Illuminating L I G H T !

Just as light brightens darkness, discovering inner fulfillment can eliminate any disorder or discomfort. This is truly the key to creating balance and harmony in everything you do 

-Deepak Chopra 

We are all curious to know who we are and who we are meant to become in this life.  What is our purpose and what can we do as humans in such an individualistic and competitive society to "stand out", make change, and do good.  It is a difficult thing to contemplate this idea in such a personal and deep level and can overwhelm, upset, or even annoy us to the point where we do not even want to find answers and discover greatness and beauty within ourselves.  It is not very exciting to be pushed outside in the darkness to go looking for something when you do not have any type of light to guide you.  Why is light so powerful and what is it about light that can make all the difference when seeking and searching for meaning and identity?  In the dictionary light is defined as follows:

light

¹    [lahyt]  Show IPA noun, adjective, light·er,light·est, verb, light·ed or lit, light·ing.

noun

1.

something that makes things visible or affords illumination:All colors depend on light.

2.

Physics .

a.

Also called luminous energy, radiant energy.electromagnetic radiation to which the organs of sightreact, ranging in wavelength from about 400 to 700 nmand propagated at a speed of 186,282 mi./sec (299,972km/sec), considered variously as a wave, corpuscular,or quantum phenomenon.

b.

a similar form of radiant energy that does not affectthe retina, as ultraviolet or infrared rays.

3.

the sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of sight.

4.

an illuminating agent or source, as the sun, a lamp, or abeacon.

5.

the radiance or illumination from a particular source: the light of a candle.

An illuminating source!  Light gives us direction and confidence and will warm us up when we are feeling cold and dark.  Light is a comfort and can show is the details all around us that will make us see things more clearly, make better decisions when on a journey or when you are heading down a certain path, and can lead us exactly where we want to go.  Light is beautiful and brilliant and it will help us discover and see things that nothing else can.  So how do we get light when we are thrown out into the scary, dark, and unpredictable world when we finally come to a time when we are alone, needing to obtain truth and understanding about the world and ourselves, and take what we have and become something of worth, beauty, strength, and meaning.  So the light is where....?

The personality is composed of two things; the 1) Real Self and the 2) Ideal Self. Your Real Self is who you actually are, while your Ideal Self is the person you want to be.

Our real self does have a light within us and until we tap into that light and discover its power and worth, we are not able to work towards and eventually become our ideal self.  When we believe in the ideal self and becoming something of such influence and power, we then obtain HOPE.  In the dictionary, hope is defined as follows:

hope

  noun, verb, hoped, hop·ing.

noun

1.

the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best: to give up hope.

2.

a particular instance of this feeling: the hope of winning.

3.

grounds for this feeling in a particular instance: There is little or no hope of his recovery.

4.

a person or thing in which expectations are centered: Themedicine was her last hope.

5.

something that is hoped for: Her forgiveness is my constant hope.

Hope is believing that you may not be the person you want to be, but you can have confidence and faith that you will eventually work up to that person and flourish in time as you work and change.

We have a hope that we will be able to 

1) tap into our actual self 

2) discover that light that is burning 

3) acknowledge our natural gifts, talents, abilities

Once that is accomplished, we then can then...

1) begin to find out our true ideal self

2) exercise that hope constantly in believing that we are able to one day reach that ideal goal and become who we are meant to become

3) always give as much energy, time, and effort into accomplishing our goals and reaching our potential

Some stages that we will encounter when searching for our true identity is as follows:

Identity Foreclosure

'The foreclosure status is when a commitment is made without exploring alternatives. Often these commitments are based on parental ideas and beliefs that are accepted without question'.^[4] As Marcia put it, ' the individual about to become a Methodist, Republican farmer like his Methodist, Republican farmer father, with little or no thought in the matter, certainly cannot be said to have "achieved" an identity, in spite of his commitment'.^[5]

Adolescents may foreclose on the handed-down identity willingly or under pressure. The case of "negative-identity" occurs when adolescents adopt an identity in direct opposition to a prescribed identity. Foreclosures' 'endorsement of authoritarian values...is consistent with the description of them as becoming their parents' alter egos'.^[6] Marcia stressed that 'once the foreclosure position is left behind (i.e. a crisis has been experienced), it is no longer an option'.^[7]

[edit]Identity Diffusion

'Some adolescents become overwhelmed by the task of identity development and neither explore nor make commitments...may become socially isolated and withdrawn'^[8]: Identity diffusion. 'Identity Diffusion is generally considered the least mature and least complex status'^[9] of the four identity statuses. Identity Diffusion is the status of individuals who have neither explored nor made commitments across life-defining areas. They may or may not have experienced a crisis, with some reporting having little interest in such matters and others reporting repeated indecision.

Marcia suggested that those with identity diffusion 'do not experience much anxiety because there is little in which they are invested. As they begin to care more...they move to the moratorium status, or they become so disturbed that they are diagnosed schizophrenic'.^[10] Others indicate that 'in the most extreme cases of role diffusion, adolescents may adopt a negative identity'.^[11]

[edit]Identity Moratorium

Identity moratorium is the status of individuals who are in the midst of a crisis but whose commitments are either absent or are only vaguely defined. 'The moratorium status is characterized by the active exploration of alternatives'.^[12] Marcia noted that 'moratoriums...report experiencing more anxiety than do Ss in any other status...The world for them is not, currently, a highly predictable place; they are vitally engaged in a struggle to make it so'.^[13]

Nevertheless over time a tendency has been observed for longer periods to be spent in the status, as 'Children of the Sixties...granted themselves a long moratorium on commitments...'Provisional Adulthood '.^[14]

[edit]Identity achievement

Once a crisis has been overcome, 'a likely progression would be from diffusion through moratorium to identity achievement'.^[15] The latter is thus the status of individuals who have typically experienced a crisis, undergone identity explorations and made commitments. Marcia found some evidence to support his 'theoretical description of Ss who have achieved an identity as having developed an internal, as opposed to external, locus of self-definition'.^[16]

In every aspect of our life, we will find ourselves falling under one or two of these stages and this is normal and just part of our journey as we try to apply light and hope in our lives while achieving goals and discovering our worth.  Of course, our ideal stage to be in is the identity achievement and with both

1) exploration (discovering the "actual self", tapping into that "light", acknowledging those personal gifts and talents)

2) commitment (working towards becoming your "ideal self", consistently applying that HOPE, putting in that effort, time, dedication, etc)

Once we have both the passion and ability put into something meaningful in our lives, we are reaching that identity achievement and we can feel secure, truly happy, and successful.

Turn the lights on!  Find out what you are good at and what you like to do...explore! Believe in becoming something even more and dedicate and commit to working towards that and reaching your identity achievement!  With time, practice, sacrifice, effort, passion, and consistency, you will progressively grow in ways you never imagined and you will feel that self-worth and life success flowing into your heart and into your life!