Experiencing Your Essence

What is your essence and how does it apply to the college search process? When you are searching for a college, it is easy to get pulled into where you “should” go and what you “should” pick as a major. This is the time to step back and discover who you are on the inside. What is it that you want?  A tip is to look at the things that really excite you, that give you a feeling of “this is who I really am.”

I had a very powerful experience of essence at a workshop recently. During the three days I was there, we talked about your business being an expression of your essence. This same concept applies to you and your college experience – finding a college that allows you to be who you are and also give you the education that will ignite your passion.

At the very end of the workshop we stood in front of one person at a time and thanked them for what they brought to the group. It went something like this: Stand in front of someone, look into their eyes, thank them for sharing their wisdom, their gentle spirit, and their joy. Then the person would look into your eyes and thank you for what you brought to the experience. After we hugged we sought out another person to share thanks with. Here’s the really cool thing. I had not had any personal interaction with many of the people I thanked and yet as I looked into their eyes I was clear about what to thank them for.

And, what’s even cooler is that many of the people who thanked me used the same or similar words with me as the previous person. They weren’t a generic “thank you.” They were very specific to me. What that tells me is that when you show up fully and in your essence, you are seen. When someone else shows up in their essence, you see them.

This applies to Life Purpose, since that is an expression of your essence. Your Life Purpose is that thing you contribute to the world and have been doing so since you were very little. When you show up as your purposed self and give your Life Purpose to someone, you are giving your essence, the best of yourself. As you see yourself through the lens of your purpose and acknowledge your magnificence, you create powerful connections. There is much joy in seeing yourself as a brilliant, shining being with something to contribute to the world.

We often spend so much time either toning it down or judging ourselves and others that it may seem a bit foreign to see yourself in your essence. Give it a try and see what happens. When have you known that you are expressing your essence? What happened? Enjoy!