Japanese scholar and Buddhist scholar Daisaku Ikeda suggests: “Fortune and misfortune are unfathomable. Even if we achieve a win, our joy will not last forever. But a person of self-awakening, even if temporarily defeated, can go on to build a future vaster, broader, deeper, and greater than someone who seems to have won.”
How does one become “Self-Awakened?”
Any individual who is self-awakened would not be dependent on their external environment for meeting their needs. They are able to weed out the negativity and take the nutrients from any situation. Highly motivated and feel empowered even when the tides are against them. Always have a purpose and they embrace their freedom and independence. In the time adversity, they show their true talent of rallying resources and becoming more determined to break whatever there is. Their original superpower is to turn the challenges and hurdles into opportunities.
On the other hand are the self-discouraged individuals. They are the ones that are most difficult to overcome in any situation. They let their past overpower them and define them. Even as adults they carry their childhood powerless version of them which is built on mistrust. They are often looked up as negative people and they display fear and discouragement. Whenever they fail they try to attribute their failure to their misfortunes.
5 signs that you should look in yourself
The following are the most commonly demonstrated qualities of the self awakened individuals:
1. Urge to improve and get better
Self-awakened people are in a perpetual state of self-improvement. They do not run behind the material goods and rather put their energy into working on better things. Better things like their inner lives, they question, introspect, explore, and push themselves. on top of everything, they have a constant curiosity and eagerness to learn.
2. Growing a sense of Gratitude
Complaining comes naturally to people when things are not all rosy, but gratitude doesn’t. It requires work to develop an appreciation for everything in a difficult situation rather than grumbling about life. For example, if you enter the workplace and you find the culture to be miserable and see everyone complaining. It is much easier to whine about the situation and be a part of it. But a self-awakened person would take it as a challenge and do something about it. It could be, giving a positive comment to all your colleagues on a daily basis. This way the self-awakened person can turn the resentments and dissatisfaction in the work environment into a pleasant one.
3. Crave for Mentors
The self-awakened on any particular day would look for mentors. Crave for the leadership and the guidance of the said mentor. They are very good at finding out the much needed symbolic guardians for themselves from whom they can seek guidance. They tend to also seek encouragement and approval from them, which they always crave but never received. Resorting to blaming anything be it their upbringing is not an option. Instead, they strengthen their lives by absorbing the good skills of their mentor.
4. Spiritual practice
It is a great way to bolster your own identity by inspiring yourself to let go of petty things and focus on things that matter. For instance, contemplating the suffering and death. It is a great way to question your past life choices and let go of things that brings no good. Spiritual practice brings you closer to self-awakening better than any other thing. It enables you to look at the bigger picture, It also embraces a more altruistic behavior, which makes you put others before yourself.
5. Sound relationships
There is nothing worse than a bad relationship. Especially if it is your parents or your life partner. Relationships can either make you completely or break you to nothing. Picking relationships that are not healthy and moving away from them is a characteristic of a self-awakened individual. They look for positive people which is important for a self-awakened life.
Final thoughts
Fighting out the unhealthy habits and exploring new ones is critical. Self-awakening begins with-YOU. No one will come and knock at your door and offer you a new life. It comes when you take full ownership of your life-choices and put your foot forward towards self-empowerment and the new way of being.