Have you ever wondered about the opposing voices in your head?
One says: "You can make it through the yellow light. Speed up!"
The other one quietly nudges: "Don’t do that. Don’t do it!
Which one wins the debate?
At birth, we arrive with the self-evident parts of “Predetermined Me”:
a spirit that quietly nudges us in a certain direction
a soul that includes a mind, will-power and emotions
and a physical body used to operate and express ourselves to the world.
Upon closer observation, these 3 parts of our “predetermined self” are divided into additional pieces:
with our intuition and soul awareness included in the spirit
our thought processes in a computer-like filing system as a part of the soul
and a group of complex systems collaborating to make up our physical body.
Those pieces are again. . . broken down into additional pieces.
When recognizing the depth of our being. . . we began to appreciate how little we know about ourselves.
These baseline elements of “predetermined me” are like a river. It naturally flows in a certain direction and usually empties into a larger body of water. If we learn to flow with it, we enjoy the complicated journey to a larger more open space.
However, we do have options.
We can choose to swim against the natural flow of that current. This choice requires harder strokes and can often lead to waisted energy. . . energy in a fight to be stuck in one place.
Choosing the natural flow, while still complicated, offers a much smoother ride.
So. . . How do we Embrace "Pre-Determined Me”?
1
The First Step is to Grasp the Bigger Picture
As important as we desire to be in our individual world, seeing the bigger picture helps us see our roles in a clearer light.
We live on a planet that was predesigned for our well-being with food, oxygen, water and the materials needed for survival.
This is proof that the Earth was partially built for us.
However, for everyone currently living, Earth existed before we were born. . . and is likely to continue to exist after our current life expectancy of 80 years, give or take.
And it’s not alone…
According to NASA, scientists are still discovering other exoplanets with a confirmed count of more than 5,000 as of 2022.
What does this mean?
While our lifespan is limited, the earth and the work being done in it has the capacity to advance well beyond our years. As individuals, we are a small piece of a very large and complex puzzle of life. And the work that outlives us plays a major role in that puzzle.
Look at how the concept of building roads by the Egyptians thousands of years ago has evolved into massive freeways connecting states and countries to each other, often expanding over large bodies of water. We use these Interstate Highway Systems without much thought of where they came from.
Look at how a relay-based calculator opened the minds of engineers in previous generations to the possibilities of a digitally programmable computer. This concept has continuously evolved into the smartphones, computers and TVs that are pillars in our modern society today. While the average user spends hours on these devices, we rarely remember that someone’s life work has provided us with these privileges.
Our contributions to community and society as a whole can be a long-term endowment. One that continues to contribute to the world long after our limited lifespan.
Grasping this bigger picture allows us to better see how our portion of the puzzle fits into that massive plan.
2
Develop An Open-Minded Approach
Welcoming new information and ideas is a prerequisite for answering the question: "Who Am I ?". And the search for what already exists on the deeper levels of our spirit, soul and body is an exploratory journey to discover and examine the root of everything we believe and do.
So. . . How do we practice open-mindedness?
By developing the habit of critically thinking about information and ideas, as an outsider in an observational manner first. See if it makes sense as an abstract life principle before attempting to apply it to your preconceived beliefs.
This is often easier said than done. Resisting the tendency to make everything fit into a structured belief system can be challenging. Those barriers within yourself are built to secure what you already know; as if it’s everything there is to know.
It’s a secured learning mindset that limits our ability to analyze ideas in different contexts. Aim to listen and understand unbiased ideas first. An open-mind is essential to embracing the core essence of who you are.
3
Recognize the Internal Hierarchy
It’s predesigned for:
the soul to be second in command to the spirit’s intuition, self-awareness and bigger picture guidance
and for the body to be third in command to the soul’s mind, will-power and emotions.
The physical body, through our sensory experiences of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch, has the capacity to guide us with external beauty and physical pleasure as our main focus.
This keeps us on the basic level of our humanity, with a life that resembles the animals. It’s a lower-level of survival, with Maslow’s examples of physiological needs as the main goal instead of a higher-level of thriving in self-actualization and transcendence.
The soul, on the other hand, has:
the ability to reason with intellect and logic in an extraordinary mind
the strength of will-power to delay instant gratification for long-term goals
and the ability to maximize our chances of survival and success with adaptive emotions.
We function much better when the physical body looks to the soul for guidance, instead of being guided by the senses.
Let’s look at the soul’s need to follow the spirit in our internal hierarchy.
The mind has the capacity to continuously speak; with ideas and opinions in overdrive. According to sleepfoundation.org, 66% of us are still talking even when we sleep. Effective communication requires the ability to listen, internally, for that spiritual part of self.
The natural river flow of our best life already exists. When we learn the art of controlling the noise of the mind, the spirit can be heard with intuition, self-awareness and big picture guidance leading the way.
Controlling the mind is the preparation needed to hear our internal spirit.
Meditation continues to be one of the best methods to develop that internal dance routine with your mind and your spirit. Like the subtle sound of flowing water, our spirit whispers, leading us to the next best step of our journey.
According to the University of Nevada, slower tempo music can assist with the quietening of your mind during meditation. Soothing instrumental music, without words, is an effective tool for relaxing the mind and body.....to hear that more subtle part of your spirit.
Recognize and respect your internal hierarchy.
Master the art of flowing in your own river.
4
Prepare to Launch Out into the Deep
Unlocking your potential requires measuring the depth of “Predetermined Me”:
the depth of our intellect
the depth of our personality
and the depth of our ability to maintain stability in adverse situations
to name a few.
Deep work is the ability to focus without distractions with an aim to master complicated information.
This is a challenge…. in a culture that:
glorifies hyperactivity to the detriment of our internal thoughts
and encourages external opinions in group platforms over internal intuition.
So. . . how do we prepare to launch out into the deep?
By planning for a season of mental decluttering. Becoming a “mental minimalist”. One way to do this is to reduce technology distractions like social media, TV and group texting.
Another way to mentally declutter is to “audit your time”. Simplify your schedule by letting go of non-essential appointments and tasks to create a space for internal explorations.
Our mental health desires and deserves a period of fasting from external mental stimulants. A fast encourages introspection and allows you the time needed to strengthen yourself.
Make the necessary preparations to launch out into the deep -
By making mental space:
in your soul
with your body
for your spirit
Embrace the self-evident concept of "Predetermined Me" -
To explore the question:
“Who Am I ?”
One step at a time. . .
A balanced “Me” becomes a stronger community of “We”
Subscribe to explore the commonalities of our humanity with us.
One topic at a time. . .
From the inside out.
Welcome to Circles of You.
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