Happy Sunday! We are entering the final week of July, and I have to say it’s been one of the best months I’ve had in a very long time. A birthday, career growth, and a Substack milestone made for a pretty amazing month. Truly thank you to everyone who has been so supportive in the last month (and all the time leading up to it), it is a blessing to celebrate and do life with you.
At the same time, there’s been a whole lot beneath the surface that is not seen by people on the outside. With major life events occurring everywhere, there’s a degree of overwhelm and stress that is testing my capacity. Whether you are in a crazy season or not, there is an endless sea of things beneath the surface, and they define the world at every moment.
Let’s get into it!
Surface-Level Life
The world around us is quite surface-level. This probably isn’t a controversial statement, but it is something many people write off as they move through life.
The social media highlights. The generic conversations in meetings. “Yes, the weather is hot in the summer in Texas!” And most importantly? Ourselves.
Yes, we are surface-level with ourselves too. We are doing the metaphorical social media highlight or the generic office conversation as we go through our day-to-day.
When was the last time you looked at your goals?
When was the last time you sat in silence to think or pray?
We avoid any feeling of discomfort that requires us to look at our finite life through an objective lens. To sit with ourselves and review how we are doing, where we are going, and who we are becoming should be a near-daily necessity.
Life requires us to dig deep to find our purpose. We won’t figure out why we are here without it.
Who Really Are You?
In a church sermon this morning, the pastor mentioned that we can’t describe ourselves without relating it to something else.
“A Haltiner”
“A Texan”
“A Writer”
Relatability is a core human connector. We build our identities this way, based on how we can connect and relate to others who comprise a larger group.
Think about the organizations and relationships that you have been a part of. You begin to build a sense of belonging and allow it to become a part of who you are.
The question then becomes:
What happens when you get separated from that organization or relationship?
That’s where you need to Search Beneath the Surface.
We have to find our identity again. And we won’t find it floating at the top of the water. It’s underwater, and it takes time and effort to reach.
There’s a chameleon in all of us. The desire to fit in. To be aligned with the world around us.
But when the world around us changes, we need to look elsewhere. Otherwise we will be lost trying to define ourselves by an environment or situation that no longer fits.
I lost my identity in my early twenties. The things that previously defined my work, relationships, and who I was changed.
I went on a journey to find it again.
The Iceberg
Icebergs came to mind with this concept, and after consulting with Dr. Google, I got some data that we may not have heard since science in grade school. Around 90% of each iceberg is underwater, not visible above the surface. Similarly, around 95% of our activity comes from our unconscious mind.
So much of how we operate through life exists underneath the surface, just like an iceberg.
If you dream frequently, think about all the crazy or bizarre things that your mind conjures up. Think about how many hidden meanings and answers exist beneath the surface of our minds.
Over the last few months, I’ve had dreams where I am hit by a tidal wave, wreaking havoc on the beach property my unconscious mind crafted up. An unpleasant scenario certainly, but what happened after is even more interesting. I end up surviving and feeling almost calm amidst a tumultuous situation.
This made me begin to think about the underlying meaning.
Dr. Google also mentions that a “tidal wave in a dream symbolizes overwhelming emotions, a major life transition, or a loss of control.” After double clicking into it, there was another point that caught my eye.
When you are surviving the tidal wave, it demonstrates resilience, adaptability, and the ability to handle major life events and emotional turbulence.
There’s a lot going on. More than I can let on to anyone. But with the waves crashing down on me, literally and figuratively, there I am finding a way through.
I know who I am now. And I know who I need to be in the future.
Final Words
Thank you for reading to the end of this post! I actually woke up today with a different concept in mind, but became inspired between the sermon and my morning reading.
I am an open book when it comes to a lot of emotions and feelings I have, and truly find going beneath the surface to be an essential part of my life. I could not be where I am today without it and would not have met so many wonderful people if I remained surface-level.
Here’s to exploring what’s beneath the surface! Have an amazing week!