One of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life was to stare in the mirror. When is the last time you have done so? I am not talking about checking your hair or making sure you look cute. What I speak of, is the long earnest stare into your own eyes.

Think back in the recent history. Very rarely do we allow ourselves to face our own spirit by staring into our own eyes. We are often in a rush, too busy to focus on “silly” things such as self love and awareness.

The Fear

When you stare into your own eyes, you cannot avoid the truth. For some, they feign through life pretending they are weak and victims to circumstance. They are too afraid to look into their own eyes to see the real truth… they are much more powerful than they live to be.

For others who walk with bravado and cockiness, they are equally afraid to look into a mirror into their own eyes. Why? They are too afraid to see that they are really not that powerful and are weaker than they play to be.

Why

In this journey of evolution, self awareness is critical. How can you learn to love yourself and become aware of your weaknesses and strengths, if you have no idea of your identity? Looking into your eyes will reveal simplistic truth. Some will see that they have nothing to fear. Others will see that they have fooled themselves this entire time.

Some find peace in this truth. Some are driven to change the dying light in their eyes.

They say that our eyes are the gateway to our souls. There are some who are able to read other’s eyes to see a truth that even escapes the individual. This is why it is important to face yourself. Look into your soul. Look into your eyes. Know who you are.

The Challenge

This is a very difficult exercise that I ask my clients to do. It is not easy facing truth. If you have been pretending to be weak, it will create a huge shift when you see how powerful you really are. Likewise, if you have been living a personal lie of ego then witnessing the truth of fragility may be too much to bear. The challenge is to face this fear. It is the unknown… the unpredictability.

So the first step is to simply just do it.

The second step is stick with it. Our natural inclinations are to turn away as soon as possible. Don’t do that. Stay connected to your eyes. Hold on to your gaze and allow yourself to stare into the depths of your soul.

What do you see? What is your truth?

Are you a victim or are you a hero?

Tips

There are some things you can do to make this task easier, if not enjoyable.

·       Take time to prepare – Don’t rush to do this. Do whatever psychological and spiritual work needed to become more aware of yourself. Process these thoughts, and when you feel you have a strong foundation to face this fear… go look into your eyes and find your truth.

·       Take it slow – If this is too difficult at first, there is no need to face your fears in a blaze of glory. Take baby steps. Take a quick gander and hold the gaze as long as you can. But return to this exercise and do it more and more, holding your gaze for longer periods. In time this will become easier, and you will be able to witness clearer truths that are clear of your own insecurities and darkness.

·       Breathe – It is always important to breathe when you are working in your psychological mind and spiritual self. Breathing helps calm the nerves and clear stress and anxiety in the body. Thus this will reduce the stress and anxiety in the mind as well as spirit.

·       Be honest – Be honest with what you see. There will be things in your eyes that will be joyous or uncomfortable. Don’t place judgment upon what you see. Stay honest and reflect upon the truth inside your own soul. In this honesty, you will have better opportunity to evolve from your faults and strengthen your spirit and mind.

·       Be alone – This exercise is a deeply personal one. Yes you can do this in snippets when others are around, but for this exercise to have a more powerful affect, be alone. Take this time in solitude to face these personal fears. Allow your energy to be clear from external factors such as people, music, and other such distractions.

·       Clear your mind and be attentive – This is especially important. You must learn to clear your mind so that you can face your truth without judgment or bias. It is easy to convince ourselves of whatever the ego demands of us. We can easily mask our truth with more cockiness if our intentions are not pure. By clearing our mind, you will be able to witness your soul and see what is actually there rather than what is projected by our ego. Once you are able to do this, be attentive to your feelings and thoughts that arise. Process these thoughts and don’t automatically assume that these are ultimately true. Allow yourself the wisdom to distinguish what is truth from what is manufactured by the ego.

The Reward

Greatness of self comes from honesty and truth. Once you become aware of your truth, you shall see your greatest strengths and weaknesses. You shall learn how to love yourself authentically. Faults will simply be opportunities to grow, rather than obstacles keeping you from inner peace and happiness. Self awareness is a valuable tool in spiritual enlightenment.

So take a moment. Give this a shot. Perhaps you shall see that all the answers, beauty, and wisdom you seek, you already have. All you have to do is look into your eyes to find it.

Good luck!