Blog Post #3 Understanding Your Shadow

I tend to be frustrated most by ignorance, lack of aspiration, and lack of compassion. I find ignorant people to be lazy, uneducated, and usually those who are trying to fit in in all the wrong ways by being overly opinionated on no grounds. Lack of aspiration is something that I always look for in people. Naturally I want to help whoever I come into contact with become a better person, or learn from them myself how to be better. When I sense that lost and unguided mindset that has no will towards any goals or aspirations or needs to better oneself in life, it gets very stressful for me- especially if it’s a teammate or a colleague. Lastly is lack of compassion and this relates to being there for others. Seeing their perspectives through their eyes and always knowing in the back of your mind that there are two sides to every story if not more. This unwillingness to comprehend someone else’s situation and have compassion causes much resistance towards my protective nature.

Chopra shows that everyone has a shadow self. These shadows to a person are imbalances in the mind that pressure a person to focus on their imperfections. He states that nurturing our darker qualities can transform them into some of our greatest strengths.

These do have a presence in me, more than I would like to admit. I am ignorant in many ways because I try to spread myself too thin and I can sometimes get burned out and lazy. I lack aspiration when I think of shortcuts or finding the most efficient way to do the least amount of work possible. Usually if I have a decent sized obstacle in my way, I tend to back down and find some other direction to go- and this is something I would like to better about myself. Lastly, I lack compassion sometimes because I get too focused on myself, and this is something that I want to get loads and loads better by.

By identifying these weaknesses, I know I can address them directly and actively try to change them into my strengths. As for right now, I want to use my time wisely, do all of my work to achieve my goals, and be as selfless as possible to sum up being the best I can be.