EXPLORATION
How does a little excitement in your life sound right about now? Some of you may feel as though you are in a rut – stuck in neutral. Fortunately, there are several ways to deal with this. If you are willing to commit a little time and energy, I believe you can move forward and experience some much needed fun and excitement in your life!
Exploration of self will take you on twists and turns – hills and valleys. Exploring self, ideas, feelings, beliefs, etc. can be rigorous, but very helpful in growing and evolving as a person. I envision self-exploration as a scavenger hunt of life experiences and opportunities. When you take the time to inspect what’s on the list, you might just find something intriguing.
The root of exploration comes from our infancy. We explored our environment from day one. As infants, we explored and developed spatial awareness within our bassinet or crib. We studied the mobiles our parents hung above our heads. We traversed through the toys that were scattered on the play mats. With each encounter, our brains made connections and we learned something new every day. As children, we asked the infamous question, “Why?” several times a day. It was a naturally hard-wired behavior to learn through exploring our environment. We took toys apart and put them back together. We played in the dirt and tested boundaries daily. As teens we explored the world of friendships, social gatherings, school functions, educational opportunities. As we explored, we learned and adapted to our surroundings.
We naturally gravitate toward those things that bring us excitement – the things that feed our curiosity. After exploration begins, and we have a positive outcome, we thirst for more. Often times, when we enter into adulthood, we have explored enough to know what we “think” we want in life. I would say that most people just scratch the surface of knowing what they want out of life. Many people repeat what they learned from their parents, caretakers or teachers. They set goals at the end of their high school career and then push forward, often not taking the time to re-assess as they grow and evolve. This is where the feeling of being in a rut or feeling stuck enters the picture.
Digging deep into ourselves is hard work and time consuming, but it will fill you with joy when your life becomes completely aligned with your authentic self. The importance of exploration remains the same no matter what your age. When you begin your journey of self-exploration, it’s first important to identify your core values. Making your life decisions through the filter of your core values will keep you on the path of working toward your highest good. It’s a win, win experience!
I would like to challenge everyone to look within themselves and evaluate your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. Don’t just skim the surface of what you are doing or who you really are. There is a joy-filled life waiting for you. It’s right at your fingertips, you just have to look at the root of who you are. Dig in and explore, you’ll be glad you did!
A few questions….
- What do you love about your life? Is there something missing? EXPLORE your feelings, thoughts and actions – find the answers!
- Rank the five most important things in your life (family should only be listed as one thing). Does your daily life align with what you prioritized on your list?
- Has your personality changed since childhood? If so, how and why?
Growing word by word,
Jackie
Challenge accepted. I’m going to think about & answer these questions and also ask the kids what their answers would be. Thanks Jackie for this blog!