Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.
Henry David Thoreau
Have you ever found yourself in the kitchen making a favorite recipe? The anticipation of the wonderful flavors blending together through your hard work fills the air with excitement. The big moment arrives and you sample the very first taste - blah!!! As you rack your brain trying to figure out what went wrong you finally realize, after retracing your steps twenty times, that you left out a key ingredient!
Well, sometimes we experience the same scenario in our lives! Things just don't seem right. You may even realize something is missing, but what? The feeling of lack just isn't enough. We need to be able to put our finger on the missing ingredient.
The opening quote sums it all up nicely. We often barrel through life on autopilot - not really living life, but simply passing through! It isn't until we experience that feeling that causes us to question what we are doing or how we are living that we realize we are lost. The good news is that, just as the quote says, the realization of being lost allows us to begin to understand ourselves. Being lost is a normal and essential part of the journey!
As I went through the process of loss and discovery myself, I explored more than a few dead ends. I also began to formulate the concept of an integrated way of life. Just like a three legged stool, we need to pay attention to three key elements of our physical existence - our body, our mind, and our spirit. Like the stool, if you remove one of the legs, it becomes unstable and virtually unusable.
Codex Vita's mission is to help you to understand just how essential all three elements are to living a holistic life. If you look up the definition of holistic, you will find that it means the whole is more than merely the sum of its parts. Each of those core elements adds to the whole, yet once integrated, create a lifestyle that transcends the simple combination of each element. The integration of all three elements will enable you to begin to feel an authenticity to your life. You will be living true to yourself and your beliefs. This will become apparent in your daily living and will have a significant influence on those around you in a positive way.
Of course, an appropriate amount of skepticism is a very healthy thing. You should think through every single discussion that we have and determine whether it resonates with you or not. If it does not resonate and you try to live it, it will show - and you will not be living authentically. So don't be afraid to question what you are about to experience. Always keep in mind that there are many ways to achieve a goal that are equally valid.
Just as the post title states, we are at Square One. I can guarantee that of everyone reading this there will be differences in the level of learning and understanding. That being said, we are going to begin at the most logical point and progress from there. If you are already ahead of the rest of us, I ask you to remain engaged and provide support by sharing your thoughts and experiences. We will all learn together!
So, where do we begin? My personal belief is that it all starts with an understanding of ourselves. We are going to spend some time exploring our personalities and how we relate to others. Once we know and are comfortable with ourselves, we can build on that foundation.
In my next post, we will explore our personalities in a rather unique way. I will also review a book that may help you achieve a more in-depth understanding of yourself and how you relate to others.
Namaste