Today’s quotation:

To set us on a clear path, it is important to communicate well, at least with ourselves.  To know what we want, to understand what we mean, and to learn to express ourselves clearly, with as little confusion as possible.  If you are confused about yourself, you can expect to be misunderstood by those around you.  You have to set your mind straight, and that is a task that no one else can undertake for you. -Rosemary Altea

Today’s Meditation:

So many of us are confused about who we are, what we want, and what we expect of ourselves.  And it’s little wonder, as we grow up, we see and hear so many conflicting messages about what others expect us to be, want us to be, and think we should be.  Do I want to make tons of money at work, or do I want to serve?  Should I seek revenge when someone wrongs me, or should I forgive?  Should I choose a spouse based on surface details such as looks, or should I marry someone who has the potential to make me truly happy?

I often do things that I think I want to do, only to find out later that I didn’t really want to do it because I’m not happy with the outcome.  My mind wasn’t straight at the outset because I couldn’t make a proper decision, even though I should have known the probable outcomes.  Sometimes, I send mixed messages to others because I say I stand for one thing, then take actions that seem to say that I stand for something else.  Perhaps I’m simply trying to please everyone instead of doing what I know to be correct.

Setting our minds straight is figuring out just what we stand for and what we believe to be true and right and just, and then acting in ways that support those beliefs.  Setting our minds straight allows us to react with balance and moderation when others do things we may see as wrong.  Setting our minds straight allows us to act with kindness and compassion because we’re not worried about what other people will think about our actions–we know that we’re doing what we believe to be correct.

Being our honest selves can be difficult in a world that so often wants us to be someone else, in a world where the people around us have their expectations about what we should be.  Being the person we know we are is the best thing we can give to the world, though, because that’s the only way that we’re going to be able to use our own personal gifts and strengths to make our own personal contributions to our own corners of the world and the people in it who share it with us.

Questions to consider:

Why do so many people find acting as their authentic selves difficult?

What does it mean not giving your “honest self” to life?

Why do we tend to show the world sides of ourselves that may not be authentic or honest?-

For further thought:

The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.-Fred Rogers
The World According to Mr. Rogers

If you missed our last Daily Meditation, it is here.