Seven Tips to Know Yourself Better

Let me ask you something, how well do you really know yourself? All of the memories we’ve experienced have slowly shaped us into who we are today, but who exactly is that? Sometimes it’s hard to know the person we really are, and even if we are happy with that view. Some people might even believe they see a stranger when thinking about themselves. Life has become so fast paced and busy that we rarely get a chance to sit down and get to know ourselves better.

Ok so knowing who you are, or at least having a better picture and understanding your different facets, can really have a positive impact on your life. It allows you to explore your mind whilst thinking about the memories that have shaped you into the person you are. Knowing yourself better even helps you to deal with painful things you may have locked away deep in your mind’s memory vaults.

On a positive note though, it allows you to better understand your different emotional elements. For instance, your fears, social attitudes and how we may view something new to us. It can be difficult depending on the memories you explore, but ultimately can help in showing you what you want to be, and what you want out of life.

1. Day Off – Start your journey of self-discovery by taking a day off and do the things you love to do, wether it’s music, movies, cooking, exploring and taking photos. Take some time to think about why you love a particular song or movie. Do these things still hold the same power? The day off will really prepare your mind to explore who you are without outside distractions.

2. People In Your Life - Think about the people you’ve met along the way in your life. Family, work colleagues, teachers, who has influenced you, in a positive or negative way. Think about role models, childhood heroes and if their values still hold true to you. You may discover a part of yourself coming from an influence many many years ago.

3. Ask Your Friends – What are your friends and family’s perception of you? You may discover something brand new which these people have known for years. Don’t be dis-heartened by negative perceptions, they are just perceptions to help you see yourself in another light.

4. A Journal - If you don’t already keep one, think about starting one. Try to incorporate memories of your day, with feelings, perceptions, goals and dreams. Within a few days this can become a real eye opening experience as to how you see the world around you. Nobody else has to see it, it’s just for you, and a great tool for improving your self awareness.

5. Online Personality Tests – There are hundreds of online tests you can do which seem to be very popular these days. Remember they are not proffesional results or insights into who you really are. You are just being grouped into a class you are likely to fall into. However by all means, experiement, it’s about having fun so always take results with a pinch of salt!

6. Stop Worrying – To clarify that, stop worrying about what other people might or might not be saying about you. So many of us do it, but other peoples perceptions, are just perceptions. This is something that can really hold people back from achieving true self awareness and walking a path they want to. Fantastic opportunities and fresh times will come to you once you move away from this self-defeating trait. 

7. A Session or Two – Finally, if you have deep self-defeating traits and habits, it’s never a bad idea to see a professional counsellor or psychologist to help you work through them. It certainly doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you by booking yourself in, it just means you’re making a great conscious effort to get to the bottom of, yourself. You’ll come out of it a better person armed with precious clarity.  

Every person is unique, and there are many more ways to discover yourself better depending on what appeals to you. Try different methods and think of this as an on-going journey of self discovery you’ve embarked on. There is no one true destination but greater clarity, self acceptance and awareness. So good luck and who knows, you might re-discover an old friend in yourself!