The power of choice: towards maturity and authenticity

Maturity is not a gift of age, but a conscious choice that requires initiative and effort. It is not enough to passively wait for time to make us more mature, as if we were fruit on the tree. How many infantilized adults and mature young people do you know? The proof is there: maturity is an individual construction, not an automatic process.

No more regretting what you didn’t have and trying to justify failures and bad choices. The responsibility is yours! You can choose to accept what you have been given so far and take responsibility for your life, pursuing your goals and building the future you want. Or you can victimize yourself, trapped in past traumas, perpetuating a cycle of suffering. It’s your choice.

Remember the words of Charles Swindoll: “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” And you? How do you want to react?

To react we have to know ourselves so we can make the right choices that will lead us to build the life we ​​want to live. Our life is made up of the choices we make daily.

Sheena Iyengar’s study suggests that people make about 35,000 choices a day. Therefore, self-knowledge is essential to make the right choices.

But this process does not happen overnight, it is a continuous process, starting daily with the purpose of understanding our feelings, thoughts and behavior patterns. On this path, we face our fears and limitations, seeking to overcome ourselves every day.

The first step of self-knowledge is self-acceptance, and attention is needed here. According to Carl Rogers, the fundamental paradox of self-acceptance lies in the unconditional acceptance of oneself, encompassing both qualities and defects. This attitude, on the one hand, can be seen as an impediment to growth and change, as accommodation with failures can generate stagnation. On the other hand, the incessant search for change, without due acceptance, can lead to constant self-judgment and internal criticism, damaging self-esteem and well-being.

To overcome this dilemma and move forward, it is necessary to accept ourselves unconditionally, without judgement, but remaining open to change and growth. Yes, we are our greatest enemies and at the same time our greatest friends. You need to choose which company you want to be for yourself.

Self-knowledge means disarming the traps we create for ourselves, day after day, in the search for success, a feeling of worthiness and understanding the repetitive cycles in our lives. It is understanding that nothing happens by chance, that each situation, message, word, encounter or memory carries a valuable message about who we are and what we need to learn.

It will be through self-knowledge that we will make it possible to give new meaning to the past, rebuild the present and save ourselves in the future from repetitions that exhaust us, drain our energy and distance us from our true essence.

Maturity is not a destination, but rather the choice of a path of self-discovery and transformation. Embark on this journey and build the life you always dreamed of!