Alexa, who am I?
Engaging in the Inner Job of Finding Ourselves
by Alfonsina Betancourt
Some podcasts bring so much wisdom that I often stop to save quotes or jot down further ideas I want to develop.
Today I heard an episode of one of my favorite podcasts, “We can do hard things,” with Glennon Doyle, that inspired so many ideas. In episode 231, Life-Changing Wisdom You Need to Hear, a woman called and said, “My name’s Emma, and the best advice I’ve ever received is to look for something in three places before you ask someone where it is.” There is excellent practical advice there. How many people ask where something is even before they even start looking? It is as if they were conditioned to have someone search for them.
We live in an era where we no longer have to take the time to type a question. We say it aloud to Alexa, Siri, or AI, and in a moment, we receive answers with apparent accuracy. So our minds have gotten used to relying on one source without going deeper.
PC: @imagesbykayla
I have to say; this annoys me! But because I like cataloging things, I usually know where things are. (In full disclosure, I couldn’t be farther away from Mary Kondo regarding neatness, so please don’t get the idea that my closets are beautifully arraigned).
Because I can’t leave a piece of advice waste away, I always have to make it into a personal growth metaphor.
So, can this advice help us in our path to authenticity?
When we search to see who we are, what is the essence of our soul, and what remains after we remove the ego, we could also benefit from the advice in the podcast. We must look for our authentic selves in three places: our mind, body, and spirit. There, we can find the things that spark our curiosity, that make us feel alive, the person we want to become. No external voice could answer that, no Alexa or Google. In fact, if we hear a voice that tells us who we are, it is more likely to be an external voice that responds to society’s expectations of us or our ego.
What questions can we ask to reconnect with our authentic selves?
MIND:
What topics inspire your curiosity?
What draws your attention?
What kind of activities make you enter a state of flow?
What types of conversations inspire you?
How tolerant are you to ideas that challenge your beliefs?
What kind of surroundings, groups, or sources of information make you cultivate ideas?
What senses allow you to process ideas better?
What is your preferred method of sharing ideas?
PC: @rominafa
BODY:
What increases your energy level?
What brings joy to your body?
What gives you pleasure?
If you have any ailment or pain, what is the wisdom or lesson it provides?
How often do you need to move your body to be healthy mentally?
What is your preferred temperature?
What is your relationship to your body?
How clean are the glasses you use to relate to your body image?
If your body is your vessel, how much care are you providing it?
How connected are you to your body compass?
SPIRIT:
PC: @fan11
What kind of bigger-than-you force do you believe in, if any?
What practice of connecting to your spirit, such as prayer or meditation, do you engage in?
Do you believe you are protected by a force bigger than yourself that works in alignment with your spirit?
How are your processing your emotions so that your soul remains as light as possible?
How do you cultivate your soul?
What are the places, people, and activities that bring you joy?
How are you allowing your spirit to come through? Are you holding it hostage for fear of rejection or abandonment?
What makes you feel at peace?
These are some questions that can advance you in your path to authenticity. The answers are part of your inner job, and no external source will have the answers to them. No Google could tell you because no AI can know you as well as you know yourself. So, rely on your capacity to be inquisitive about the three most important areas of your essence. Trust in your wisdom and your curiosity. And especially, don’t expect to find what you are looking for without engaging in the search.
Good luck with your quest. I hope you find your answers.