Know yourself before you start helping others

"Nosce te ipsum", know yourself is one of the most important proverbs of Ancient times. In ancient Rome, people understood the burning necessity for someone to get a better self-knowledge. This precious advice was applied to doctors in particular. To cure others, you must be able to cure yourself at first. From a teacher s point of view, I d like to state that you will be unable to teach any subject if you don t master your subject AT FIRST. This implies that you become an avid student and first and then that you ll do some reflection about the best way to transmit your knowledge. As well as the blind man from Jesus parabole will not be able to guide another blind man, you must AWAKEN first before you will bring light into a community. In order to know yourself better, you must clearly be willing to wander through your mind and analyze yourself. Be conscious of your strengths, but also of your weaknesses. I d advice you to LIST them in two columns. Then, DECIDE to work on your strengths and improve your weaknesses. Another step is also to learn to love yourself. HIGHLIGHT your KNOW HOWs, your strengths and DEVELOP MORE CONFIDENCE. Master your emotions in a WAY THAT SERVES YOU. Use positive emotions for instance to create room for more joy with your entourage. Work on BEING CALM AND RELAXED. TALK LESS AND LISTEN MORE. Always put yourself into the skin of a learner of the school of life. Be humble: you can learn from anybody,even the simple minded and the tramp. Back in 1996, I was going through a very challenging situation. Sitting on a bank outside, I was feeling depressed. A young man, who happened to be homeless and a hard drugs user, addressed to me. He first introduced himself and then asked me: " You look depressed...why are you feeling bad today?" I replied: " because it is Summer time and I am unable to travel! He then disappeared for ten minutes. When he came back, he had a big smile on his face. He gave me a travel guide with the most beautiful destinations... He looked at me and told me: " You can now close your eyes and travel with your mind" Believe it or not, my bad mood disappeared instantly. I did this before I went to bed and felt ínstantly much better. Of course, it didn t solve my problem immediately, but it helped me cope with a difficult situation. Also know WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY and DO MORE OF IT: I know, for instance, that writing makes me truly happy. Being in Paris at a terrace, savoring an expresso also makes me feel incredibly good. Being with amazing friends and sharing thoughts raises my vibes too...it might be very different things for you, but be aware of them and make sure you are doing them even more! Once you will have understood your inside world better, you will be able to give some precious advices to other people. Explore yourself and let your light shine! Unwrap your present is a self-help book that will help you on your way. It is available at Amazon, Hayden Kian Publishing, Smaswords and Lulu. Com. Copyright© by Isabelle Esling