Do you sometimes feel like you are not the character you are inhabiting? That you are faking it, somehow, and your achievements aren’t truly yours but were surreptitiously acquired? Yes, you went to school and obtained an M.A., and you have a career, and a family, or other loved ones. But you still think you are playing at being who you are. This is not uncommon, famous spiritual teachers like Ram Dass or Claudio Naranjo struggled with these feelings, standing before their mirrors, asking themselves if they were for real. It’s normal, and healthy, to question ourselves.
If you are an imposter or not boils down to the degree of authenticity you bring to your personal and professional life. If you are going around trying to please everyone to the point of exhaustion; if you suffer from poor self-esteem and take insufficient care of your own physical, mental, and emotional needs, you are going to end up feeling untrue to yourself. Something must be wrong with you and who you are. Quite wrong maybe?
Ours personas are a difficult part of us to step away from. The ego serves as our protective shield, just like it makes sure we can handle social situations by performing the roles expected of us. It is just as important, however, to leave the malnourished – or the overblown – parts of ourselves behind, and to become (more of) who we really are.
Wishing you a peaceful, fructuous, and happy new year!
Yours,
Susanne G. Seiler
P.S. You’ll find us at the gaialounge, Hochstrasse 70 (behind Basel’s SBB station, tram stop Peter Merian), every Thursday afternoon from 14 – 18 h. Welcome!