In the last step, we wrote down the factual personal history. Next is to add the meaning to each event.
1. What did you think/feel at that time?
2. What is the unique experience in your life? Is there any life event not very many people experience?
Let’s continue my example.
1. What did you think/feel at that time? For instance:
- When I was in a leader position getting people’s attention – Awkward, uncomfortable, wanted to go hide. On the other hand aware of the responsibility. Felt different from others, somewhat lonely but didn’t completely dislike it.
- When I was working as the hub of the company – Really enjoyed. Motivated, confident, fulfilled. While the job was really satisfying, rewarding and enjoyable, eventually I realized my desire to break the contentment and go for an adventure, mainly for my personal, more essential growth.
- When I decided to start my own business – Scared, unconfident yet strongly felt the need to step forward.
2. What is the unique experience in your life? Is there any life event not very many people experience?
- Being a ‘gifted child’
- Moving from Japan to Canada and start own business
And work on 2 more questions.
3. What do you remember the most through your life? Don’t think much but just write down 1 to 5 of what came to your mind. In my case:
- The feeling when I was on the stage. The audience was in the darkness and I was in the spot light. I closed my eyes, focused. I opened my eyes in a few moments, knowing exactly what I should do.
- The moment I decided to believe in my own inner voice no matter what other people say (I was depressed when my ex-boyfriend and best friend being critical about me when I was in the early 20’s)
- My mother being in bed all the time (she didn’t have a good health)
4. When did you feel fulfilled with joy and happiness in your life? What came to your mind at that time?
- When I was accepted as is
- When my best friends came back after the struggling and showed me their improved confidence of their life. Someone else’s happiness made me happy.
Finally, we understand what the past life is telling. I read my nature, what I already have, like this:
- I am a natural performer and leader.
- I know the most important thing is to be true to itself
- I am happy when I can be shared someone else’s happiness.
- I know how difficult the life is when your body and mind are not healthy.
- I desire personal growth more than a stability and comfort.
And my assignments have been:
- To overcome the fear to be on the stage (to speak up)
- To utilize what I have to help people be more themselves
I now understand what I am, and where I am. Once I know those two, it is not so difficult to figure out where I am going to.
The goal of my life is to help people be true to themselves, which naturally makes them happy. My business is one of the tools I chose utilizing my strengths I was born with and I built through my past life.
When I started my own business, I didn’t think anything like that. But, later I learned this method and realized I made a right decision.
Each person is unique. Being yourself means not to be afraid of being different from others.
To me, declaring that I was a gifted child was a big challenge. I was raised not to be overconfident just because I was ‘a little bit’ good looking and doing well at school. I didn’t like to get people’s attention which was typically the mix of admiration and jealousy.
I tried to ignore the gifts I was born with to avoid not only someone’s jealousy but also my own guilty conscious for the pain someone had comparing itself with me. But, without admitting my unique strength, I wouldn’t be able to go farther. Accepting myself as is was an assignment of life to me.
You have your own unique assignments of life. Find your life pattern and the goal of your life. When you find the goal, you see the assignments, too. Be courageous to face to them. When you work on the right assignment, you get one step closer to your final goal. You will regret less when you die.