By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
The Global positioning system (GPS), a navigation tool that helps direct people to where they want to go, is probably the last thing people would think about when talking about finding one’s self or looking for inner peace.
Davida Bache, an internationally renowned motivational speaker, believes there is a similar GPS in everyone, even if they are not aware of it. ``The GPS is knowing what you want, when you want it and how to get it, where to go and why,'' she told The Korea Times.
Her concept of the human GPS sounds similar to gut feeling or instinct. She points to the middle of her chest, as the location of this GPS, which serves as an internal radar. Bache has done extensive research on the subject throughout her 20-year career. ``Carl Jung said that as children, before we get encumbered with societal norms, we know, we act and we are. Know. Do. Act. Are. We are fully self-expressed. Jung said that what we did as children is our passion,'' she said.
As a child, Bache said she would explore the canyons in Pacific Palisades, California on her own. It never even crossed her mind that it was dangerous to venture out in the thick dense forest, armed only with a stick to clear a path. ``Back then it was safer, but I could have been killed by a mountain lion or something. It never occurred to me that I was brave. I was only following this,'' she said, pointing the middle of her chest.
Exploring is her passion, which is why Bache describes herself as an ``explorer'' rather than as a life coach, therapist or counselor. Instead of exploring the wilderness, she explores people’s inner selves. ``Here comes the explorer, going where nobody goes. What we are talking about the uncharted land here is you. We need to go exploring who you are and what you need,'' she said.
So, how does someone find their GPS? Bache said people should be sensitive to what their body is saying because the body will always tell them what to do. She believes people’s lives would improve greatly if they follow their own human GPS, instead of doing what society expects them to do.
``We are trying to discover yourself. Not the domesticated ‘you’ who goes to church on Sundays, goes to the mall on Saturday, goes on a date on Friday. In Korea, we all work 12 hours a day, we all live with our parents and we all don’t complain. That’s being domesticated, putting people in an automatic predetermined life to serve others,” she said.
Bache said it is important to put yourself first above anyone else, even if it means being selfish. ``If we’re talking about oneness, who should be the first person to take priority? It’s you. Love thyself is written in the Bible. Honor thyself. To thine own self be true. Philosophers like Socrates and Plato have been saying it for centuries. It sounds pretty selfish but it’s the truth,'' she said.
She thinks most Koreans would be welcome to a change in their lives. ``What is the mortality rate in Korea? How many people are leading lives that they love? Is what they are doing really working here? They stay at their jobs because they don’t want to go home. They’re killing themselves with alcohol because they can’t handle the pressure in their lives. I think Korea is really ready for a radical change. The traditional structure and the values have ceased to work,'' she said.
Bache has been based in Seoul for nine years although she has clients ranging from celebrities, politicians, corporate professionals, athletes and students all over the world. She works with clients to identify and address psychological, practical and personal obstacles that prevent them from living full lives.
What do people get out of their meetings with Bache? ``Joy, power, inner knowing, workable relationships, no health problems, happiness and peace of mind, and you start leading a life you love,'' she said.