Self-awareness has been a buzz word for a long time now. And while it’s easy to throw this word around, there’s no denying it’s a consistent process of self-discovery and self-evaluation. Or a combination of both in fact. Today I’d be exploring the self-discovery part and what areas you need to focus on when starting this journey.
To start with, allow me to say here this is not another 7 minutes exercise. This would require you to reflect, question, ask for opinions and possibly take one or 2 online tests before you are done. I’m not saying this to scare you, but you need to understand this is an overall process and not a short cut formula.
Before you continue, answer this question to yourself. “Who are you?”. If you have a ready answer to that, good for you. But remember self-discovery is a continuous process and answering the question is just the first step to the entire process, so you probably need to keep reading. If you don’t have an answer, you reading this article is your first step. Now to business.
FOCUS AREAS.
>>>Who You Are
Remember that saying about “change from within”? It applies here too. Your journey needs to start from you answering a few questions about yourself. This questions forces you to carefully examine the fundamental elements that make up YOU. They include;
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Questions around your personal beliefs and values. What matters to you most? What are your personal principles? What are the values you hold dear to you? There are personal value tests online you can take here.
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Questions about your personality. What is your personality type? (Take an MBTI test here). What talents do you have and how do they relate to your personality? What makes you happy? What drains your energy? What motivates, excites or inspires you? When you are extremely tired, how do you recover and how long does it take to recover?
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Questions about past experiences that influences your present. What was it like growing up? What is your favorite and worst childhood memory? What experience in your life do you mostly influenced the person you are right now? How do you deal with mistake and regrets?
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Questions about how you take care of yourself. Are you your own biggest fan? Or your biggest problem? Do you love and trust yourself? Why? How do you deal with mistakes you make? How do you handle challenges, stress or success? Do you love your skin and body?
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Questions around your habits. What are your good habits? What are your bad ones? What are the things you avoid in life? Do you know what your comfort zone is? How often do you do somethings extra? How well do you handle stress?
>>> What you want from Life
If you were able to answer some of those questions, it would go a long way in identifying the things you want from life. Think about it, what’s the point of having a dream or an aspiration if it’s not true to you? If it’s not aligned with your belief and value system? Which is why, by the end of this exercise, you should be able to draw a connection between the kind of person you are and the things you want for yourself.
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Questions about your dreams and aspirations. What do you want most from life? What has been your greatest accomplishment so far? Why are these achievements worth mentioning? What does success mean to you? What does money mean to you? What lengths would you go to make money? Are you on the right track for the kind of future you want? What scares you most about achieving your dreams? Do you believe in fate or do you shape your own destiny?
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Questions about your Strengths and Weaknesses. What can you do well? What can you not do well? How have you used your strengths? How has you weaknesses affected you? What can you do better to improve on your strengths? How do you handle failure?
>>> How you relate to the people around you.
Now it’s time to look outwards and talk to you friends and family if need be. To complete the process, it’s important to see how you relate with other people as sometimes, a 2nd or 3rd opinion would go a long way. This part lets you focus on the kind of relationship or vibe you have with other people and how it affects your personality.
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Questions about your support system. Do you have one? Do they actually support you? Do the people around you add value to you? Who are the people that inspire you? What 3 words would your friends describe you with? Would you like them to describe you differently? How do you choose your friendships or relationship?
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Questions about how you handle feedback. Do you listen to other people more than you trust your instinct? Are you comfortable expressing yourself and your opinions? Does your self-acceptance depend on other people’s validation? Do you enforce your personal boundaries?
When you are able answer the questions above, it gives you an insight into yourself. From this point, it’s easier to find your purpose in life and make choices based on the things that are important to you.
If you complete this exercise and you have questions, leave a comment or send me an email at info@beyoubymujidah.com . I’d gladly join you on this journey to self-discovery. Don’t forget to share.