An Unfolding
While talking with a friend of mine who also did some coaching for me, he made a statement in regards to my own personal development. It is one that has stuck with me:
An unfolding has occurred
It was a new way of explaining a process that many of us have undergone (and are currently undergoing).
It’s one of self-discovery—of peeling back the layers and finding what’s hidden underneath.
It’s about revealing something previously hidden that may have always been there, under the surface, waiting to be found.
It makes me think of an origami box or even an onion (Shrek anyone?)
There’s a couple of books I’ve been reading that touch on a similar subject. Scazzero’s book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality talks of finding or getting back to one’s true self. Comer’s Garden City is, in part, about finding your calling.
In a similar vein (it’s been longer since I’ve read this one) Pressfield’s War of Art speaks of the true self vs. the shadow self. Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way does as well, if I recall correctly.
But there’s still something distinct about an unfolding.
It’s less about whether or not we’re walking in the light or even being honest with ourselves. It’s more of an ongoing metamorphosis—one that happens naturally but can also be purposeful.
It’s stages of maturity that come from experience. As you learn, grow, and discover who you really are, you shed the layers that no longer fit.
As new life forms, the old dies away. In this process, you become something different from what you once were.
After all, our bodies are constantly changing with new cells forming and old ones dying.
We’re never stop transforming—though it’s not always for the better.
Sometimes what we find inside isn’t so pleasant. Perhaps that too is a layer to be shed.
The good side of of the process, however, is like a flower opening up to the sun, or a present being unwrapped—one that’s been hidden inside multiple coverings like some kind of Russian nesting doll.
In that case, it’s a beautiful thing: a delight, a wonder to behold—both for the one experiencing it and for those who observe it.
For some, this seems to happen suddenly and dramatically during significant life changes.
For others, it’s a slow and steady process—barely noticeable. A little corner turned down here and there. A small rip that slowly gets bigger.
In either case, it can take bravery and determination to accomplish. Like a hatching chick breaking through its egg.
And the more unfolding we experience, the more we can recognize it and aid the process in others.
I don’t know whether each of us has one true calling or if it’s something we get to choose.
I’m no expert on the true self vs. the shadow self (though I’ve learned that identifying the difference can be a very healthy practice).
But I’m sure each one of us holds an amazing amount of potential inside. And that potential, when uncovered, is a thing of splendor.
