Know thyself: Understanding your family patterns, programming and beliefs.
Me in mom’s garden
Greetings! The countdown has begun….I’m scheduled to fly back to the US soon, and I have an abundant mixture of feelings! It’s been an incredible trip home to Sweden-filled with emotions for an entire drama series. Keeping up with the Kardashians…? Ha! Try keeping up with my family! Joking aside (maybe not completely) I’ve come to understand myself on an even deeper level than I thought possible.
Want to know thyself? I invite you to study the following: Genetics. Programming. Family systems. Ancestry. Culture. Environment. Values. Beliefs. Religion. Faith. Trauma. Experiences. Do so with more compassion, less judgment. With more curiosity, less conclusions. With more acceptance, less resistance. With more love, less fear. And with an open heart.
That’s what I’ve been up to for the past almost 3 months. I’ve learned what family means to me. I’ve studied my role in the family and how that plays out in other areas of life. Wherever you go, there you are…
I’ve come to understand the origin of some of my patterns, programming and beliefs. I can clearly see what I’ve resisted and rebelled against; I can also see what messages I’ve taken to heart and live by- like some sort of ‘life-code’…to give a few examples, in my family we:
work hard: work ethics is ingrained from an early age, and we’re a family of doers
seek solutions for any problem: we’re like Vanilla Ice-if there’s a problem, yo-I’ll solve it…It’s a personal challenge and deeply rooted in our survival skills
help others: coming from a culture of collectivism, where the whole was more important than the part, where togetherness and support was non-negotiable it’s in my DNA to be of service, to help and think of others
have a lot of pride; this is a double edge sword. There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. 'Good pride' represents our dignity and self-respect. 'Bad pride' is superiority that reeks arrogance.
So, what the heck is the point and what do you do with all this so called self awareness and self knowledge? Does it even matter? As one of my teachers would challenge: For the purpose of what? Besides...sometimes it seems that the more I learn, the less I know.
In psychology, the study of self-knowledge has tended to focus on how accurate we are at determining our own internal states, such as our emotions, personality, and attitudes. Knowing who we were and who we will be are as important to self-knowledge as knowing who we are in the present.
What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on family, self awareness and if it serves a “purpose.”
And if you’ve followed my trip to Sweden while my dad is going through cancer treatment, he’s doing well! We’re very grateful and blessed.
To Powerful, Positive Change…Cheers!