As a member of S&P Global’s Women’s Initiative for Networking and Success (WINS) Employee Resource Group, I recently had the pleasure of organizing an event for our Sao Paulo office, focused on a topic that deeply touches my heart and soul: inner knowledge or self-awareness. This subject also aligns well with the exciting new vision that S&P Global is bringing forth during these times, providing wellness tools for all of its people.

I believe this becomes an even more essential conversation during the challenging times we are collectively living, which have forced us to review the way we are leading our lives – to observe our patterns, limiting beliefs, listen to our bodies and take profound actions to improve our whole well-being (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual). Inner knowledge allows us all to move forward fully in touch with our essences, understanding who we are and where we want to go as a species on this planet.

The event was a success, with a total of 58 participants joining us from all across Latin America. The event speaker, Claudio Matos, works to help individuals and companies bridge the connection between heaven and earth to align their polarities through the expansion of consciousness. According to Claudio, self-awareness is the practice of being in the present moment in the most conscious way possible. It’s the ability to see ourselves clearly, to understand who we are, to be aware of every movement, situation, breath, feeling and desire.

By paying attention to our energy – thoughts, words and emotions – we bring coherence to our being and the frequency of the vibrations we are emanating to our inner and outer world. Among many other experiences and tips, Claudio shared these three initial (and essential) steps to help every individual work toward inner peace:

Balance masculine and feminine polarities. These are two sides of the human, like reason and emotion or mind and heart. The goal is to experience a natural balance of these two energies within ourselves, between excess and deficiency.

Find a purpose in life. Think about that purpose every day and start acting on it. From my personal experience, we tend to look at purpose from a work or career point of view, but a purpose can be anything that triggers your heart. What makes you care? Start small; the joy that comes from acting with purpose starts to reverberate and expand your soulful intentions into the world.

Feel worthy. Trust in yourself, that you are able to fully achieve or be anything your heart desires.

Along with working on these three steps every day, Claudio reminded us of a few final practices:

It is important to remember to SMILE.

Discipline and patience are the keys for self-knowledge.

Forgive the past, love the present and trust the future.

My own ending note for all of us is: Let´s do the inner work to be the best version of ourselves and break whatever cycles or patterns we are stuck in. This allows and frees the next generations to just BE.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”

― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe