I had a surreal experience recently.
It’s something I’ll plan on doing more often.
I closed my eyes for my meditation practice but his time, instead of breath work and centering myself, I tried something different.
I went back to a memory of myself as a teenager and I pulled out a vision of a room in my house during that time of my life. It was an addition we added to the house. There was a couch up against the wall I used to sit on often. I honed in on that spot.
Then, it got a bit weird.
I sat with him. Well, him being me. Although a much younger version.
My current self sitting across from my teenage self.
That young, nieve, scared, confused young man looking back at me.
And we talked.
I told him being scared means you care. It means you believe in what you are doing but haven’t mustered up the courage to act.
I told him that the bridge you have to cross to gain courage is a leap of faith. It’s where confidence builds and strength comes from.
I told him that even at my age, you won’t have all the answers and in fact, many more questions.
We talked about a lot of things.
He even questioned me.
It was sobering.
It made me realize I still have work to do.
Self-reflection is one of the most generous actions we can take for ourselves. We turn inward to learn where we’ve come from and it helps us build the foundation for a better tomorrow.
You may not go deep into your past and talk to your younger self but sitting for a few minutes each day with your eyes closed will help you grow to appreciate the moment.
Give yourself that time to reflect as it’ll compound into something unimaginable.