Our essence is basically what makes us, us.

It’s important to tap into our essence when there is a giant change or shift in our lives, when making life decisions, or when we seek to reconnect with ourselves.

According to the Oxford Language Dictionary, essence is “the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character.”

Our essence is connected to what we do, say, and how we act in our everyday lives. It’s rooted in our soul, our spirit, and it helps us connect to the universe much more efficiently.

When we were children, we were carefree and less conscious of what we did and what we said. We were more imaginative, more open to the possibilities, and naturally more authentic. 

We can rediscover our essence if we think back to how we acted, spoke, and expressed ourselves as children.

We can ask ourselves questions like:

>> What did I enjoy doing with a family member?
>> Was I sensitive or tough? What qualities did I possess?
>> How do I remember seeing the world as a young person? 

We can also look at our old drawings, journals, and creative projects if they are still around.

After some self-inquiry and detective work, we can write down all of the characteristics and observations that we remembered ourselves to be and find a common theme that sums up what we were like. The common theme is our essence.

Reconnecting with essence is key to personal fulfillment.

Our essence helps us become more aware of our life purpose.

Our life purpose allows us to explore our interests, what we want for ourselves in this lifetime, and what we want to accomplish. It motivates us to get up in the morning and, if we’re connected to our essence, creates more joy when getting things done.

A great exercise to help us discover what motivates us is to make a list of the little meaningful things that we enjoy doing every day. This can be anything—from walking the dog in the morning at sunrise to making time to meditate in the evenings or even cooking dinner. Take note of the commonalities between those activities on your list and take note of how they connect to your essence and life purpose.

When we rediscover and reconnect with our essence, we are able to accomplish more, give back to society, and leave a positive impact.

Because our essence assists us in accomplishing more in our lives, reconnecting with our essence helps us focus on our natural gifts. We become aware of our natural gifts during childhood or early adulthood, but often once we reach adulthood, we stop focusing on them in order to be more practical or to focus on “more pressing” matters.

When we find that this is true of ourselves, we can think back to an activity that we’ve enjoyed doing and felt “in the zone” when doing it. Usually, when we lose time when doing something, it’s likely an activity that showcases our innate abilities, is connected to who we are, and provides us with a sense of personal power. It’s important to make time to do more of those activities because when we love what we do and are good at it, we naturally come to manifest brilliant opportunities for ourselves.

But it’s important that when we’ve found our essence, we also focus on our purpose. To get in touch with our purpose, we can play the “why” game with ourselves. When we know our essence, there’s more clarity; we’ll focus our attention on the activities and people that most matter to us. This is a great way to start our “why” line of questioning. 

Ask yourself “why” you act or are a certain way when hanging out with a friend or when completing an activity.

Here’s an example of an inner dialogue someone may have whose essence common theme is “having a lot of physical energy:”

Question: Why do I love running?
Answer: Because it gives me time to think.

Question: Why does it give me time to think?
Answer: Because my mind is usually fast-paced, and running is a meditative experience.

In this example, we can see clearly why this person decided to connect themselves with their exercise of choice (running), and how recognizing their essence brings awareness to why they enjoy that activity and it is good for them.

We often want clarity to live more peacefully and have a better idea of what we love and believe in. Our essence provides us with clarity about ourselves, and how our actions and people can influence us both negatively and positively.

Our essence provides us with the opportunity to connect with ourselves, everything, and everyone in a more meaningful and intentional manner. Our essence reminds us to challenge ourselves to be more authentic, use our natural gifts, and have more clarity in our lives.

In what way will you reconnect with your essence today? Share in the comments below.