The importance of connecting with yourself

Most of us are caught up in our daily routines – the rigmarole of doing things that ought to be done and interacting with people that are a part of our lives. This is like a vortex, sucking us in deeper and deeper into ceaseless social interactions. In this busyness, we forget who we are. We lose sight of what moves us, what drives us and much more fundamentally – who we are.

In times of crisis such as these, these fault lines are exposed. We feel shaken. We feel fear. We feel restless. We can no longer do the things that kept us from addressing those fundamental questions – what moves me? What do I really want in life? Who am I? Suddenly we are faced with that we had stowed away in the cellar of our innermost selves. And this brings up all emotions that we just didn’t have the time to address. We fixed appointments, we fixed meetings, we used work as an escape mechanism, we drank, we made merry and partied and travelled to satisfy the urge to escape. In a sense, we were escaping from ourselves all along.

Let us pause. Let us use this opportunity as a lifeline. This is the summer holiday that we always wanted – paid or unpaid. Let us have the courage to face our fears and examine what were really want in life. Why do we do what we do? Is it for social approbation? Or do we it, because we love to do it? Let us use this time to start exploring hobbies and perhaps even career avenues, which we thought we would like but never got around to doing it. Give yourself fully to this activity and see how you relate to this.

You recognize your calling when you can do it without the expectation of any praise or recognition. You want to dance, then you dance not to become the best dancer in the world, but because you helplessly enjoy it. You want to play the guitar, not to be featured on America’s top talents, but because the sound of the strings move you deeply. This hobby or activity should bring about a deep sense of calm as opposed to the excitement that winning an award brings. When we are calm, we find deep solace, when we find that, we know we are home. We begin to understand who we are and what our true essence as human beings is.

So, start using this time and begin the journey. Encourage that feeling of wanderlust – just shift the direction from outwards to inwards.

Enjoy the journey!