Plant yourself in good soil and keep an eye on how you are growing – don’t keep digging up your roots.
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We used to call it “navel gazing” (that’s what “Omphaloskepsis” means !). It’s a way of describing that obsession with oneself that blocks out the bigger picture.
Now, there is a place for self-analysis, “a searching, fearless moral inventory of ourselves” and the admission of “the exact nature of our wrongs”. We need to understand, as best we can, exactly who we are if we are ever to change anything and become what we could be. But if we are not careful it turns into a self-indulgent, egotistical wallowing in self.
It’s not a bad idea, from time to time, to tap your houseplants out of their pots and see how the roots are doing. Are there pests? Is there room to grow? Is there a need for re-potting or some feed? But if you go too far and shake off all the soil to see the roots more clearly or if you constantly expose them to the air then your plant is doing to die.
You need to take a similar approach to yourself and your recovery.
From time to time you need to take stock (? rootstock ☺) and undertake a rigorous self examination. Make sure that you are planted in a healthy environment. But do it sparingly and, on the advice of your guide or mentor, at well-spaced intervals.
Otherwise get on with growing. Focus on your potential.
We are told to look where we are going. It may be true that we are going where we look – and a navel is nowhere.
Please contact us now if you need help with recovery from any addiction and especially if you are seeking home-based treatment.
