Most suffering is the result of fighting ourselves,
as we try to be something we’re not.
We’re taught to do so since childhood:
ignoring our feelings, controlling our behavior, suppressing our instincts.
And when we discover that the reward for muting ourselves is anxiety and depression,
we turn to spirituality or psychology that tells us how to control ourselves even more.
It’s a vicious loop that drains your money and your energy at the same time, leaving you more and more dependent on the ideas and advice of “experts”.
This is all because rather than learn about who we are and what works best for us, we’re taught a lifetime of beliefs about who we should be instead.
And so becoming conscious isn’t about “reprogramming” your subconscious or dragging your subconscious into consciousness, but finding out who we are when we let them work together.
This starts with asking a very simple question.
“Who am I?”
When we’re asked this, you’ll discover that what comes up is a series of stories about who you were, or ideas you’ve heard from others about yourself.
In other words, lies.
So, becoming conscious isn’t some complicated, exotic thing.
It’s finding out what happens when you stop lying to yourself.
The first lie is
“I am what others see.”
The lie of validation and image.
It’s the belief that you can be anyone you want. That If you can convince people to see you a certain way, it will mean you are that person.
The bigger a hold this lie has on you, the more you feel that nobody knows or understands the real you.
We undo this lie by learning how to feel your emotions.
The second lie is
“I am what I do.”
The lie of identity.
It’s defining yourself by your role, job title, or what you do with your time, rather than who you are.
This lie traps you in an idea of yourself, where you feel guilty about doing anything that could actually make you grow outside your role.
We undo this lie by learning how to listen to your instincts.
The third lie is
“I am my past.”
The lie of consistency.
Nearly all behavior is learned behavior, either unconsciously or deliberately.
This lie forces us to prioritize consistency over congruency, and we keep repeating actions and patterns simply because we always have.
You can only undo this lie yourself, using the lessons of the first two.