This week I've been thinking about satya, or truth. The second yama. I think we all know on the surface that we should tell the truth and lying is bad (with the caveat of non-violence thrown in there as our guiding principal of course). But how often do we deny our own truths? Or are we even aware of our own truths?
We go through our day to day lives, go to work, come home, make supper, do the laundry etc... but do we stop and think about who we really are, what is important to us, what are our guiding principals. This summer as part of a workshop I had to write my own manifesto. What I believed to be my guiding principals that would steer my behaviour and choices. For me they were compassion and joy, and when I work and live with those two things in my mind and my heart, I am living my truth. I know that when I am feeling upset, frustrated or burnt out it is because I am living outside of my truth. I am not interacting with people from a place of compassion, I am not being compassionate to myself, I am no longer finding joy, or giving myself permission to experience it. This is true in my job, my family and my marriage. Your guiding principals may be very different than mine, and of course that is fine. You may not even know what they are. I challenge you to put some thought into it. What is it about things that light a spark in you? For some people it is helping others, for some it is organization, for some it might be creating safety. What is it for you?
In our day to day lives we often lose sight of the big picture. We get bogged down in the day to day. I know that for me that means that I am usually missing out on joy and fun. We I am frustrated in traffic or at the grocery store, it is because I am not living from a place of compassion, and when I try and switch my mindset I usually feel better.
Over time you may find that what is true for you changes. You might find that to live your truth you need to set clear boundaries around you. These are challenging things to face. But there is one more truth that we often forget about. We are stronger than we can ever imagine. Right now, right here, you are already perfect and you don't need anything else. That is the ultimate truth.
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