The rise of the human potential movement has been a huge benefit and a sign that consciousness can evolve. We are not destined by biology or psychology to live routine, repetitive lives. Everything depends in the end on whether your consciousness evolves or not. The human potential movement has given us a new field, positive psychology, which focuses on the life-affirming values in us rather than focusing entirely on mental distress and disorders as traditional psychotherapy does.
The movement has also raised the status of women in society, even though equality hasn't been reached. Finally, the movement has supported the notion of becoming your best self. At this moment, countless people are pursuing that notion with hope and optimism. It's the latest phase in self-improvement, which aims at lifelong well-being in body and mind.
But what is your best self, and how do you realize it? This hasn't been easy to define, and many people are confused. If you aim to succeed in your career, for example, how is that balanced with other, higher values like loving kindness, being fair to everyone equally, attending to your family, and not resisting others as a way of pushing your agenda forward? Success, as we all know, sometimes goes to people who are ruthlessly competitive, selfish, and unfair. Where does your best self come in, through surrender, acceptance, and moral behavior, even if this means getting run over and taken advantage of?
There are countless other examples that crop up, because "best self" tends to be a vague and amorphous concept. I'd even venture that people might wind up hiding from life's challenges in a meek way in order to convince themselves that they are being virtuous, moral, and spiritual.
What we need is a clear definition of the self, and I'd propose that the true self is already your best self. You don't have to aim at it or try to improve it. The true self is present here and now. In our meditation practice, we contact it as the silent level of the mind, which is the source of every attribute of pure consciousness. What we value most in life -- creativity, love, compassion, insight, curiosity, and personal evolution -- arises from our source.
We don't have to work or struggle to create these values. They exist innately. The reason we don't realize this truth is that pure consciousness gets blocked. We live out stories created from ego needs, desire, old conditioning, wishful thinking, and much more. However, every element in our story is a mental construct, and these constructs are a jumble assembled haphazardly in our past, beginning very early in childhood.
Human potential lies beyond stories and mental constructs. It is infinite, because no matter how many thoughts we have, how many actions we perform, or words we utter, there are infinitely more waiting to be expressed. It must be remembered that this is the only definition of human potential that matters in the end. Otherwise, joining the human potential movement is the same as taking up another mental construct and adding another page to your story.
In practical terms, it is necessary to make your infinite potential unfold in daily life. That's done by undoing your story, no longer participating in a constructed self-image. The only thing a story is good for is to foster a self-image that satisfies the ego. Secondly, it is necessary to cultivate the true self by contacting it in meditation. Outside meditation, we consciously choose to align ourselves with the values of the true self.
· We stop struggling and opposing.
· We learn to say yes more often and to accept others.
· We resist the temptation to be judgmental.
· We stop creating stress in other people and take responsibility for reducing stress in our own lives -- stress is always a symptom of struggle.
· We walk away from negative situations and never provoke them.
· We act out of love and kindness.
· We consciously don't do what we know in our hearts is wrong.
The voice of the true self is silent, but in this list, we all see things we already know are right. The true self has been influencing us all our lives, even when we feel trapped by our ego, self-image, and external circumstances. Whenever we carry out the influence of the true self, we come closer to identifying with it instead of the ego.
Moving from disconnect to reconnect is the path to awakening, and awakening is the fully conscious life. Steps of awakening present themselves every day. The possibilities existing in the present moment are infinite -- they have to be, because the present moment is a reflection of our own potential, which is infinite to begin with.
I hope this vision inspires you, because you have never lost your true self. Communication has just been interrupted for a time, and as you restore these frayed lines of communication, the joy of existence will emerge very naturally and effortlessly. With the end of struggle, the beauty of your own potential will be present every day.
DEEPAK CHOPRA, MD, FACP, FRCP, is a Consciousness Explorer and a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is the co-founder of DeepakChopra.ai, his AI twin and well-being advisor. He also co-founded Cyberhuman, a transformative suite of personalized health and well-being solutions. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is also an Honorary Fellow in Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. He is the author of over 95 books, translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers.
For the last thirty years, Chopra has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution. His mission is to create a more balanced, peaceful, joyful, and healthier world. Through his teachings, he guides individuals to embrace their inherent strength, wisdom, and potential for personal and societal transformation.
In his latest book, "Digital Dharma" (Harmony/Rodale), Chopra navigates the balance between technology and expanded awareness, explaining that while AI cannot duplicate human intelligence, it can vastly enhance personal and spiritual growth. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as "one of their top 100 most influential people." www.deepakchopra.com.