! I am weak.
One very deeply rooted fallacy that we have about ourselves is that ‘we’re not good enough or fit enough to accomplish certain tasks.’ If we live with this mindset, we stay inside a cage, a restriction. So, there’s always someone who is “too short”, “too tall”, “too fat”, too skinny” and so on. Believe me, these are only tags that you impose on yourselves.

The world is here for us to explore; explore things, people, and explore ourselves. Swami Vivekananda says that calling ourselves weak is the greatest sin. We are stronger than we think we are, and this strength often gets tested during difficult times. Whenever the going gets tough, we come under the “fight or flight mode”, and it is here that we become aware of the innate strength that lies within.

 

Dr. Ekta Sawhney
Department of Language & Literature