Who Are You?

Who are you?

Usually when people answer this question they give their name, job title, gender, place of birth, race, age or other common descriptions.

For example, I could answer this by saying, "I am Dustan Drake. I am a man who was born in California in 1985. I am 36 years old. I am a Life Coach and Digital Marketer who currently lives in California. Etc."

Okay so this is interesting because all of the things I mentioned to define me are all transient or could be changed and I would still be the same "me". My name could change, I could move, I could have a sex change, I could right this post a year from now and I could change my line of work. I could do all of these things but I would still be the same "me" that is inside my body aware of all this and living my life.

So this begs the question, "Who are you and what are you?"

One of the main things I teach now is helping people discover who and what they are and what they are not. Starting from this place and getting clarity on this question sets people on a journey of life they never thought possible.

The answer to this question empowers, clarifies, stabilizes, humbles and frees a person from the suffering, stress and confusion of life. The answer to this questions sets the foundation to stop chronic emotional and mental suffering while simultaneously improving every single relationship and interaction in one's life.

So I ask you these questions:

1. Are you your body?

2. Are you your five senses of touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste?

3. Are you your thoughts?

4. Are you your feelings and emotions?

I recommend you answer these questions yourself and see what you come up with.

You will find that none of these things are inherently you. Yes, they are real and happening. They can be really enjoyable or they can cause a lot of pain. Yet, all of these things are transient. They are always changing, yet you are still here. Some of them can be temporarily or permanently removed and you would still be you and aware of it all. So if you aren't any of the things above, then who are you? What are you?

Answer: You are the one witnessing all of this. You are the sentient being, the soul.

Everything else is transient; the outer world, your five senses, body, mind, thoughts, heart, emotions. These are real. But none of these are you.

I would love to discuss this with you. Living from this place of awareness is empowering and allows one to have an abundant life free from suffering.

Pain will always come and go but you can live without suffering.