This above all: to thine own self be true,
and it must follow, as the night the day,
thou canst not then be false to any man. --Shakespeare
An interesting theory about the human operating system originated long ago. It's called Huna. And it's the concept of selves. This ancient theory suggests that human beings consist of three selves:
- The High Self- This self connects with our spiritual side. It always seeks the highest good for you and others.
- Conscious Self - This might be the area we're most familiar with. It's where we determine our choices and actions.
- Basic Self- This self houses our comfort zone, inner child, and will to survive. It the place where our habits develop.
You can see traces of Huna in the work of Carolyn Myss and even in Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs-from pyramid's bottom to the top -Survival, Safety, Nurture, Belonging, Esteem, Self-Actualization, and Transpersonal.
Anyway, the idea is to get the selves in sync with each other. Even if you're aware of the selves, getting the basic self to cooperate can be challenging.
For example, let's say you know that you need to lose 30 pounds. You know that if you do, you'll feel and look better. Not to mention that your reduced proportions may extend your life. Your conscious self is inspired by your high self, and therefore aspires to this goal.
However, your basic self isn't ready. Ingrained eating habits (cookies for breakfast, fast food for lunch) and behaviors (eating while reading) resist attempts by the conscious self to alter set patterns.
Ch-Ch-Changes
It's interesting to see the power a five-year-old can have over two adults. It's often the same with the basic self. Unless the conscious self provides good direction, the basic self can develop bad habits and start to steer the ship. -John-Roger
What prevents us from connecting our selves together? What keeps us from acting in our own apparent self-interest?
The basic self can be viewed as a young child needing guidance. It can be petulant and throw temper tantrums when disturbed. The techniques used to get the basic self to cooperate with the conscious self are similar to those in raising children.
Communicate in a patient and clear way the reasons for your change in behavior. Reward the basic self after a positive behavior. Obviously, the key here is giving the reward after good behavior rather than splurging beforehand.
Other methods include journaling, reciting affirmations, and meditating. In yogic psychology, the basic self is generally centered in the solar plexus, sacral, and root chakras, so placing your hand on your abdomen just below your naval can have a calming effect.
Since the basic self likes to keep busy completing tasks, choosing to do chores and errands rather than indulging in bad habits like excessive drinking and smoking will help to increase self-esteem, not to mention allow time for loftier endeavors!
Robert Waterman has done work on integrating the concepts of increasing cooperation of the three selves, ascending Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and aligning the chakras.
For now, my basic self has got to take out the trash.
