Carl Jung – I Am What I Choose To Become (Must Watch Motivational Video)
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”
– Carl Jung
The sad reality of most human beings is just that… Most people DO believe they are what happened to them.
Most people equate self-worth with their past, with their achievements, with how OTHER PEOPLE view them. But we are none of those things… we are, as Jung puts it who we “CHOOSE to become”.
We are always only ONE DECISION away from a completely different life.
What happens to us is NEVER a choice… but how we choose to FEEL about what happens is ALWAYS our choice.
How we choose to RESPOND to life circumstances is A CHOICE. Who we decide to be in EVERY moment, including adversities, will determine the quality of our life.
Leave your past behind, and decide, today… NOW… WHO YOU WILL BE… from this moment forward.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
– Carl Jung “
Why do bad things keep happening to me?” Some say… “Why do the same (negative) kind of people keep appearing in my life?”…
The unconscious, or rather sub-conscious controls almost all human behaviour. It has been said that almost all brain activity happens on a subconscious level… the problem is, most people do not understand this basic principle, and therefor are running their life on autopilot, repeating the same reactions and responses, and often repeating the same problems, over and over again in a figure 8 loop.
Einstein said: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Until you CHANGE the reactions, responses and actions you’ve conditioned into yourself unconsciously, you won’t see different OUTCOMES in your life.
Until you learn WHY you are acting in a certain way, you’ll never be able to act better. Until we learn WHY we FEEL a certain way, on a consistent basis, we will not be able to consistently feel better, in any way. You need to step back and examine your life… examine YOU. What feelings, behaviours, habits and actions are running on autopilot?
What can you bring forward to the light, into your conscious, into your PRESENCE… if you can manage that, you can start changing those habits – consciously. With repetition you can reprogram these new habits, feelings and behaviours into your NEW subconscious program. Better habits. Better reactions. Better outcomes.
“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.”
– Carl Jung
“Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.” – Carl Jung
“The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.”
– Carl Jung
Without the contrast of sadness, happiness does not exist. Without dark, there is no light. A happy life then, is not one without sadness, or misery, or failures, or problems. A happy life… A FULL LIFE… is a life with MEANING. If you had in your possession every penny on earth, and all the material possessions you desire, it would still give you no guarantees of happiness, and certainly no meaning. You don’t need THINGS, money or possessions to have meaning – but meaning does make for a RICH LIFE. With MEANING and PURPOSE in your life you can face the inevitable challenges of life without fear… With MEANING and PURPOSE in your life you can LET GO of the past, because there is always a brighter to work toward, to believe in… tomorrow.
MEANING and PURPOSE give you reason to get up in the morning… enthusiasm to go about your day, PURPOSE for living… Kindle a light in the darkness of your being. Discover who you are, develop a life of meaning and purpose, and accept every inevitable challenge that comes your way.
“It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves.”
– Carl Jung
Whatever happens in your life is NOT reality, but rather your interpretation of it. Let me repeat, whatever happens is NOT REALITY, but your interpretation of reality.
On one of your best days, a challenge appears, and you deal with it, with presence, with confidence, with competence… Then, the challenge disappears, perhaps even turns into a blessing… a new understanding. On one of your worst days, the same challenge appears, you react angrily, unconsciously, the challenge turns into a bigger issue, a larger problem and consequently affects your life and others in a much bigger, not so pleasant way. What happened? It was the same challenge? It depends how you look at it.
We’ve all experienced moments like this. Problems that escalated due to our reaction. Challenges that disappeared due to our reaction. It is not how things are, but how we see them.
We can see BEAUTY in anything and UGLINESS in anything… The real question is, what do you CHOOSE to see?
“Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge.”
– Carl Jung
We have to step back and catch ourselves judging… and this is not easy, because we all want to think of ourselves as good human beings… and you may well be… but you must take ownership for your judging, as much as the next person. Judging people, judging things, judging circumstances… How do you judge? Who do you judge?
Has there ever been a moment in your life where you’ve judged a person, or a situation… and then realized you were completely wrong? I think we’ve all had this experience. We should never judge a person or a situation where there are no facts. If we don’t KNOW… we must accept we don’t know… and expect the best.
We really do CHOOSE how we see everything, and anything can be seen through a positive, optimistic lens if that is our intention. Make it your intention. Less judgment, more optimism. Less negativity, more positivity. Less despair, more wonder.
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
– Carl Jung
Those who look outside, at others, to society for an indication of how they should act or fit into the world… are lost in a dream… perhaps a nightmare. A life lived, not authentically, but how they perceive will be most acceptable by the standards of society. To awaken is to look within. To look within your own heart. To trust your intuition and to be brave enough to live life on YOUR TERMS. Not caring for others opinions and judgements. Only focused on the life that lights you up. The authentic you… living your authentic life. That is the awakened life. The REAL YOU… living with freedom of all outside expectations and opinions.
“Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.” – Carl Jung
When we understand, from a place of true humility, that we are all capable of the “darkness”… and that darkness is within us ALL, we can then have empathy for the way others act. Understanding that everyone is doing the best with the life circumstances they were presented. As Maya Angelou said, “if they knew better, they’d do better”
We’ve all made mistakes… and for most of us, when we stuffed up… we knew better, so we did better. We no longer wanted to hurt others, or ourselves through our behaviour… we learned the lesson, and we moved on. For most people, the darkness doesn’t hang around for long… but it should give us some compassion for others, knowing that even we have made mistakes, no one is perfect… and perhaps with the same life circumstances we would not do any better than the other. Perhaps if we went through what they went through, we would not have the tools to do any better than they are doing. It does not mean condoning any type of behaviour – it is an understanding that no baby was born evil, or with bad intentions.
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” – Carl Jung
Anything that irritates you in another is likely within you, or within your shadow. They are the things we are most afraid will come out of ourselves. It’s like a mirror for your own personality. What irritates you in others can teach you important things about yourself. Pay attention to those things in others that irritate you, perhaps there is something you can work on too.
“Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.”
– Carl Jung
And how badly do we need MORE LOVE and LESS POWER in the world today… The endless seeking of power and control is due to a lack of love… a lack of connection and empathy for others.
Ask yourself how you can let go of your own need for power and control… even a little… and how you can bring more LOVE, compassion, understanding and giving in your own world.
“If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.
– Carl Jung
“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”
– Carl Jung
“The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable.”
– Carl Jung
“We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.”
– Carl Jung
“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”
– Carl Jung
We do live in this kind of world, where many people talk too much, and act too little. As Jung says, you are what YOU DO… not what you SAY you will do.
You do not need to tell the world, or tell anyone what your plans are… you can show them with your ACTIONS… with your RESULTS.
That is ultimately how we are all judged anyway… on how we show up everyday… WHO WE ARE… WHAT WE DO… never what who we SAY WE ARE or what we’re going to do. Less talk. More action.
Leaving the need for validation behind and BEING who we intend do be… DOING what we want to do… and letting the right people show up because of those choices.