How to Discover Who You Are (& Like What You Find)

I recently came across the following quote attributed to American author and motivational speaker Charles Swindoll:

“The greatest challenge in life is discovering who you are. The second is liking what you find.”

I chuckled when I first read the words. But then the phrase became an invitation, a God-nudge, to dive deeper into asking myself,

“Who am I? Really?”

Things like:

I’m bad.
I never measure up.
I’m fat.
I’m flawed.
I’m a victim.

.The gloom and despair list in my head could go on endlessly—and sometimes it does.

If, like me, you were raised with the you’re-a-sinner fear of God mentality, it’s hard to break free from the lies we’ve been fed and swallowed. Sometimes I can shift from thinking I’m a bad person to thinking I need to put on my superman cape and save the universe. Unlike Clark Kent, I don’t need a telephone booth to strip off my shirt and expose the larger-than-life “S” on my chest.

But as I read Swindoll’s quote a second time, I quieted my ego’s voice. I took a few deep breaths, closed my eyes, and pondered what the Creator is teaching me through the Course in Miracles book I’m studying.

Who Am I?

According to A Course in Miracles, the answer to “Who am I?” is one of the most fundamental questions we can ask ourselves.

The Course teaches that our true identity is not the ego-based, mind-made self (discussed in last week’s Simple Wisdom reflection). Our false self is rooted in fear, separation, and the physical world.

Our True Self is rooted in love. It’s the essence of our True Nature created and formed by God.

Here are the key characteristics of our True Identity according to the Course:

Child of God

You are a beloved child of God, created in his Divine image and likeness. Your True Nature is divine, pure, and perfect.

One with God

You are not separate from God. You are one with the Divine. You share in God’s love, peace, and joy.

A Spiritual Being

Your True Identity is spiritual, not physical. While you have a physical body, your essence is beyond the body and material world. You are Eternal Spirit. The Spirit of Love is your Divine Nature.

Innocent

Despite the belief in guilt and shame perpetuated by the ego, the Course asserts that you are innocent. There is nothing wrong with you. Any perceived wrongdoing is part of the illusion of separation and does not change your True Nature. Yes, we all make mistakes in life. That’s part of how we grow. But our essence—our very Being—is good and sacred. You are made in the image and likeness of God.

Bearer of Light

You carry within you the Light of God. This Light is your true essence. It’s meant to be shared with others through your acts of love and forgiveness. “You are the Light of the World,” Christ proclaimed (Matthew 5:14). Believe it, because it’s who you are.

Healer

By recognizing your True Identity and extending love and forgiveness to yourself and others, you play an important role in healing the world. Healing comes from your awakening to your shared divinity and the letting go of your mind-made illusions.

Co-Creator with God

When you choose to live from your True Self, you become a co-creator with God. You have the power to create more love in the world with God’s guidance and grace. Your co-creation is an important part of bringing the kingdom of love onto earth as it is in heaven.

Pulling It All Together…Understanding “Who am I?”

Through the Course, God is helping me realize that awakening to our wholeness requires a healing of our minds by letting go of the false beliefs our ego has grabbed onto.

This healing of our mind-made selves involves a shift from identifying with the ego and its limited, fear-based perspective to embracing our true, limitless, and loving nature as part of God’s eternal creation.

It may take a lifetime to embrace our wholeness—our oneness with God—but by applying the above truths, over time we release our mind-made perceptions. We replace our egoic thoughts with the Voice of the Inner Teacher.

By discovering who we are, we live with inner peace, joy, and truth.

We recognize our Divine Nature and like what we find.

Sit in the Quiet. Take a few breaths as you enter into stillness.

Recognize your Divine Nature lives and breathes in you. It is the power of love. The Essence of God living in you as you.

Ask. What does your Divine Nature feel like within you? What does your True Identity, the power of love, feel like in your body? What is its “felt sense”?

You might experience the felt sense of Divine Love in you as you through some or all of these ways:

Warmth—a warm, gentle feeling around your heart or chest area.

Tingling—a gentle tingling of light in your body.

Openness—an openness or expansion in your chest as you notice a sense of inner spaciousness.

Flow—a divine and life-giving energy flowing throughout your body.

Stillness—a feeling of calm and stillness. Inner peace.

Grounded—a sense of being rooted through a solid connection to the earth or the ground beneath your feet.

Embraced—a feeling of being held by a gentle, safe, and Divine Presence.

Notice what rises up in your body as you experience your Divine Nature.

Let the Holy Spirit guide you into the truth of who you are.

You can also return to this practice anytime during the day when you need to reconnect with your True Self.

Let this practice comfort you, guide you and lead you to know and love the True Self that lives in and through you.

—brian j plachta
brianplachta.com

Pick up a copy of my latest book, Finding Flow–Spiritual Practices to Reclaim Inner Peace, Balance, and Wholeness. 

Click here for a 3-minute video about Finding Flow

Get your copy of Finding Flow in paperback or digital format on Amazon by:

Clicking Here to Get Your Copy