Continued from “The Myth of Your Best Self.”
Hold on Everyone, because this is where we get spiritual and philosophical…
Here’s my understanding of how the Universe works in relation to our topic of the “Best Self”…
Everything that exists comes from God/Source/Spirit/The Divine/Universe/insert word you are comfortable with. Every person, every animal, every rock, tree, and creek, every planet, every galaxy, every being within and beyond our conception comes from this One Source Consciousness.
Source has split us all into individual souls to be able to experience itself in infinite possibilities. Our task as individual souls is to remember we come from this One Source and learn the lessons we must learn to someday return to Source. This someday is not necessarily at the end of this life as we know it, but after a plethora of lives have passed. Each life our soul lives is a stepping stone to returning to Source.
Source is the Best Self. Not abs, financial freedom, or any other advertised promise.
What’s interesting is once our souls do reach a point where they could return to Source, they don’t necessarily want to right away. I find Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique (QHHT), developed by Dolores Cannon, fascinating. In QHHT the hypnosis client is able to access their Subconscious, past lives, and, on occasion, other beings are channeled through the client. I’ve read in some of these sessions where a higher being came through about how the higher being could return to Source, but doesn’t wish to yet because then the game would be over.
Which poses the question, even if you could reach your “Best Self,” would you want to? What else would there be left to do?
So often the joy of life is in the journey of growth and discovery. Yes, there is an immense amount of satisfaction when you reach goals you have been working towards, as I did this last month. But, past that satisfaction, is always the feeling of “what’s next?”. A never-ending awareness that I still have work to do to reach this state of Oneness that would truly be the Best Self.
I want to end with a paradox. As extensions of Source we are already the Best Self, and we are continuously working to return to our Best Self. I think there is the most to be gained when we hold space for both elements of this paradox to be true in our lives.
The recognition that we are already the Best Self allows for total self-acceptance. Self-Acceptance will bring what we seek from all the products and packages promising to help us reach our “Best Self.”
However, we will of course still strive for growth...
Acknowledging that our soul’s plethora of lives is a continuous growth journey to return to our Best Self allows for us to stop being destination oriented and instead learn to relish in this journey, for it is the reason we are alive.
The goal is not becoming your “Best Self.”
The goal is the becoming.
The learning.
The remembering.
The integrating.
The goal is not to be your “Best Self” and have no challenges anymore, but to embrace life’s challenges as the Divine lessons they are to help you remember, and someday return, to where you came from. The True Best Self.
Circling this philosophical discussion back to the self-help industry and it’s “Best Self” promise, I want to share that I’ve worked as a Coach/Mentor. I’ve spent hours trying to figure out what I deliver to clients and I’m sure I have used the cringe worthy “I help people overcome xyz challenge so they can be their best selves” line.
I think coaching, mentorship, etc. is excellent for supporting people in reaching their goals, as long as the coach (and client) approach the process with the understanding that the goal is not fully the point.
Rather, the process of dismantling beliefs and behaviors that stand in the way of self-acceptance, and the growth, discovery, learning, and remembering that happens along the way is the point.
I’m still available for mentorship, but I will never promise anyone that I will help them be their “Best Self.” I will help them evolve and relish in their evolution.
If along the way you get the dream job, the dream body, the dream relationship, that’s just some Divine icing on the cake, but not your “Best Self.” That is the myth.