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INTRO

Aligning with the best version of yourself is easier when we  understand the many factors that make up our unique energy signature.

Welcome to “Modern Life-Keeping” where we discuss ways to thrive in today’s world.  I’m your host, Lori Cristine.

This series is about getting to know yourself. Bringing awareness to the aspects that make us who we are allows us to understand ourselves better.  This understanding allows us to know when we are being the best version of ourselves.  Every moment of each day is an opportunity to be the best version of ourselves.  But first, we need to know the unique version of ourselves. This episode will explore the foundations that make up our individual energy signature.  

Exploring your Foundations

Each one of us has a unique blueprint of factors that make up the essence of who we are.  These factors include, but are not limited to:  attitudes, astrology, horoscopes and numerology, beliefs, character, circumstances, culture, education, environment, experience, health, intentions, personality, perspective, skills, values, and wisdom.

Each of these factors contribute to the blueprint of who we are.  Each factor also helps us to know who we are and who we are most meant to be.  Becoming aware of these factors gives us information about what is working for us and what is not.  

Let’s look briefly at each factor.   I will offer examples to clarify, but it is your responsibility to determine how each factor plays a role in who you are.  Bringing your awareness to each factor allows you to leverage each factor to become the best version of yourself.  

Attitude.  Attitude is our thinking demonstrated through our behavior.  For example if you are punctual, it is likely that you value time.  If you are always late, you may think your time is more important than others, or you may not value other people’s time.   These are attitudes about what you think about time.  Becoming aware of your thinking will allow you to manage your attitude.  Questioning why you behaved a certain way, examining the thinking behind the behavior and identifying behaviors that expand versus limit you bring awareness of your attitude to the conscious level where it can be adjusted to align with the best version of yourself. 

Astrology, Horoscopes and Numerology.  The field of astrology is broad so I am just going to touch on how to use astrology to get to know yourself.  Astrology is the study of the planets and stars and how you are connected to them and how they may impact your life.  You can learn many things about yourself based on your date of birth.  I invite you to explore this area of your life to determine which aspects resonate with you.  You can go online and get a free interpretation of your natal chart.  It is irrelevant if this information is scientific or not, it is just information.  Take what feels right to you and leave the rest.  As a self discovery tool it may offer insights regarding how you express yourself, and it can help you understand the behaviors of others.  It is just one tool among many that are available to you.

Horoscopes offer generalizations about characteristics of individuals based on their zodiac sign.  You can look at these generalizations and determine if and how they apply to you.  You can identify superpowers, as well as obstacles you are meant to overcome.  

I believe that the more a challenge shows up, the more power there is in overcoming it.  I believe it shows up to give you opportunities to overcome it.  Just as superpowers show up as an opportunity for you to maximize your momentum. For example, I am a VIRGO.  I am very practical.  Sometimes this limits me and sometimes it expands me.  It is up to me to balance my tendency to be practical.  I am not saying that all virgos are practical.  I am identifying with a known characteristic of this horoscope.  It is a method I can use to understand myself.  I only embrace the information which resonates with me.  

On the other side of that, I am a worrier – but so was my mother and she is not a virgo.  I choose to interpret this aspect of my horoscope as something I am meant to overcome.  I don’t lean in to being a worrier because it doesn’t serve me.  Instead I lean into the belief that I was meant to overcome worrying.  I can see this because of how I have it in my horoscope and in my environment.  The fact that my mother was a worrier and so am I is an example of a generational curse.  Many of us are here today because we are meant to break these curses.  The internet is just one of the things that reinforces this belief.  We are surrounded by information related to anxiety and fear.  There is no way with the amount of information available to us that we are meant to keep repeating the same pattern from generation to generation.  You can break the generational curse by overcoming any of the aspects of your foundations that no longer serve you.  These aspects no longer serve you when you have learned the lesson surrounding them and overcome the perception that they have power over you.

Which parts of your horoscope resonate with you?  What opportunities have you been given to embrace your potential?  What do you think you are meant to breakthrough?

Numerology offers another layer of information.  There are also free numerology calculators available that offer you information based on your name at birth, as well as your birth date and time.  Letters of your name are converted to numbers and added in a way that derives a single digit.  This single digit is used to identify information about your soul purpose, as well as your character and including how others see you.  Reflecting on this information may offer you insights on your journey of self discovery.

As with all tools, remember to only embrace what resonates with you. The closer you are to the version of your best self, the easier it becomes to sense the resonance of your thoughts and feelings.  Be patient with yourself.  Each moment of each day brings a new opportunity to be the best version of yourself.  

Beliefs.  Our beliefs limit or expand us and awareness of them is necessary to align with our best self.  Examining your beliefs is an action step that can propel us on our journey to know ourselves.  Our beliefs impact all of our other factors, even astrology, horoscopes and numerology.  For example, if you believe the information is not scientific and you value science, you may ignore this tool that is at your fingertips.  Whether the information is scientific or not, if it is helpful why wouldn’t you embrace it?  No one is telling you to become an astrologer.  You are being invited to use discernment and to embrace what serves you.  

There is a big difference between believing astrology, horoscopes and numerology is fake and believing in a beginner’s mind when approached with these concepts.  Which one feels more expansive?  Which belief serves you better?  You get to decide, but at least you are making the conscious choice from a position of awareness versus illusion.

Character is represented by your moral values and your mindset.  Examining your moral values will help you to understand who you are at your core level.  Character is learned and reflects the attitudes and beliefs that you have been exposed to and have chosen consciously or subconsciously to embrace.  Just because we are exposed to certain beliefs and values does not mean we own them, unless we think we do.  Like the generational curse of worry, we can reach for values and a mindset that serves us.  Our power lies in the ability to choose our moral values, but we have to be aware of them to choose them.  Do you have a fixed or open mindset?  Which one do you think serves you better?

Circumstances.  What are your circumstances?  Were you born into a wealthy family?  Are you an only child?  Do you have two parents or one?  Did you experience the death of a parent or sibling as a teenager?  What part of the world do you live in?  What is your race?  All of these things point to your circumstances.  They are not coincidental and are indicators of what lessons you are here to learn and to teach.  

Reflect on the different life circumstances you have experienced.  Is there a pattern?  How have your circumstances affected your attitude, beliefs, character and culture?  What are your circumstances trying to teach you?  Did you grw up hungry?  You may be being invited to overcome an attitude of lack.  Or maybe you are meant to serve children who are also growing up hungry.  Did you grow up in a wealthy family?  You may be being invited to be generous.    

Culture.  For years our culture has reinforced beliefs that do not serve us when it relates to heredity.  We inherit the environment of our parents in our genes and our circumstances, but environment can be changed.  Genes interact with our physical and social environment.  These interactions influence how our genes manifest in our body as phenotypes.  Our phenotypes change as we change.  We have power over our genes that we didn’t know or believe we had for many decades.  

We have been using our genes as an excuse to stay stuck or to remain in situations that do not expand us.  That time is over.  Now is the time to embrace the power you have to manifest the best version of yourself.  Now more than ever, culture is being questioned.  We are no longer going along with things because of old beliefs and habits that no longer serve us.  Spend time reflecting on how culture has impacted your belief system, including your moral values. Question your beliefs and perceive them as a beginner’s mind would and you might perceive things in a way you never thought possible. 

Get to know yourself by understanding your environment.  How were you raised?  What were your parents or other family members like?  Were you the oldest child, youngest or in between?  What qualities do you have because of your birth order?  Do they expand or limit you?  You can make a conscious decision to embrace the ones that expand you and release or overcome the qualities that limit you.  All of this is information on your path to knowing yourself.  

Education.  What type of education do you have?  What was the last thing you consciously learned?  How do you learn best?  What do you like to learn about?  What are you interested in learning more about?  Ask yourself these questions to understand your attitudes and patterns related to learning new information.

Experience.  Each one of us interprets our experiences based on our own unique perspective.  How do your experiences make you who you are today?  What lessons or wisdom did you gain from these experiences?  Are you carrying around any negative emotion from these experiences?  This negative emotion does not serve you.  Embrace the lesson and release any part of learning the lesson that no longer serves your highest good.  Consider embracing the belief that each of us interprets things slightly different based on our own experiences and how we process information.

Health.  Another factor that makes us unique is the state of our emotional, mental, physical and spiritual health.  We each have different brains and bodies.  We process emotions in our own way and we embrace various and unique spiritual beliefs.  Bring awareness to all aspects of your health.  Notice where you may be lacking harmony.  Understand the unique needs of your body.  Take inspired steps towards balancing your health on all levels.  

Intentions.  You can demonstrate great attitude and moral values, but if your intention is not aligned with the best version of yourself, you are emitting an energy that is not authentic.  Many can sense the intentions of others, so you are fooling no one but yourself.   Intention is another factor that creates our energy signature.  Get to know what motivates you.  What is the intention behind your actions?   Acknowledge your intentions and adjust them to match the intentions of the best version of yourself.

Personality.  Our personality is how we represent the factors that make up who we are.  Are we outgoing or introverted?  Warm or cold?  Do we use our sense of humor as a coping mechanism?  How do we show up?  Are we punctual or always late?  Reliable?  Loyal?  How do people describe us and how do we describe ourselves.  Take the time to list your personality characteristics, ones that you can identify as well as those that others have used to describe you.  Embrace the ones that resonate with you and take inspired action steps towards managing the ones that feel limiting.   Get to know yourself. Take the information and use it as a roadmap to the best version of yourself.  

Perspective.  Our perspective is always going to be based on all the factors that make us who we are.  Our perspective will be for the most part based on what we know.  Our perspective is our own unique vision, people don’t all share the same perspective.  Understanding this allows us to be open to different perspectives.  When we are able to see things from multiple perspectives, we can choose the one that best serves us.

For example, if we perceive the death of a loved one as the worst thing that can happen to us, we will remain stuck in this thinking.  If we are open to other perspectives we may find one that feels expansive.  One such perspective might be that it is only the worst thing if we think it is.  Which perspective keeps you stuck and which one frees you?

Skills.  We all have talents, things that come more naturally to us.  The time is now to identify the things that come easy to you along with the skills you have acquired on your path so far.  Make an inventory of your skills.  Are you good on the computer?  Can you bake?  Are you a good listener?  Start acknowledging these skills.  They are unique to you and are intended for you to use to align with the best version of yourself.  They are tools in your toolbox that are here to facilitate your best life.

Values.  Where we place our values is unique to each one of us.  We may share the same values, but prioritize them differently.  But, it is just as likely that we don’t share the same values.  I may value collaboration while you value independence.  The possibilities are endless, but it is up to you to consciously identify what you value.  Take the time now to identify 3-6 values that are important to you.  You can order them by priority, value them all equally and/or choose to apply them in specific situations over others.

And, lastly

Wisdom.  The amount of wisdom we embrace is another factor in our energy signature.  We each have wisdom that is unique to us.  We have learned what resonates with us on an individual basis based on our various factors.  We may have the same experience, but each of us have perceived it differently and/or learned something different from that experience. 

Reflect on the lessons you have learned and overcome, the hard earned knowledge you have from life lessons. Know that this wisdom is a part of your toolbox of life.  It dwells within you.  We have all the answers within us.  Our culture spends a lot of time looking outside of ourselves for the answers we have within.

These factors are within your control.  The first step is to become aware of the various factors that make up who you are.  Tune into what resonates with you and embrace that.  Align with the best version of yourself and you will be well on your way to healing yourself.

OUTRO

Thank you for listening to this week’s episode of Modern Life-Keeping with Lori Cristine, brought to you by Keara Kisses.

Getting to know ourselves is an investment.  The more uncomfortable it feels, the more valuable the information.  Be patient, kind and loving with yourself as you become who you were most meant to be.

For more information on my individual and parenting support groups, retreats and services visit kearakisses.com.  

Thank you for listening.  Until we meet again, keep wondering.