PSC Vitamin: Core Exercises

Back To Basics: Getting Back to the Basic Core of Who You Are…

Jennifer Mitchell  blogger for PHATSkinny Chic 

There comes a time in life when you eventually have to face who and what you are beyond the protective walls we build around ourselves , the layers that we hide ourselves under and the masks that we wear to prevent people from seeing what is really beneath. We live in a technological age that allows us to stay as far away from each other as possible and still keep up the pretense of familiarity and intimacy. Some of us are so caught up in the persona that we present to others on social media that we have actually lost sight of who we are and what we originally stood for… We are becoming shadows of ourselves, showing people what we want them to see, rather than showing people the truth.

I recently had to look into the proverbial mirror and ask myself who I was or better yet, who did I want to be? If I took away everything I used as emotional comfort and really looked at myself, what was I seeing and then what could I do to change any of it? My answer was simple… go back to your core, your basic self. Find the voice which directs you from within and follow it. I had to strip away all the layers I was hiding under. When I say layers, I am referring to the barriers I have so craftily built over the years to protect me from the scrutiny of others. Sometimes it’s easier to block yourself in than it is to come out from behind the wall and show people the “real” you. For years I have become a master at being in the background and contributing behind the scenes because that has been a safe place. People don’t criticize what they don’t know about.  People often use the term, “what they don’t know, won’t hurt them”, my motto has been “what they don’t know, won’t hurt me”.

I realized I had to get back to the basic part of me that still dreamed and still desired. I had to dig down to the core of who I was and really look at where I wanted to go. I had to put aside outside opinions and forget about my desire to be accepted and please others and focus for the first time in years on ME. The basic simple truths are always the most painful and beautiful at the same time. I discovered that underneath all the hurt, pain and disappointment lived the little girl with dreams of making a difference in the world. There was still the necessary desire to pick up a pen and a piece of paper to write something that would impact lives. The poet, the writer and the visionary was waiting to be heard, to be rescued and uncovered.

Getting back to the core of who you are is a healing process. It requires a real and honest self reflection with yourself. You have to put all your insecurities and issues on the table, look at them and one by one dismantle them. It requires you to focus on not being a victim, but being a thriver. Instead of allowing the negativity in your life to damage you, true healing requires you to take away the power of the negative and use that energy instead for the positive.  Your inner voice has to be stronger than the voices outside which seek to hurt or derail you from your God-given purpose.

Before someone told you that you couldn't, you knew inside that you could… Each of us is created with a purpose and most of us knew that purpose beginning very early in life. At some point, we allowed life in general to mute our voice which acts as our inner guide. We grow up, get responsibilities and start surviving life instead of living it. We abandon dreams we were born to make come true for the anchor of self-doubt which eventually pulls us down to the mediocre and the mundane. The task at hand is to untie the ropes of self- doubt that secures you to the anchor and rise above whatever barriers you have in your life which hold you back. Personally, I found the strength to do this through my faith in God. I make it a daily ritual to remind myself of who I am, not in the eyes of people but in the eyes of God. If I see myself as the beautiful creation He created then I will eventually embrace this as my own truth. I accept that I am not perfect and I am beautifully flawed. I am a creation of purpose and my gift is story telling.  

What is your gift? What is your dream? What idea or vision did you leave sitting on a shelf in the back of your mind? Go somewhere quiet, a park, a beach and dark room in your house… close your eyes and remember what it felt like to know you could take on the world. Then get up and do just that! We make life changes seem so complicated and such massive undertakings, in actuality, change is not hard. The difficult part comes when we refuse to accept change is needed. I believe at the core of every individual is a voice and a purpose. It’s as simple as breathing. I challenge you to strip away your pretenses and excuses and get to the simple and basic truth of who you are… and when you find that person, embrace them. Life is too short to waste it by not living up to your full potential (preaching to myself too). So this summer, I urge the PSC readers to get back to the basics and find that inner child that you left behind. Simply, dare to dream and strive to live