Take in what you see in the mirror

Sometimes people are so lost that they forget that identity is not a monument; a life keeps its days with an old, faded picture of itself, with changed features. It bends, grows, falls, changes, gets back, and then moves once again. A reflection that was considered static turns out to be a moving surface; one decision leads to the next, and one moment suggests the next.

The ease with which expectations can overshadow this movement is, most of the time, quite surprising. It is possible to be so much in tune with nature's demand for specific shapes, postures, projections, etc. that the mirror becomes the biggest deceiver. Instead of reflecting the truth, it shows a safe, invented version, and that is tailored to what others want to see. The very first step in that fog is to acknowledge the presence of a void without the need to shape it into something else.

To really look oneself in the mirror without judging it, to be ready to see changes in one's character together with changes of time, roles, failures, and successes, and not using any one image as a measure, one has to know that one is still a work in progress and not a finished product. In fact, identity is like breathing, which goes through the body, changing and reshaping it from the inside.

It becomes obvious over many days that a mistake which at one time meant so much loses its power, a new skill is developing where an old doubt was, and a dream that was given up years ago is coming back with a different aspect. Life gave the demand, and so a voice gained the power to speak it. The mirror slowly changes itself in the background until a person realizes it.

One must choose to pay attention to these changes without passing judgment, with a long, steady, and accepting gaze; with a long chain of thought that follows the internal movements without attempting to confine them; and with the ability to say that this is who I am now, and something else will emerge in the future, in order to begin working.

You can alter your self-perception at any moment. Identity is influenced by a person's life experiences, and it is not something that can be tested. Power advances without aiming for perfection.

So, take back the mirror from the universe and put it where it reflects properly. See the changes without judging them as good or bad. Observe the delicate shifts in demeanor, the underlying emergence of newfound confidence, and the progressive easing of the age-old anxiety without judging identity.

Every time you do this, you get closer to living a life that is aware of itself, sees its own reflection without shame, is willing to move on with determination and a deeper inner self, and a part of you becomes powerful enough to go further than ever ‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌before.