A picture named dd10.jpg

"Conversation. What is it? A Mystery! It's the art of never seeming bored, of touching everything with interest, of pleasing with trifles, of being fascinating with nothing at all. How do we define this lively darting about with words, of hitting them back and forth, this sort of brief smile of ideas which should be conversation?" Guy de Maupassant

Friday, June 1, 2007

A picture named thought.jpg"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A reminder to reflect more on 'Who I Am' rather than on 'What I Do'. What I do brings me success and recognition, both hugely motivating, but is it significant to who I am? Doing often makes me wear masks, which put me in my comfort zone - being rarely does.

Who I am is often defined by others, who I am is how others see me. What I do is what people see and how they put it all together is to them who I am. But to be.... just be... is just being true to yourself.

We often do what we think is expected because of who we think we are. Which is again perhaps in line with Cooley's Looking - Glass Self phenomenon which suggests that "a person views himself or herself through others' perceptions in society and in turn gains identity. Identity, or self, is the result of the concept in which we learn to see ourselves as others do (Yeung, et al. 2003)"

And when we let ourselves 'be', it really can be so easy and is fun too. I want to learn to feel this difference and not just view myself through reflections in others' mirrors. Really listen, understand the balance between the two, and learn to navigate the streams that let us flow from one to the other.

[Image sent to me last year by a friend - its titled 'Thought']

[Afterthought - I think I need a holiday :):):)]



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