Be yourself. Two words. Easy to understand. I mean, who doesn’t want to be themselves? It conjures up images of happily playing with an over sized beach ball on an over sized beach. Or biking down a country lane, both hands off the handlebars, straw hat on head, gaily laughing with friends doing the same. Or is that tampon ads I’m thinking of? I’m not sure. But my point is that it feels simple and straightforward. A relatively simple state to achieve.

Or is it? A cursory glance at the phrase brings up immediate questions. For me anyway. For starters, what does it even mean? And when it says ‘yourself’, which self is it referring to? My personality self? The one who wants what it wants and needs what it needs? The one who has been known to have a bit of a reaction when things haven’t gone its way? Or my more soulful self who knows why I’m here and how I want to learn and grow this time round? The one who knows there’s more and sets off on an adventure to discover it?

I’ll be honest. I’ve given both a whirl and each has had its own results, but I’ve come to realise that to really be myself I can’t be one without the other. They go together like hand and glove, horse and carriage, fred and ginger, love and marriage … you get the picture. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s a partnership. And this is why.

My Soul (and yours too, you’ll be pleased to hear) knows the bigger picture of exactly why I’m here and who I’ve come to be. It knows exactly what I aspire to understand and resolve this time round. It knows the past life experiences that I’m ready to tackle, has chosen all of the circumstances of my birth to give me the best chance to learn from them, and will even put obstacles in my way if that’s what’s needed. And all so that I (and you) can be more than we ever thought we could.

And my personality self with all of its strengths and foibles (yes, I did say foibles because they’re as valuable a learning tool as the good stuff) is what we use to learn all of those juicy lessons. It’s how we express ourselves in this world, how we interact with others, how we share who we are being. So when both selves work together, well anything becomes possible. But ... and this is a big but … it always begins with the Soul. To begin with the personality is akin to asking a newly minted junior doctor about your upcoming surgery instead of asking the surgeon herself. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll get an answer. Just not the one that you were hoping for.

When we listen to what our Soul is seeking whether that’s through listening in meditation, or noticing coincidences, or reading something in a book, or spotting unusually apt billboards that seem to be talking directly to us.* When we listen to those whispers, and nudges, and knowings and then work with our personality to move forward, the magic kicks in. And before you know it, you’re living in a beautiful country you never imagined you’d live in, in a lovely house you never thought you could afford, with the kind of life you’d only ever dreamed of. And all because you’re being yourself.

*On a visit to New Zealand I once saw a lone billboard in a field that said ‘The Future Is Here’ just when I was wondering if I should move there. And yes, I know that doesn’t sound that amazeballs but it happened two days after a nice immigration officer told me that his system said I already lived in New Zealand. Double whammy!