know thy self

self discovery is kinda like a home improvement job. once you start breaking away the drywall you realize there's more repair that needs to be done. but at least you caught it and are making the necessary repairs. the alternative? avoiding yourself...see how long that lasts. something that started as a mere crack ends up being a foundation problem if unattended. next thing you know you whined up on meds and a straight jacket. you get where i'm going with this.

the journey to self discovery should be a never ending one. if the world is in fact a scary and hopeless place then we must change ourselves and our view. i'm always shocked how little people know about themselves or care to discover about themselves. and if they do know themselves, their stubbornness, their temper tantrums, they rest on the whole "this is who i am"...build a bridge and get over it! you are not your name, your body, or your experiences. we are all beings capable of positive change and creation.

i'm all about the books in the "self improvement" aisle...actually too much, which is why i took a break and got into the Hunger Games series. i'm obsessed!!! well i finished the first 2 books and was looking around my apartment for the 3rd book Mockingjay but instead found Nonviolent Communication (NVC), A Language of Life...side-by-side these books are so random, but essentially they're both on the journey of self discovery and awareness. I just started NVC and it couldn't be at a better time. i had bought the book last summer and attempted to read it but lost interest real quick. this time around i'm intrigued. The author Marshall Rosenberg asks two questions:
1) what happens to disconnect us for our compassionate nature, leading us to behave violently and exploitatively?
2) what allows some people to stay connected to their compassionate nature under even the most trying circumstances?

i've actually been asking the latter question as of late, which is another reason i'm drawn to this book. i've been making a sad attempt to stop complaining or say anything negative but i realize i need help. imagine...living a life where you look at everything optimistically, positively, happily. may sound odd but it's something for me to strive towards. and i've always loved a good challenge :)
we are complicated beings and as such we must avoid the temptation to look to change others and instead change ourselves.

"we become the change we wish to see in the world"-Ghandi