Write the question who am I in your journal.

Answer it with whatever comes to mind; do not

edit yourself or try to get it right. Trust what comes forward because trusting your own answers
is an important part of attuning to your own inner voice.
How did you answer the question? Most often our answers come from things we associate ourselves
with rather than the true essence of who we are. We often list roles we play, interests, resume bullet
points or what I call self-stats such as our hometown, gender, height, appearance and so on. For
instance, when I ask 20-somethings this question, the most common responses include things like: I
am a student, I am a daughter, I am a boyfriend, I am soccer player, I am from Michigan, I am a 25
year-old woman, I am blonde, I am a musician, etc.
But these external and situational things are not at all who we are and using them as a way to define
ourselves is problematic for two main reasons. First we can be limited by the story we tell ourselves
about ourselves. A lot of us hold on to information from our past that is not what we want to carry
into our present and future. Our self-stats that come from our ego can blind us from seeing our
SELF-truths that come from our authentic self. Second, if you allow your identity to be defined by
people or things outside of you, then you are dependent those external things.
The answer to the question who am I cannot be found in your past or by anything external. So if
you did answer the question by making a list of things you do or have done, relationships you are in,
interests you have, or your self-stats, first of all you didnt do the exercise wrong! It is a very natural
response to the question. However if you want to truly know who you are, it is time to find your
internal GPS rather than looking outside yourself for directions to your answer!
If you are thinking, But I do not know who I am independent of all those things I listed, let me say
to you that it is not true. You do know who you are, youve actually known since the day you were
born. You have just forgotten because throughout your life you have seen, heard and experienced
things that have confused you. That, coupled with living in a society that emphasizes human
doings more than human beings, has left most of us in a bit of quandary when it comes to this
question. Today I want to offer you a way to answer the question who am I and get to the TRUTH.
Begin by thinking of something that when you are fully engaged in it the following is true: you
absolutely LOVE it and love who you are when you are doing it, you are so present and involved that
you lose track of time, and you feel like you can be 100% authentically YOU. It can be something
simple like being in nature or even something that may seem like a superficial activity like shopping.
Just trust whatever comes to mind. An integral part of discovering who you are involves trusting
your inner guidance.
ASK YOURSELF

The Best way to reflect is to ask yourself questions that are thought provoking like:
What do I really, really want?
What are my most important values?
What are my beliefs?
Who am I at my best?
Who am I at my worst?
Who am I becoming?
What am I avoiding or resisting?
What am I most grateful for?

Shhhh. Silence the sounds around you. Reflect, and reflect deeply. Who am I? A
question calling for an answer. Can you hear it?
As service-providing entrepreneurs, we must know ourselves well if we are to reach our
full potential as business owners. We must know ourselves well if we are to make the
difference were here on earth to make. Though it may sound like a contradiction,
focused self reflection helps us serve others withexcellence.
Focused self reflection helps us find, follow, and fulfill our divine calling.
It is necessary for a man to go away by himself to sit on a rock and ask, Who
am I, where have I been, and where am I going?
~Carl Sandburg
Do you know who you are, where youve been, and where youre going? We often get
so caught up in the doing that we fail to carve out time to sit on a rock, or walk along
the beach, and reflect. At least I do. Maybe youre different.

I recall a time in law school when I was so caught up in doing that the assistant rector
of my church, a short fellow with a red bushy beard, took me aside and said, Jory, just
BE. He introduced me to the works of Henri J.M. Nouwen and gently yet urgently
suggested that I embark on an even deeper inner journey of my soul. He told me that
God loved me unconditionallythat I didnt have to do anything to earn His love or
to pay Him back for all of the grace bestowed upon me. I did, however, need
to spend significant time in self reflection, contemplating who I am as a child of
God. Only then, he said, would I be able to serve others with excellence and fulfill my
purpose here on earth.
I wish I could tell you its been an easy journey. that just a few sessions of rock
sitting and beach walking did the trick that after just a few sessions I
knew exactly who was looking back at me in the mirror and exactly how I could serve
others best. I wish I couldor do I?
Theres something magical about the process of self-discovery, about
theprocess of self-reflection. Though our God-given purpose doesnt change, our
understanding of it does. When we stop asking the questions, we run the risk of trying to
take charge of our own lives or living a day-to-day superficial existence. Hmmm.
Sounds dreadful. More rock sitting please.
To get started, carve out time alone with God on a regular basis on a rock, at the
beach, in your garden, on your sofa to seek answers to these timeless questions:

Who am I at my core?

Whom am I meant to serve?

How am I meant to serve them?

What gifts and strengths do I have to offer?

What effect do my gifts and strengths have on those Im serving?

What problem am I meant to solve > what is my mission at this stage of my life?

Ask. Listen. Reflect. Serve.

WHO AM I? a short reflection and poem

August 19, 2013 10:57 am

Who am I?
There are avenues to approach this question.
Am I my name, my roles, mind and body? There can be sudden or gradual changes in
these areas.
Am I always the same? If so, there is nothing I can do to change myself?
If I am always changing, then my self in the past is not the same as the one in the
present.
So I cannot be held responsible for what happened to my old selves in the past.
If one part of me always stays the same and one part of me always changes, then what
part stays the same and what part changes?
In my book of poetry, Poems from the Edge, I explored these themes. Title of the poem
is Who am I?

WHO AM I?
I just want to know who I am
where I am, what I truly am
and what I exist for at all.
I want to know what is named me,

Who am I? Also who are you?

Am I in the world? Am I one with it?
Separate from the world or not?

Or am out of this world or not?

I feel so connected with all around
But sometimes I just dont feel involved
and feel quite detached from this world.

I am not who you think I am.

I claim I am not the same self,
I would love to know my true self,
be sure of who I am to myself.
This is my true self, my real self,
my steadfast self, my only self
independent self, the real me.

Who will now point out this true self to me?

Is it another self in me given this task?
Can I point out my true self to myself?

I claim I am not the same self,

as I remember as a child long ago.
I claim I am different from this self from the past.
If so, then I can take no praise nor blame
for what I did or didnt do in the past.
After all, myself today is not same

as the self who had acted yesterday.

Why should one self in me judge part of me?

Why should one part of me give
another part of me a hard time?
Why do that if I am always the same person?
Why do that if I am always changing?

If myself is just the same self every day,

yesterday, tomorrow and now,
that means that I always remains the same;
events then make no difference to myself,
nothing at all can affect me.

If I am really changing from day to day

then nothing can affect me
for more than a moment
because I am different
now from what I was just before.
Yesterdays self bears no significance today.
My old self sometimes says nothing about today
Yet my old self sometimes dominates today.
My old self sometimes shadows over today.

Why should my old self judge todays self

if I am changing every day?
Why should my old self judge todays self
if I am the same self every day?

Do I consist of lots of different selves?

Tell me which one of my many selves
do I rely upon.

If I always remains the same, then

no chance for any kind of change;
I cant develop or regress.
It would not matter what I did,
what I am doing or what I will do.

I cannot find a true self to pinpoint.

Which self within points out the true self?
Can I rely upon the self that points out the true self?
So there is no self assurance here
True self, changing self, different selves?
This all seems rather inconsequential.

Then I like to think I am both,

a true unchanging self and a changing self.
Which bit of me shows my true self?
Which bit of me shows my changing self?
What connects up these two kind of selves?
True self, changing self, different selves,
old self, new self, synthesis?

Reality refutes every thesis.

Such a relief .

Among Dr. Agosin's papers at the time of his death were several write-ups for spiritual exercises and
introductions to those exercises. These were presented to members of Cafh and to members of the
general public who came searching for spiritual enrichment.
Who am I? is probably the most perplexing, profound, difficult, exciting and interesting question we
can pose to ourselves.
Perplexing, because the many answers and definitions of ourselves always leave us dissatisfied. There
is always more. No matter how we answer, we tend to feel: But that's not exactly it! It seems like
such a simple question, maybe the simplestWho am I?and yet it leaves us baffled and confused.
Profound, because since we have been given the gift of consciousness, of self-awareness, it is of our
deepest concern. Ever since human beings could think, we have posed this question to ourselves and
pondered it. What can be more important than to understand the nature of being? What has more
depth than the question of who is me, the consciousness that inhabits this body and lives in this
historical time?
Who am I? is a most difficult question because it has a myriad of answers, and even more. Just
asking the question makes us somewhat anxious and uneasy. We can feel it is a relevant question but
something in us refuses to think about it, wants to take distance from its demanded answer. It is such
a basic concept that it embarrasses us that we don't have a clear, ready-made answer. But any reflex

answer leaves us dissatisfied. When we stop to think about it more deeply, we realize how complex
and intriguing a question it is, and the more slippery and vast it seems. Many people become scared
of the question, and therefore drop it as being too abstract a preoccupation to give any time to. Or
they may say it is for the philosophers to answer, or that it has no relevance to my daily life. But how
can it not be relevant! It is so basic, so essential, although difficult and requiring attention, time,
thought and a sense of adventure in reflecting on it.
To start asking ourselves this most simple question, Who am I? becomes a very exciting proposition
because a whole field of personal exploration opens before us. That is, the question is a door to our
inner life. When we ask the question seriously, in the intimacy of our being, with total objective
honesty, naked in front of ourselves, we start discovering a great deal about who we are. What are our
identifications? Where do they come from? What are the limitations we place on ourselves? What are
our prejudices?
What are our self-definitions? How do we see ourselves? It is excitingat times painful, at times
exhilaratingto get to know ourselves in depth.
But it is not only excitement that we find in the journey to answer this question. It is also fascination
because a tremendous field opens in front of our eyes: the field of inner consciousness. We have a
subliminal knowledge of this aspect of our inner life, but we barely relate to it. And as we understand
more and more, it becomes clear that there are no limits to the answer, and we discover new horizons
of our reality. Fascination and marvel are the only words to describe this process. There really isn't a
clear or simple answer to this question. The issue of Who am I? is more a tool to explore one's inner
life than a question. It can be used as a window (or microscope) through which to look at ourselves
and explore the nature of our being.
We can approach the question in a systematic way:
I am a body. We all have a body, and thus this aspect of our being is the most obvious to see. Our
body has different characteristics: some strengths and some weaknesses. We need to be aware of its
different aspects and to keep it healthy. But we are obviously more than our body because if a part of
our body is removed (e.g., a limb), we continue to be ourselves; there still is an I. I am a body, but
there is more....
I am a person who reacts emotionally. We need to know our emotional responses, our moods, what
triggers them. We need to become objective with our emotions, observing ourselves react. I am
emotions, but there is more....
I am a historical being. We live in a particular time in history. The world was very different before and
the world will change completely in the future. We live in a moment, as part of a historical continuum.
We are very determined by the historical times, but there is more....
I am a culture. We are all immersed in a culture. But there is more....
I am part of a nation. National identity is a very strong identification. We identify with a nation's
history, its people, its customs. There are symbols that tie us to it, increasing our emotional
connection with it. I am American, Japanese, Chinese, French, Chileanstrong identifications.
But there is more....
I am part of a family. The family we come from, the family we fantasize about, the family we create.
Remember how ingrained our name is in our consciousness, and how much a part of ourselves it is.

But there is more....

I am the result of my education. But also....
I am a set of thoughts. But if I can change my thoughts, I am more....
I am a set of defects. But there is more....
I am a routine. All of us have a routine that becomes part of us. Our habitual connection to it makes it
difficult to change it. It is part of us. But there is more....
I am a worker, A person who performs a job. This is one of the strongest identifications we have. We
easily equate what we do to earn a living with who we are. We spend so much time performing our
jobs that we become them. I am a teacher, a student, an engineer, a mechanic when in reality, I am a
person who teaches, who studies, who practices engineering, who fixes cars. So there is more to me
than my job....
I am someone who aspires to a better life. All human beings aspire to happiness and to make a better
world....
I am a set of values....
I am love....
I am spirit....
I am mystery....the unknown.

I love the color pink and dancing just for fun. I laugh at stupid perverted things and always
seem to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. I can cry easy,sometimes for no reason. I
can be hurt easily but forgive almost just as easy. People say I'm much stronger than I even
know. And I've grown stronger throughout the years. I have dealt with many things and
bear many scars (many from growing up) from them. But I have endured, made it through
and grown from them. I still have my demons to battle but I'm actually winning now and
then. Although I now often am able to see a light at the end of the tunnel I'm no where near
perfect. I sensitive and compassionate with a desire to help others. I enjoy being around
people,friends and my boyfriend, spending time on the internet, and talking to my internet
friends, taking photos, dancing and escaping into my movies and TV shows. I like Sci-Fi,
Thriller (M. Night Shyamalan) cult classics, Comedy,the "mindf*** " movies (Primer, Brazil,
P) and SOME reality TV but I refuse to watch horror. I can handle gore in a medical setting
or crime scene photos but I can't watch horror. Perhaps its the "moving" violence or the
unnerving anxiety it creates in me. I miss singing and going to concerts I like a lot of
different music but I found I'm for sure a fan of new rock. But I'm listening to more new
stuff. Here is a playlist that I made. It started with my introduction to Rock music (I grew up
on older stuff 50's music when I was a kid, and country is what my parents listened to.
Good Ol' KBOE) which was "Paralyzer" by "Finger Eleven" I was a person looking for a way
to say what I felt...and music allowed that. Now I've liking new stuff, you will find at the
bottom of the playlist.
http://www.playlist.com/playlist/788738315
I'm a night owl and a homebody. I would much rather snuggle at home with a movie than
go out to one, unless its a dinner-date special occasion type of thing. But I'm always up for
something new and exciting. Something I've never done before. I enjoy a good party if I
click well with people. I often find myself self-contentious and feeling awkward. I don't really
know if I come off that way. I sometimes wonder if I talk to much.
I'm vulnerable. I have
few friends and I find it difficult to trust people .But the few I have are family. I am a very
open and honest person. I use quotes to explain how I feel. I have drama, mistakes and
memories; but I'm just me and thats all I can be. I'm trying to learn from it and live it. I'm
very passionate about helping others. I love the study of human beings. Psychology and
sociology and I feel like my "calling in life" is to help others. I want to be a counselor and
help young people who are suffering with the same demons I did. I want to teach them the
things that if I had learned sooner would have greatly improved my quality of life. I want to
change and maybe even save lives. I love unconditionally.
My emotions are changeable. Presented with contrary evidence I can admit I'm wrong and
promptly change my thoughts and actions. I cannot stand to be a hypocrite. I am a
worrier.Math is near impossible for me. I LOVE to learn new things! I actually like lectures if

they interest me. I am intelligent. I like to use colors ( my 2 favorite are pink and black) to
express myself. I know a lot of people have seen me at my very worst. I know they have
seen scary sad parts of me. But going through those things made me who I am today and
will continue to shape who I become. And now, I truly believe I'm a pretty neat person.

Now I question...should I really be the one to say who I am? Aren't I biased? Do people see
me always as I want them to see me? So I'm asking you, will you be my "mirror" to reflect
a honest picture of myself back to me? How can I work on issues if I don't know I have
them or how bad they are? How can I feel good about something I don't know people like
about me?

I think if someone asked you to describe yourself, then it is YOU who they wanted to hear
from.
Hearing how a person describes themselves, tells a lot about that person.....
I think you are a sweet girl, who has had many troubles and has grown a lot over the last
few years.
I understand you are wanting our opinion, so you can grow from it, which is
admirable......putting yourself out there is a risk and I think it tells a lot about who you are
right now......
But the only opinion of the person you are that should matter, is your own.
If you are happy with who you are, then who cares what anyone else thinks.

Who am I?
By Eva Aghekyan
September 5th 2012
This is indeed a rather extensive and onerous thing to ask an individual. I feel as if placed on
the spot; suddenly the most fundamental question of my existence seems impossible to answer
simply due to its broad and infinite nature. So much can be said about my character, that I
sincerely have no idea where to begin. The one thing I can say with the wholeness of my heart
is that I don't particularly know who I am yet; I can only attempt to elaborate on what I am like.
What in this world evokes me, what I enjoy doing, what I've gone through, what my beliefs are
and what I favor/disfavor amongst a multitude of divergent elements are what truly define me.
But even these elements do not remain static. They can change and most probably will change ;
so I am being asked this question and ask myself the same question with a great deal of wonder
and oddly enough - fear. Who am I, really? But I can state the undeniable facts for now just as
an introduction to what can turn out into becoming a 1000 page novel. My name is Eva
Aghekyan. I am a mature 17 year old nihilistic atheist and live in the dire and dreary suburbs of
Maple, Ontario. I am 5 feet 7 inches, have large brown eyes and medium length black wavy

hair. I was born in Armenia and live with my two parents whom I love unconditionally. My life had
always been rather difficult; and I have struggled to fit in with people ever since I was put in
Kindergarten. I suffer from a mental illness quite possibly induced by my inclination towards
deep disconsolate thought and the severity of a crippling low self-esteem.
I will start off by saying that I am a consistently developing person and have evolved a
tremendous amount. Of course I was the same in terms of aesthetics, but unambiguously
different in a purely psychological sense. Despite the positive changes that have occurred within
me, inadequacy and a great deal of idiosyncrasies have been present in my life and literally
shun my potential of being something other than the misanthropic cynical disaster than I am
today. I am tragically flawed and plagued with a demoralizing mental impotence that weakens
me to an unimaginable extent, albeit it is something that does not define who I am as a person
whatsoever, it is only something I happen to be afflicted with. I am the epitome of melancholia
and of disarray, and am quite content with being so as I feel significantly more creative with
these temperaments for reasons I am not exactly sure of. I prefer observing people rather than
speaking to them. To me, socializing is exhausting and requires a great deal of energy that I do
not have- it's like having to perform and I don't have the freedom to be myself and do not feel
comfortable around others. I primarily enjoy being alone and dread the thought of putting on a
fake smile and pretending all is well when it isn't. I've noticed that this is how everyone is
expected to act; content. Happiness is normal. Anything deviant from average conduct and
thought is almost immediately labelled as weird, crazy and freakish; merely because the latter
does not understand and takes no time to consider the circumstances of the individual. I have
miniscule tolerance for ignorant, selfish and cruelly judgemental people who speak on plain
terms. The majority of our human race sees life in a very black and white context. All good, or all
bad. I can only imagine how awful it must feel to have such a vapid worldly perspective. I am
infatuated with psychology and aspire to become a psychologist in the future. It is a great
interest of mine to discover and truly understand why humans do the things they do and why the
mind works the way it does.
Where there is imagination and ability to feel and articulate that imagination, no matter how it is
expressed, there is art. Writing is one of the many endearing forms of art. Literature speaks the
grizzly truth of the human condition and has the power to evoke emotional response from the
reader so long as it is written well and introspectively. My favourite novelists include; Fyodor
Dostoyevsky, Ernest Hemingway, Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Bukowski, Sylvia Plath
and Oscar Wilde. Writing is my favourite hobby. In fact I have my thoughts written practically
everywhere; on note pads, in my phone, word documents, on the palms of my hand, on tables,
regular papers, napkins and published on the internet for all to read and criticize. A blank sheet
of paper is my canvas and a pen my paintbrush. I cannot have a day go by without writing. It is
such a wonderful way to let sour emotions and feelings go. Writing is therapeutic to me, the only
thing dear to me. When I was trapped in an abominable bell jar, writing saved me. It is my one
special passion; my escape from normal tragic life. I tend to see the dark side in things and my
opinions reflect that. I am a highly skeptical person and question everything; reason being that I
seek truth. I am not a sheep; I do not follow the herd, and cannot be enslaved by the whims of
others. I am not subordinate to any "God". I am a freethinker. I also do not complain about
things which I need not subject myself to.
I am a sensitive girl, and have been so ever since I was old enough to understand all of which

surrounded me. I am forever changing until the time of my death. Every day I learn and discover
something new about myself. My mind is like a spinning vortex; like a tangled ball of yarn. My
thoughts are endless and crush me. I feel terribly inconsequential and dull. I fear that I am
boring, and that I will get absolutely nowhere in life. I feel as if my future will be doomed and I
will remain unhappy just as I am today. All of it my thoughts are incredibly unsettling. Sometimes
I awake in the morning with such a wretched heavy ominous feeling; as if 200 pounds of lead is
resting in my skull and on these mornings I want nothing more than to just go back to sleep; and
to stay asleep. Despite having said all that has been said here; I still do not completely know
who I am. I know I rationally may have a vague sense, but still I cannot genuinely feel it.
I am a person that will continuously change, and I will leave room for myself to do so. I am an
immensely open minded individual who enjoys debating on the many controversial topics that
exist in our world. I am a creative thinker, and a dreamer. I value intelligence, and find it to be
the most attractive trait that a person can have. I hope one day to travel to many places and see
all that this beautiful world has to offer. I enjoy art, philosophical conversations and deep
sentimental movies. I am Eva; a melancholic insecure human being and can only hope to
continue to stay motivated in order to reach my dreams and find a place where I will not only
belong, but also be able to make a difference.

I've been giving a lot of thought at the beginning of 2016 about who I am and
what I do, equally important, why I do it. My career has always been
inseparable from my personal life - our parents instilled us with a fierce work
and education ethic - and from that perspective, regardless of my title or the
size of the paycheck I have received, I am very clear on two things, 1) first is
that I wouldn't be who or where I am without the guidance and investment of
others in me (more on these amazing people in future posts), and 2) I really
am the same busboy who cleared tables; Grocery store bagger who organized
them into a few bags or multiple light ones and carried them out to people's
cars; Daily Trojan photo editor capturing moments of athletic performance or
students making their way through four years of personal development;
Student athletic trainer taping up college football players so they could
perform their best and take one more step with confidence toward their
dreams; Personal trainer who helped countless people to lose hundreds of
pounds, improve their health, dunk a basketball, strengthen their
relationships and help them find their smile and confidence again; Analyst,
writer and project manager who helped people much smarter than I will ever
be to effectively communicate to juries and regulators; Strategist and business
planner for one of the most notorious rap labels in American Music history;

Chief of staff to two of the most impressive people I've ever known who gave
me more confidence than I ever had before or since because without exception
they trusted me with their own careers and professional success and even that
of an entire $1.6B practice under scrutiny from Congress; Coach for elite
athletes and thousands of ordinary people who found running and endurance
sports to be a way for them to positively express themselves and achieve goals
they never thought possible; Trustee to a wonderful charitable foundation that
helped thousands of children to embrace healthy and active lifestyles and gave
a hopeful voice to them as they positively influenced the behaviors of their
parents; Consultant to ordinary men and women with impressive titles who
had a job to do and looked to people like to me to help them to do it better and
to succeed; and Manager and Account leader providing an ear, sharing
experiences, articulating a vision and hopefully giving these wonderful people
the voice that they needed to allow them to be the best that they can be, so
they can grow into the amazing contributors and leaders we know they can be.
This is who I am. This is what I do. I'm still the busboy and the boy packing up
your groceries. I just do it within a different context and for a different
paycheck. I think my parents would have been proud had they lived long
enough to know me during these years. Hopefully the list doesn't end here.
But even if it does, I can find happiness in the knowledge that I made a
positive difference in people's lives and they have indelibly impacted mine. I
can't ask for much more than that.

Power of Self-Reflection.
Who Am I?
Self-reflection is the key to attaining a real and profound change
within yourself. Without adequate awareness attempts to change
oneself by imposing different behavior cannot sustain lasting results.
A deeper knowledge of the source of manifested reality is required.
The questions; "Why my life is the way it is?", "Why do I make choices
that aren't best for me?", "Why I feel trapped?" lead to a major

question: "Who Am I?".

Ancient Greeks placed self-knowledge as penultimate prize of learning.
Indeed knowing yourself directly affects outcomes in your life, your
ability to respond to life's events with courage, clarity and
determination. Self-knowledge is the path to genuine happiness and
freedom.
When we move into self-reflection we direct our mindful inquiry
toward answers about the quality and nature of our existence. Our
willingness and fearless honesty will determine the depth of the
answers we receive.
One of the valuable reasons travel provides for self-refelection is that
our typical structure of everyday life is disrupted. Whether we plan it
or not, we are "nudged" out of comfortable sleepwalking of everyday
life and presented with the opportunity to peek behind the image of
our world.
That includes a broader perspective on our relationships, our values
where we spend our time and resources, and internal responses to
other people and situations. Travel journey may provide natural
conditions for self-reflection and answers to the question: "Who Are
You?".
WHO ARE YOU?
If someone were to ask you this question, what would be your answer?
- I am Jim, or Ellen, you would answer.

 It is the name others call you, but Who Are You?

I am a man, or a woman who is a research assistant or a high school
teacher, married or single, who is a vegetarian, enjoying running
marathons or solving crossword puzzles.
It a gender of your body, and that is a function you perform in a
society, you mentioned a social status and activities you like perform,
but Who Are You?
And you continue self-reflection until you put aside all the labels and
roles with which you were taught and conditioned to identify yourself.
Go even further and ask yourself how do you know that you are a man
or a woman. You will come ahead noticing that a gender was assigned
to you to identify you according to the anatomy of your body, but WHO
ARE YOU?
You may answer: I am my "self"!
To the question of where or what is this self, most would begin to
provide a collection of numerous descriptions of type of personality,
preferences and behavior. But with a more scrupulous investigation you
will notice that those are beliefs, crystalized forms of a limited
perception and reactions caused by them, but it is not the self.
Any definition of self appearing as a result of self-reflection comes
from a had experience, which is our past and therefore is not real.
Essentially it is only a biased mental selection with a label. It is a
psychological attachment to something that is imagined in the present
moment. Is that real? What is real only happening in this present
moment.

But what is this self?

Self is empty; any imposed definition of it is only a frame cast upon the
fullness of experience. You can say that there is no self, only the
experience. This moment of awareness is what we refer superficially as
self. Single present moment awareness - is what you are! It's nature is
boundless, yet it rises and falls like a wave in the infinity of an ocean.
Awareness of emptiness of independently existing "self" is absence of
resistance to the flow of life. No self is not imagining a self devoid of
structures and boundaries, but a direct experience of awareness that is
spontaneously and creatively engaged in life.
You may find out that you are here, you are conscious of YOU, but you
cannot find YOU, your boundary: beginning or the end; nor can
science. You exist but you are immaterial. You are a consciousness, a
single present moment thinking only, having an experience of a limited
human form.
You are an individuated part of The Whole, Spirit, Universal
Consciousness, God or Buddha Mind. In fact you are That, which is
beyond claim of any word of duality or implied separation.

Consequences of self-reflection,
knowing Who You Are.
Knowing of your infinite nature, awareness of reality as it is is
reflected in a liberated experience of one's life. Self-reflection is a
guiding method to merge with a vast continuum of it, translated on
three levels of a human experience: Physical, Mental and Emotional.
Though unexamined and limited interpretations of reality and
attachments shaped on a Mental and Emotional levels create
consequences of unhappiness and struggle reflected on the Physical
plane of experience.
Sense of Awe Transcendent effect of self-reflection.
Source of Inspiration. Unrestrained by limited definitions of past
conditioning, your mind is open to the source of enthusiastic
living with inspiration. Here you understand where is the cause of
your experience. If you desire to have a change in your
experience, you will start right by generating correct causes first.

Openness. It is where thoughts of inspiration are seamlessly

converted to action without a doubt or procrastination. Knowing
yourself ensures openness to inner guidance.

Authentic Freedom. Unmoved by the influence of the group,

recognition of Who You Are gives rise to individuality of authentic
living, your true sense of freedom of non-resistance.

 Creative Flow. When you know that creativity does not belong to
you, but flows through you, your expression tends to be a
spontaneous expression of cooperation with The Source.

Unconditioned Confidence. Freed from limitation of conformity

or aggression of superiority, results in gratitude and approval of
your whole life, preventing loss of precious life energy through
escaping to the future fantasy or clinging to past judgments.

Transcendent Identity. This is the realm of miracles and heroic

acts. It is when an individual stops identification with the limited
common view of oneself, perceiving what could be done or
achieved only in accordance with familiar patterns of actions.
This is the place of surrender and faith, in modern terms called a
"quantum leap".
Spiritual Practice. It might become natural to seek
self-care practices that promote self-reflection and deepen and
stabilize the experience of integrated living.
Personal Reflections: Who I am
Psychology 400
July 15, 2011

Who I am
Who am I? What do I stand for? What are my attitudes and goals? How do I demonstrate these
things in my life? All the questions posed are ones we all ask ourselves from time to time. The very
concept permeates our lives as it is found in everything from books to music. One of the more

poignant musical connections can be found in a song dedicated to the recognition of self written by
James and Megan Rollins and sung by Jessica Andrews entitled Who I am. The chorus lyrics sum up
the very idea of how we perceive ourselves; I am Rosemarys granddaughter, spitting image of my
father, and when the day is done, my mommas still my biggest fan. Im clueless and Im clumsy, but
Ive got friends who love me, and they know just where I stand, Its all a part of me, Its who I am.I
can relate to many of the lyrics in the song as I am sure many of can but does this truly sum up who
we are?
My personal sense of self developed throughout my life and is constantly adapting to the social
climate I live in. It has changed accordingly as I age, mature, and interact in life. A multitude of
factors affect my personal self image such as education, social climate, and important events. Any
number of factors can affect who we are and how we see ourselves; in essence changing who I am
almost seamlessly.
Self in the Social World
Understanding self concept is important when considering self in the social world. An individuals
self concept is defined by the Collins English Dictionary as
the whole set of attitudes, opinions, and cognitions that a person has of him/herself (Self-concept,
n.d.). In order to find accomplishment and achievement in an individuals life they must know who
they are. This answer can be found through the examination of self concept as this helps an individual
organize thoughts and actions accordingly. (Myers, 2010)
Individuals see...

Reflection of Who I Am

I believe life is a learning experience and we all have certain personal strengths and
weaknesses. Knowing what we are good at and what we are weak in can help us to
become better people. Recognizing weaknesses along with having the desire to
improve on them is a skill that I have.
For me, recognizing personal strengths and weaknesses is key to being a successful
person. If I realize I have a weakness in a certain area of my life, I will work to improve
myself in that area. I consider this personal attribute of mine a strength. I also use my
personal strengths to improve myself in the areas where I am weak.
My greatest personal strength that permeates into other areas of my life is persistence,
persistence to be good at whatever I do. I set high standards for myself. I believe in
doing things well in order to be successful with what I do and with the commitments, I
make.

A personal-strength of mine at home is I am a dedicated Father. I first became a Father

at the age of eighteen, and by the age of twenty-two, I had three children. It has been
over sixteen years now since my first child was born. I have dedicated myself to my
children in many ways, such as being their baseball coach, encouraging them to set
goals and pursue wholesome activities, sports, music, and supplying them with the tools
they need to accomplish their goals. I enjoy being a father and a coach.
Secondly I am a dedicated husband. My wife and I have been together over seventeen
years. We both came from parents that had divorced. We have made a commitment to
each other to make our marriage a success. We have been together seventeen years
now and our commitment to each other is stronger then ever.
Personal strengths I have that contribute in my professional career are: pride in work,
goal orientated, effective leadership abilities, good budgeting and finance abilities.
These strengths have a
...
Self-Assessment and Reflection Paper

Self-Assessment and Reflection Paper

In the last seven weeks, I had an opportunity to look back and analyze the events that
has shaped my life. This was a unique experience where I was emotionally comfortable
enough to look back at life. I was able to objectively revisit many events that were often
buried and too painful to face. I was free from the turmoil of emotional fears of failure,
anger, regret and loneliness, which often clouded my perception. .
I was able to dwell on many pleasant and unpleasant events with more comfort and
confidence. I accepted each event as part of life, regardless of whether it was a good or

bad experience. I understand that life transpires even when we are not prepared for it,
but more importantly, it is how we deal with circumstances that keep us going forward.
For the first time, there was clarity and I became aware of two main points one was my
life changing/challenging experience and the second was my financial growth.
My life has been a journey filled with challenging experience, which consist of some
unfixable actions, like leaving home. I grew up in an authoritarian, religious environment
where personal expression and freedom did not exist. Since I could remember, there
was a constant pressure for me to conform into Indian Christian society. Over the years
the burden of not being able to convey my feelings and endless demands grew to
hatred and retaliation toward my parents. The day after my high school graduation,
without letting anybody know I disappeared. I packed all my belongings and moved to
Houston, where my friend had moved a year before. My moving was one of the greatest
decisions I ever made, helping me to mature as an individual and to understand and
experience a life that I never thought possible.
One major guilty element that has plagued me is how I had deceived my parents and
left them with a bag of fears and uncertainty. Witho
The Reflection of Myself

I stare out my window, head resting tilted on folded arms, as

dusk slowly turns to night. As the last ray of light dissipates on
the horizon, a reflection of a girl appears on the glass. Who is the
girl I see? I gaze into her eyes, and see more than what meets the
The reflection shows a softened image of her face. Dark hair

streaked with blond, with about a month's worth of roots, smooth

skin, large eye outlined with long lashes, darkened by circles
beneath. She presents her upturned nose with embarrassment, although
her pouted lips often suggest disdain instead. With each passing
moment, her personality becomes clearer, transparent like the glass
In her soul, I see paradox personified. The loud mouthed girl
who goes over her thoughts three times before speaking a word. The
typical teen that throws every article of clothes she owns on her bed
but documents each day in her perfectly organized planner. The
child, who spins in circles to make herself dizzy, screaming made up
words to the wind, but later sits alone and silent on her bed,
writing an introspective paper about herself. She doesn't often show
her true self to anyone, although, for some reason, she chooses to
let me in. I see her habit of displaying the facade first, guarding
her feelings, until someone has proven him or her self a true
friend. As a result, many "friends" often surround her who know very
little about her, aside from her sarcastic nature, and few that know

every detail. She never lets go of anything, whether it's people,

conversations, or things. For this reason, she anticipates the worst
and distances herself often, in effort to escape emotional pain.
However, despite her flaws she is a generally happy, optimistic
person. She is a great judge of charac
Essay of Who Am I?

Believe it or not, I find very difficult to talk about myself. I think that the only way to
accurately describe myself is to give a little background information. I was born in
Indianapolis, where I have lived my whole life. I live in an old three-story farmhouse,
which was built in the 1780's. It has been remodeled somewhat since then but all of the
woodwork is the same. The surroundings are beautiful, like a calendar picture. The
house sat on about 15 acres of land. Most of that was in the woods and there was a
small stream that ran through it. As a child, I was very adventurous. It seemed like every
day I would travel further and further from my house. I was always the one who was
curious about how far we could go and what else could we do. My friends looked to me
as a leader.
As I got older, I realized that I had some athletic talent. I began to play just about every
sport that I could for my elementary school and middle school. Baseball, and football
were the two sports that I excelled at all during high school and now in college.
Even though sports took up a lot of my time as a child and as a teenager, I felt that there
was something missing in my life. It is something that made me who I am today and still
works through me daily. I am talking the love of my personal savior Jesus Christ. It took
me 14 years of my life to realize how lost I was without him. He comes before

everything in my life. That is why I am proud to say that I am a Christian. If I did not
have Christ in my life I would not be the great person who I am today.