#28: DO YOU TRULY KNOW YOURSELF?

Most people don't even know themselves. Most people are blind to their highs and lows. That is why in any pursuit, you will find people who are fond of jumping from one thing to another. Starting one project today and ending it before tomorrow. On the face of it, such occurrence is sometimes the resultant effect of limited self-knowledge.

I have seen people who have messed up as a result of poor in depth knowledge of who they are. I have seen people who misplaced priorities in making decisions concerning how or what they want their life to look like. I know people who have suffered the consequence of such. Such people keep doing things which have no direct correlation with their personality as a person. 

Many, if not all, blindly follow the bandwagon without checking and assessing whether the path they wish to follow in life suits their characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. This makes me ask the question, “do they truly know themselves?”

Clearly, if they reasonably knew themselves, they wouldn't have behaved in such manner. But who cares anyway? No one cares about the mistakes you make or the number of times you mess up. No one cares if you had garri for breakfast or eggs and chips. Literally, no one cares apart from...

Okay. Less whining and more writing. The cold splash of truth is I care about you and I believe in you. I believe that if you understand yourself very well, you'll be able to unleash the genius in you. That is the reason I want you to pause awhile and ask yourself this question:

Do I truly know myself? Do I really know who I am? 

Ask yourself probing questions. Ask yourself questions that'll make you sit to ponder and understand yourself on a basic level. Questions like:

1. Am I open-minded or close-minded? 

2. What are my deeply held values? 

3. What are my likes and dislikes? 

4. What annoys me the most? 

5. What makes me happy the most? 

6. Am I an emotionally stable person? 

7. Am I an introvert or an extrovert? 

8. Am I a pessimist or an optimist? 

9. Am I fond of overthinking before making any decision? 

10. How do I feel in challenging situations?

Such questions are numerous. The ones listed above are just a selected few. Understanding yourself has a lot to do with understanding your emotions, strengths and weaknesses. It also involves seeing through the emotions which cloud your characterstic sense of reasoning.

If you don't settle to see through the cloud of dust which covers your sense of reasoning, then you have a big challenge before you. 

The fact is, humans are continually evolving creatures. Our minds continually evolve with regard to the knowledge we gain. So this justifies that, the way books are studied, that's exactly how we ought to study ourselves. 

That is exactly how you can get to know what you can do and what you cannot do. It is a clear path that navigates you towards your strengths and weaknesses.

Though self discovery (understanding oneself) is a process that requires time, it is still a journey worthwhile to embark on. It is effective if carried out with consistency. However, It doesn't work over night. It's a practise which involves trial and error. More like, making of random tests so as to see through what makes you and what breaks you deep inside. 

Such practise will continually lead to newer discoveries about yourself. Thus, affecting the way your thoughts spark and the way your actions and inactions are.

There are many other ways you may add-on to the aforementioned as a means through which you can see yourself from the inside. As for me, reading is one of the ways. I believe reading well researched books, articles or journals made by people in various fields of self discovery is one of the ways. 

Through this, I've been able to understand how the human mind works. I've been able to understand some basic psychology with regard to shaping one's thought process. Thus, enabling me with the ability to uncover the deep-rooted features of my personality.

You may explore other areas which suits you as person in order to find ways through which you can learn more about yourself.

I believe you will. Reading this article signifies how interested you are in getting there. Apparently, the finish line is now in sight. The post is finally at its end, and you are about taking your leave. But here's it—you need to put on your rose-coloured glasses and get the fact that you really need to embark on this journey.

I prepared this tip specially for you. I think you'll love it. Now here's it... 

As frequent as you can, ask yourself who and what you truly represent as a person. What you need not to become and what you need to become. Don't fixate on the little you know. Endeavour to make new discoveries as you learn to explore more about yourself and the world entirely.