Identifying the Self! - A quick Glance -- An excerpt :)

                     Quite simply, if we ask ourselves what we are not, suddenly what we truly are, comes shining through. It is a simple task to ask yourself what you are not; "I am not unkind, evil, greedy, etc.", and most of us can answer this question. But it does require an honest answer in order to uncover the truth of who we are. If we answer this question without complete honesty, we are fooling no one,but ourselves. But over all it is a good starting point for identifying who you really are. And quite possibly to make any changes that we realize, we are in need of.

                       But we shouldnt confuse our true identity with the ego. And through this careful evaluations, some answers will clearly be ego rather than self. In this case, don't take the ego too seriously.  The ego is not who we really are. The person who you are is found deep within you. Your deepest, most inner values, and beliefs. The place where you always find peace, even in times of all those turmoils. The place where you find hope, and faith in something bigger than you, more powerful than you. However, it is you, that holds this hope, faith, and strength within.

                      The ego is our worst enemy over all, it is the core of all dysfunction in one's life. It is always easier to point out the ego in others rather than ourselves; however, at times we realize that it is our very own ego that is what we allow to drive us through life, and often times it will bring additional frustration or suffering of some kind. Developed at a very young age, this ego becomes a part of us, or what most of us consider to be our identity, but really ego is simply thoughts of the mind and that is all; and our real self is far deeper than that of the ego. The ego is judgmental, jealous, conceited, unsatisfied, seeks power, and so on. It struggles to fight against anything that comes it's way to justify itself, and ultimately, to win at any cost.

                            The real part of who we are is found when we look deep inside "without thinking or allowing ego to take part", and we discover that there is something there that is always at peace regardless of any opposing things that come our way. And it is at this place where a person turns to, in order to reconcile with the problems that they face.  And often, people do this without even realizing or being conscious of the fact that they have turned inward for the answers that they are so desperate to find. This is the exact reason why people turn to meditatation and stuffs like that on a regular basis. There is the old saying "If you can't trust yourself, whom can you trust?"; this phrase is referring to your deepest, most inner self, not the ego.

                     Truly, when we look within ourselves to discover the shortcomings that we have, we learn that we still have more room for improvement. Unfortunately, there is no graduation period where we find ourselves "perfect or flawless". As long as we have this imperfect body, & ego as well as dealing with others who are imperfect; we will continue finding additional challenges that come our way throughout our lives, as well as ways tomake ourselves better. And that is what life is all about. Some challenges are small and some are large, however, they are all lessons that help us grow. And we should not necessarily invite these challenges, but when the challenges do come our way we should simply look at them as lessons for personal growth.

                      The benefit of looking within one's self is most important, as we find a place within ourselves, that is always at peace. This peace we carry with us, is consistant, and where ever  we go and through every experience we encounter in life it gives us the shade to rest on. Even in the most tragic of times we find that a "certain strength" comes from within, that we never knew even existed. Many people think that this strength was bestowed by The Almighty God on need; however, to be true, it is a part of us that has always been there. And yes, it came from God, but was placed within us when we were born. And until that moment arised where we actually needed it, we never knew it was there! We just, had to turn inward "consciously",to find it deep within us.

                      Lastly, the benefits of identifying self and looking within, on a "regular basis" are endless. The blessings that follow the personal growth that we have through the years are countless and priceless. Suddenly our outlook on life becomes completely different as we mature into beautiful, unique individuals. Our gratitude for the smallest things become large monumental blessings that give us additional strength and hope. We find ourselves giving to others who are less fortunate, to extend our wealth of peace in life. And over all, we find that our lives become more fruitful and fulfilling in every aspect! :)