Why self exploration is important

Have you ever been in autopilot? Me too.

We need to feel what we want to grow but sometimes routine numbs us out. We may accidentally spend our days running from the unpleasant and, in doing so, get rutted in our comfort zone…which leads to autopilot.

I’m all for comfort and ease (I’m an Enneagram 9, so I seek serenity) but we cannot live there full time or we die. OK Drama Queen…we won’t actually die but our soul might.

We can’t be like this little cutie ALL the time! Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

Shifting out of automatic requires self inquiry.

I see this daily when I make suggestions to patients (especially around food or exercise) and watch as they vehemently defend their stance…no self inquiry.

I saw this in myself the first time I heard my highest & best self suggest I change my relationship with alcohol, to which I promptly replied, “not a damn chance”…no self inquiry.

If we open ourselves up to questioning, just a teensy crack, our deeper knowing will start to slip in. Once you start to know you cannot unknow and it’s from that place that you may look at what lies under the surface. This may seem scary (giving up wine initially seemed very scary to me) so we may run from it. This does not mean we are a weenie, it means we are a human who is not ready to change.

Eventually, if we inquire deeply enough into the truth about ourselves we arrive at a place where, without changing anything else, our direction starts to shift. You just gotta show up.

How do you do that? By paying attention.

The more you become aware of your needs the less you will feel like stepping away from your own life by binge watching, eating, drinking, shopping, bitching, cooking, defending (I’m taking all these things from my own life and the list is very long.)

I hope you enjoy this audio I made for you about one of the reasons I value self inquiry.

What would you like to see grow in your life? Let me know in the comments. Ask yourself if there is something you need to release in order for it to come in?

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A few random housekeeping items:

For my wonderful followers who I brought over to Substack from my blog…

• thank you for continuing to show up for me, you are why I keep trying to write!

• the new newsletter is different in that you can A) click on the heart button at the bottom B) leave a comment or C) share your email with anyone who might like it. All of these things help me out a LOT.

• I love to hear from you! The comment section of Substack is truly a lovely place to land (think the opposite of Twitter or toxic socials) so feel free to pop in there. As usual you can always email me at drdonnamcarthur@gmail.com if you prefer.

I wish you so much love as you keep an eye on yourself, now there’s a funny visual but you know what I mean! Be responsible for your own life.

Thank you for being here, it really makes my day, my life actually!

xo