Albert Einstein, who gained worldwide fame for his theory of relativity, received a letter from the Israeli government. In this letter, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion asked Einstein to become the next president of Israel. Everyone thought he could not refuse this honorable position as Israeli president. Unexpectedly Einstein refused the prime minister’s request. In turning down the position this was his reply.
“All my life I have dealt with objective matters; hence I lack the natural aptitude and experience to deal properly with people and to exercise official functions. Therefore, I cannot accept this heavy responsibility.”
When faced with the temptation of tremendous honor and fame, it is not easy to have the self-awareness that Einstein had. He knew precisely what he lacked, but he didn’t forget that his strength was in science. Therefore, he made the correct choice and devoted himself to science for the rest of his life, contributing significantly to humanity.
Everyone knows that self-awareness is essential. But how can you be as honestly self-aware as Einstein? Let me provide actual tips for that.
1. Make a note of your repeated actions daily.
Even if some actions are not a big deal, and usually go unnoticed they might be deeply rooted in your mind. These repeated behavior patterns can also show us our thought patterns. By observing our repetitive thoughts, we are less likely to be dragged into those thought patterns. Keeping a diary like this can help you break free of these habitual thought patterns and improve your life.
2. Take a walk or do light exercise to reflect on yourself.
Take a walk in a park or a comfortable place or calmly do light aerobic exercises. When the brain is oxygenated, it can be more activated. After physical activities you can reflect better on your thoughts, behavior patterns and habits.
3. Don’t become emotionally biased by comparing yourself to others.
Comparing yourself to others can give you all kinds of images of yourself and others. Making you feel inferior to some, superior to others and countless comparisons. These are all illusory thoughts that prevent us from seeing the world or ourselves objectively. We should appreciate what makes us different and realize that we each have a reason to be here and to be the way we are.
4. The best way to become self-aware is to empty your mind through meditation and find your true mind.
Ultimately, to know yourself, you need to look at yourself objectively without bias. But if our minds are filled with all kinds of conceptions about everything, we can’t do that. So, we never really know ourselves, we only have a picture of ourselves that we think is real.
All the things that one has seen, heard, felt, and experienced in one’s life come together to create our picture of the world and of ourselves, but it is not the actual situation. This creates a very self-centered mind because we are always protecting this image and trying to validate the pictures we hold.
When you meditate, you can get rid of the self-centered mind. You throw away all the imaginary minds that only you have made and find the true mind that does not disappear. It does not need to be protected or validated because it is true, not built out of pictures of our lives. If you find your true mind and look at yourself from that mind, you can see yourself as clearly as in a mirror. If you live with that true mind, you can live the best life because you look at the world from a big perspective, not a narrow mind.
