Hiya! I hope I'm catching you on a beautiful, sunny, relaxing Sunday. Sun beams bursting in through the windows and a light breeze reminding you that this is exactly the type of Summer day that you've been longing for all year.
This week, after a deep chat with a friend, I've been pondering a question that's pretty complex in nature – is it better to stay authentic to who I am regardless of the what I get from others or is it better to alter my actions based on their response/behavior? I realize this is a highly subjective question and “better” can be interpreted a thousand different ways (what's better for me might not necessarily be better for you). I often find myself swinging like a pendulum between these two modes. There are times when I subscribe to the ‘tit for tat’ way of operating and I'll proceed with actions that match that philosophy. And when I do, I'm left feeling inauthentic and just plain icky (for a lack of a better word). In my head I'm going, “If I do to them what they did to me, I'm just stooping down to their level. Do I want to do that?” In other words, an eye for an eye…you get the point.
Staying true to who I am and authentic to my belief system is important to me but it's also true that sometimes we're presented with scenarios where being our kindest, most understanding, empathic selves feels dissatisfying.
I'd be curious to know (if you're willing to share) how you feel about situations that demand a different version of you to step in. Do you still consider this version to be authentic to who you are? Or does she feel like an alien trying to take over? Hit reply and let's chat.
The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon (Frequency Illusion)
You learn a new word, and suddenly you hear it three times by the end of the week. You buy a car, and now it feels like everyone on the road is driving the same one. That's the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. Your brain didn't just start noticing something new, it started filtering for it, quietly pulling it out of the background noise it would've otherwise ignored. Nothing about the world actually changed. Your attention just got a new instruction. Which is maybe the real takeaway here: you don't just notice what's around you, you notice what you've trained yourself to look for. So it's worth asking, every so often, what you've been unconsciously scanning for lately and whether that's actually the thing you want more of in your life. READ MORE
What's something you're waiting to feel 'ready' for, that you could start today?
That's all for the second edition of Far Within. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please consider forwarding to a friend. Until next time 👋 Be well.
