We all have ideas about the type of person that we want to be. We may imagine ourselves as organised, fair, healthy and happy. A useful exercise is to look at your everyday conversations and behaviour (your real self) and see if they align with the descriptions that you have of yourself (called your ideal self).
For example, you may see yourself as optimistic and uplifting, yet you may notice that you spend a significant amount of your interactions with others focused on things that worry you, things that annoy you or general frustrations. Could you adjust your interactions to attempt to see the good in the situations on your mind – what effect might this have on your mind, and the experience of the other person?
Often we excuse away glaring inconsistencies in our own behaviour, and hold tightly onto the descriptions of ourselves as if they were more important than our everyday truth. A real satisfaction comes from knowing that your daily behaviour is coming closer and closer to your ideal.
LLUMI Australia 