We’ve recently revamped the Mission statement for The New Narrative and are in our second of three posts going more in depth into each of the three pillars of the new mission statement, which are Build Community, Discover Ourselves, & Change the Narrative. In this first post we’ll share more about Discover Ourselves.
What does it mean to “discover ourselves”?
One way or another we’ve all been playing a part, perhaps our whole lives. At various points in our lives we’ve sought love and acceptance from parents, family, and/or friends, and changed ourselves to get this love and acceptance.
Perhaps this was subtle and we just saw ourselves drift away from something that we might have otherwise loved. Or perhaps it was profound, and we one day decided to give up on something that was special to us in order to get the attention we felt we needed. This also happens to us in pursuit of a career, or even just basic financial security.
Changes continue to occur throughout our lives as we seek to fit in at school, at work, or in a relationship. Sometimes these changes compel us to grow and become better humans, but sometimes they take us farther away from who we really are.
Deep down we feel a disconnect. We know something is off about ourselves, but we’ve become so accustomed to playing the part or doing what we think we’re supposed to do that we have trouble reconciling the disconnect, or thinking we’re even entitled to the kind of connection with ourselves that we might otherwise have. We might long for the type of change that can make us feel whole again, but the process seems so immense that we don’t even know where to begin.
The work of discovering ourselves is a lifelong journey, but the rewards of embarking can be felt almost immediately.
We also believe that a lot of the ills of the world come from the disconnect we feel with our true selves and the story we perpetuate on ourselves and others to validate this version of ourselves, Deep down inside we are much more compassionate, magnanimous and loving than we might ever imagine, but we continually put that part of ourselves aside for the sake of making a living, fitting in, or protecting our current way of life.
At the New Narrative we plan to host conversations that will enable us to better explore these different aspects of ourselves and how to discover what really lights us up. We need to remind ourselves what excites us, what connects with our souls, and what makes us feel alive. Discovering ourselves might involve sharing our story, connecting to the stories of others, or re-engaging with the creative sides of ourselves. It’s important work, and by doing it for ourselves we can open the doors for others to take the journey too.
If this sounds interesting to you, we’d love to hear from you. Like, share, and tell us what stands out in the comments. You can also check out our upcoming events via the link here: https://thenewnarrative.org/events