Ego, Self-Doubt, & The Shadow

It is very rare that people can see themselves as they really are.
Our Ego is part of our psyche that protects the person that we "think we are" from the person that we "really are". The way we see ourselves as opposed to the way others see us. Seldom do you meet someone who is enlightened to a point where the two are actually the same.

Of course, the person that we "think we are" is not always the better of the two. Self-doubt, and poor self-image cause millions of people to view themselves in a negative light. I know several people who believe themselves to be unworthy, unattractive, unloveable who are, in reality, amazing, beautiful people. (Conversely, I know others who think they are "All that and a cheese sandwich" who are actually quite hideous. But that is for another Blog.)

I wish that for just one day, I could see myself as I appear to the world that I interact with, to the people who are important to me. I know that I wouldn't like it, but I think that I would learn a lot.

Harder even that facing the self that others see, is to face the Shadow self. This is the self that dwells deep within us all, that thinks the inappropriate thoughts, wishes bad things on people, wonders the impossible "what ifs", and makes us ask ourselves, "Am I a terrible person?" It is responsible for every bad choice that we make when our conscience tells us not to, but we do it anyway.

We try to keep this self locked away so that nobody sees it, and so that we don't have to face it. But there comes a time in your life when you have to face the Shadow. You have to battle the Shadow, and defeat it, in order to move closer to enlightenment. Of course there is always a chance that you will lose. But that is a chance you have to take to find your true self.

Finding your true self, is the first step to finding true happiness.