“Who Am I?” Six Ilchi Lee Quotes to Find the Answer.

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Who am I?” Maybe you did every time you had to present yourself to someone new, fill out a resume, or make a new social media account. You filled in the information you know about yourself: your name, your hometown, your years of education, and your work history. You put down your hobbies and your interests, and even what you were looking for.

But when you don’t have to present yourself to someone or win someone over, do you know who you are? Or does that question leave you feeling empty inside? When you are alone, with nothing to get or achieve or prove, what is left? How would you answer that question then?

These six quotes from my books and lectures can help you address this fundamental question. Answering it for yourself can completely change your approach to life.

“My true self is not my name, my body, or my thoughts. It is not my knowledge or experience, and not the things I possess. It is not my successes or my failures.”
Our names, thoughts, and experiences are things that were given to us or that we created. They are labels and containers. The real me is the essence that lies beyond form. It wasn’t created by us or another person.

“Understand that emotions are not you, but yours—waves in the ocean of ‘me.’ Sometimes you can just watch until the waves fade away, and other times you can become a surfer and enjoy the ride.”
Emotions are created by the body and brain. They are always changing. Who we really are existed before our body and brain and will continue to exist after they are gone. It is an eternal self that never changes regardless of circumstances that is able to watch our emotions and thoughts while being detached from them.

“Your true self is not limited to your body, preconceptions, and personality—your small self. Rather, it is a big self connected and one with all things.”
Our true self came from the same essence as all things in existence. Because of this, it is connected to everything and is capable of being aware of everything, even that which is not visible. Our small self is separate from others and limited, but our big self is universal and limitless.

“What we need most is to listen to our own inner voices, our souls, and to choose how we really want to live and what sort of people we will be.”
Another word for “true self” is “soul,” and another is “conscience.” Rather than our history or society determining our values and choices, let them come from our true self. Then our lives will be a reflection of what we really want deep inside. Real satisfaction and joy come from following the wisdom of our souls. Ask again and again what it is that we earnestly want in our hearts and what kind of lives will bring real joy to our souls. If we close our eyes and go within, following the feelings in our hearts, at some moment the answer will come to us. Act on that answer as soon as possible.

“The soul is not simply a theoretical concept. It is energy and a feeling. The soul is the energy in our hearts.”
When that energy is activated, we feel it as pure love, empathy, and compassion. People are only different in that it is still sleeping in some and is activated in others. This energy is something we can feel when we are quiet and focus on our hearts. We may have layers of emotion around ours heart that block us from feeling the pure clear energy of our souls, but if we keep clearing away those layers with mindful breathing, exercise, and meditation, we will naturally feel our souls’ strong, bright energy.

“The times when you train your body and overcome your limitations are moments when you encounter your true self and feel with your whole body that you are truly alive.”
The joy, sense of reward, and happiness that come through little changes are indescribable. That we have bodies that we can move, that we have the awareness and willpower to move them, that we still have life energy—these things fill us with gratitude. When we train our bodies past our limitations and feel its aliveness, our thoughts and emotions change as well. Through this, we can experience the truth that we are not our bodies, thoughts, or emotions, but are masters of them. Although everything signaled us to stop, we kept going toward a greater purpose.

Comments