Self-Excavation

Have you ever felt like the most important parts of you—the softest, brightest, most alive parts—have been buried beneath layers of other people’s expectations, unhealed trauma, endless responsibilities, and the pressure to choose the “right” path forward?

Your hopes. Your dreams. The silly, creative, or just-for-fun things you loved as a child. They’re still in there somewhere, but buried so deep it feels like you need a shovel, a map, and maybe even a team of archeologists to find them. What once came naturally now feels out of reach, hidden beneath years of survival, striving, and self-sacrifice.

For me, adulthood has been about becoming more of who I am, partially by uncovering who I was. A lot of my soul work has been the slow, patient excavation of my true self—dusting off the parts of me that got lost along the way and allowing the light to shine again on my deepest purpose, the ideas that keep me awake with excitement, and the activities that bring me joy for joy’s sake.

This work is not quick or linear. Some days it feels like stumbling across a forgotten treasure chest. Other days, it feels like chiseling with a tiny pick. But the deeper I dig, the more I remember things like the sense of wonder I felt as a child and the satisfaction of creating something beautiful just for myself.

When we lose touch with these parts of ourselves, life becomes narrow and flat (and boring!). We go through the motions, meet the deadlines, fulfill the obligations—but inside, we know something essential is missing. The excavation process is about acknowledging and reclaiming our wholeness.

This includes:

• Peeling back the layers of conditioning that told us to be small, agreeable, or “practical.”

• Tending the wounds that make it feel safer to hide, be silent, or defer to others.

• Making space for play, curiosity, and joy without guilt.

• Trusting ourselves, even when our ideas don’t align with other people’s beliefs.

Reconnecting with our true selves doesn’t mean rejecting the responsibilities of adulthood or erasing the experiences that shaped us. It means weaving them into a fuller, more authentic picture of who we are and giving ourselves permission to exist not just as doers and achievers, but as complete and complex human beings.

What forgotten treasures inside of you are waiting to see the light again?