Hi CRyan
I honestly believe two of the most challenging things to achieve in life are greater levels of self understanding and productive forms of self development. Just when you think you've achieved both, a new challenge comes up that tests you again on a whole new level. As a 54yo gal, it took me decades to finally work out that life is about graduating through next level challenges. While working hard in the way of graduating, there are definitely levels we can get stuck on (whether it be for weeks, months or years).
While there are some levels or challenges that are manageable on my own, there have been and will be levels in life that are unmanageable without guidance. I've found great guides can be the key to moving up to next level self understanding and self development. In regard to the things you love, what do you feel could be next level yoga, reading and/or people? Would they offer a different experience or sense of development? Would they offer ways of leading you to greater degrees of self understanding?
While I have an extensive library of self help books or what I like to call 'Help yourself to what may make a difference to you' books, there are only a small handful of books within that library that have helped me graduate in certain ways. One of them is 'Insanely Gifted: Turn Your Demons Into Creative Rocket Fuel', by Jamie Catto. Catto puts a unique spin on inner dialogue and how to manage it. And while yoga was never of interest to me until I was led to explore it, the woman who facilitated the one on one yoga classes actually led me to an overwhelming and quite shocking vent of tears and the realisation regarding the lack of love I had for myself and how dense and stuck that felt within me. While Jamie Catto and the yoga teacher had proven to be mind altering guides in my life, helping me graduate, there have been many others who I've added to my list over the years. These have included people who have managed to bring out the best in me, the parts of myself I've grown to love. There have been those who have helped me develop the philosopher in me, the adventurer in me and my soulful sense of self and there are those who've led me to develop other parts or facets of myself, such as the comedian in me (which can lead me to see the lighthearted side of what can feel dark at times).
Not sure whether you can relate but I'd have to say my favourite guides are those who really get how sensitivity is a thread that runs through so much of life's experiences. These people are not the ones who say 'You're too sensitive, you need to toughen up'. They're more so those who realise that while we have the natural ability to sense, there are challenges that come with such an ability. I believe the ultimate challenge with sensitivity does not involve eliminating it. It involves mastering it. Btw, when it comes to 'You're too sensitive, you need to toughen up', I have the ability to sense these words as being highly triggering 😁. Such words can stir great emotion.
