“Who Are You”

Who are you? No really, who are you? What do you like? What makes you happy? What are your triggers? What motivates you to start your day every morning? 

If you don’t know, then it’s time to do some soul searching. It’s time to discover who YOU are, no matter where you’re in life. It’s not always easy to get to know our true, authentic selves.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day life that we forget to take the time to step back and reflect on what we want out of life. 

We become so focused on working towards our goals that we forget why we’re doing them in the first place. And if not careful, we may get caught up in the competition game, comparing ourselves to others. But the truth is, don’t compare yourself to anyone. In fact, your self-worth isn’t based on anyone else at all.  We are unique and special, just the way we are. And there is no one else in the world exactly like you. 

Get to know what you want, what your strengths are and who YOU are, at your core. You can discover quite a bit from your habits and routines. Be aware and observe the way you live your life on a day-to-day basis, you’ll get a better understanding of what makes you happy and what doesn’t. And once you have a general understanding of what your daily life looks like, you can then focus on incorporating new practices that will help you get to know yourself even better and live life to the fullest. Writing down your thoughts and feelings can be invigorating. You’ll be able to see what you’re thinking and feeling, and it can also be a great outlet for any emotions you may not be releasing.

Take time to reflect on what you learned about yourself. Spend time alone. It’s important to spend some time alone now and then. Set aside some “me” time each week or day to do something that you enjoy. Trying new things can help you to learn more about yourself. It can also be a great way to step outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself in new ways. The importance is to set aside some time each day to focus on these things where you can expand your mind and stretch your realm of possibilities. 

Be honest with yourself. It’s important to be honest with yourself when you’re trying to get to know yourself better. Don’t try to be someone you’re not.  Discover and be true to who you are, and accept yourself for who you are.  No one is perfect. Remember you are on your journey and that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to do things. Just be honest with what you’re thinking and feeling, and trust that you will figure it out as you go. 

Don’t feed that negative self-talk. We all have that little voice in our head that may say we’re not good enough or that we can’t do something. But it’s important to silence that voice and redirect it to positive self-talk. If you have difficulty silencing that voice – which sometimes show up as limiting beliefs, be mindfully aware to correct yourself and replace it with positive affirmations and self-acknowledgments of what you’re proud of about yourself. 

We all make mistakes. And that’s okay. It’s important to give yourself some slack when you make a mistake or fail at something. By learning to give yourself self-compassion, you’re able to learn about yourself without judgment. Getting to know yourself can be a lifelong journey. And again, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to do it.

Loving yourself is perhaps the most important thing of all when it comes to uncovering who you are. You have to be able to accept yourself for who you are, flaws and all. Only then can you truly start to live your best life. This is the kind of wisdom that can only come from within. So be patient, at the end of the day, trying to get to know yourself better can be a challenging but rewarding process. 

Be yourself — not your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be.”

~ Henry David Thoreau