- Write about a time when you felt powerful. How do you feel remembering it? …
- List what you believe to be essential to your happiness. Cross off anything that is external (material or otherwise) and see what is left. …
- Make a list of what you like and dislike about yourself.
Breaking down barriers within yourself to discover your deepest truths is the goal of self-discovery, which is not a journey to discover someone new. You’ll uncover new leaves that show your most genuine self—the person you deserve to be—as you start to put time into learning about yourself. Beginning your journey of self-discovery can help you fulfill your cravings for direction and clarity.
I’ve identified three areas of life you can concentrate on to give yourself the best chance to find yourself after years of effort to discover myself on my self-discovery journey. Awareness, comfort zones, and intentional living are also referred to as the three pillars of self-discovery, which is a special framework I created and impart in my book, You Deserve This Sh!t, as well as in this article.
Understanding your own character and becoming conscious of your capabilities, potential, and motivations is the process of self-discovery. Finding yourself allows you to live in accordance with your core values, discover your life’s purpose—the reason you wake up in the morning—and tap into your passions. In the end, figuring out who you are and what you want to do will help you reach your full potential.
Lecrae – Self Discovery (Official Lyric Video)
9 tips for self-discovery
Here are nine ideas to help you get to know yourself:
1. Picture and define your ideal self
You might find it helpful to begin by visualizing your ideal self when learning about yourself. Think about who you want to be and what matters to you in both your personal and professional life, such as where you want to work and your interests. You can also contemplate how you envision your life developing over the following ten years. Consider who you are without defining yourself in terms of relationships; rather, consider who you are by yourself. You can start here, then look into the topics that interest you to continue your self-discovery journey.
2. Spend more time with your passions
Your interests can show you what excites you in life. When you’re figuring yourself out, it’s beneficial to spend time with your passions and interests. This can include engaging in past-time pastimes, which can serve as a reminder of how much joy they bring. You can begin incorporating your interests and passions into your work if you spend more time doing them. For instance, if you’re interested in volunteering during your free time, you can inquire with your employer about the possibility of time off for community service.
3. Explore new hobbies or interests
You may find something you’re interested in by investigating a new hobby or interest. If you’re unsure of your interests and hobbies, this can be helpful. Consider topics you find enjoyable or fascinating and would like to learn more about. You can then start looking into how to enter it. You may find your self-esteem improves from accomplishing something new.
4. Note your skills and strengths
Make a list of all your assets and consider how you can utilize each one. If you’re good at writing, for instance, you might want to think about a variety of jobs, such as author, copywriter, or freelance writer. If you are struggling to identify your strengths, consider the things that people in your life frequently ask you to assist them with. Your ability to use your strengths more frequently and possibly boost your confidence will both result from doing so. It can encourage you to continue honing your abilities.
5. Discover what your values are in life
Discovering your values in life requires an understanding of your interests, passions, and skills. Your values are the things you hold dear to your heart, and they can guide the choices you make in life. Your values can also aid in the development of stronger relationships because by communicating what you stand for, other people will know what to expect from you in return. Making a list of your values can help you ensure that the decisions you make in life are in line with them. Here are some examples of values you may have:
6. Expand outside your comfort zone
By exposing you to new situations, stepping outside of your comfort zone can help you discover who you are. These encounters may introduce you to something new that you might like and reveal how you respond in various situations. Stepping outside your comfort zone may also help you learn a new skill. For instance, perhaps you avoid public speaking whenever you can because you’re afraid of it. If you gave a speech, you might discover that you were good at it. This may help you speak up more in meetings at work by boosting your confidence.
7. Use failure to develop your growth further
If you come across a difficulty while you are learning about yourself, you can take advantage of it as a chance to advance. To do this, consider what you could change for the future. Failure can serve as motivation to keep trying until you succeed in what you’re attempting. Every time you attempt to complete a task but fail, you gain knowledge from the failure. Finding your learning style can be aided by learning from your mistakes. There are four types of learning styles:
8. Maintain a journal
Keeping a journal can be helpful when you’re trying to figure yourself out. When you’re thinking back on your day, a journal can help you explore your feelings, interests, and passions. When you write freely about your thoughts in a journal, you may notice aspects of yourself that you hadn’t previously considered.
You can find online prompts to answer in your writing to help you learn more about yourself if you want more structure while journaling. A journal can be used to keep track of new habits you want to adopt as well as old ones you want to change about yourself.
9. Create a routine
You can achieve your goals while learning about yourself by developing a type of routine in the morning or at night. You can use the time in your routines to work on your interests, goals, journal, and education. For instance, you might take a cooking class after work in the evening, go home, and spend the rest of the night journaling. This can give your day more structure, which could boost your overall energy and motivation in both your professional and personal life.
What does self-discovery mean?
Discovering oneself involves learning about oneself as a person. This includes taking stock of your likes and dislikes as well as your life goals. You might learn more about your core values and your potential for success as you get to know yourself better. You can divide the process of self-discovery into four parts:
Career benefits of self-discovery
Following are a few career advantages that may result from self-discovery:
FAQ
What is self-discovery and why it is important?
Understanding your own character and becoming conscious of your capabilities, potential, and motivations is the process of self-discovery. Finding yourself allows you to live in accordance with your core values, discover your life’s purpose—the reason you wake up in the morning—and tap into your passions.
Where do I start with self-discovery?
One of the cornerstones of self-growth is self-discovery; it’s a journey from being unaware to knowing your true potential, understanding your feelings, preferences, style, motives, and more. To me, an intentional life starts with self-discovery.
