The quest for self-discovery is one of the most important personal development you can carry out. Unfortunately, people give up on it due to the high cost that comes along with it. The few who discovered themselves can manage their emotions even in the most difficult times, excel in any career choice, live purposefully and happily. Personal development may not be easy initially, as it requires time, sacrifice, patience, and some financial investment, but the result is worth it. In this article, you shall learn about personal development and discovering yourself.

A young journalist sharply dressed traveling from Kennedy Airport (in the United States) met his life turning point. Beside his seat was a monk who was traveling to the monastery. While posing, the journalist decided to engage the monk in a conversation by asking: What is the most terrible thing you have ever had? The monk replied to the young journalist with a question that shocked the foundation of his belief; “Who are you?”

Startled by the question, the reporter answered, “I am John Smith.” The monk replied, “That is the name given to you by your parent.” He asked again: “Who are you?” The journalist replied: “I am a journalist for a television company.” The monk replied: “That is your job, and not who are you?” The journalist replied again, “I am a human being.” The monk replied: “No, that is just your species, but who are you?”

The journalist finally understood what the monk meant as he was dumbfounded. He had never thought about “who he was.” Finally, the monk decided to reply to the initial question of the journalist: “The most terrible thing is not knowing who you are.” When you find out who you are, you’ll be able to fulfill your destiny. But, how can you know where you’re going if you don’t know who you are?

The Big Question: “Who am I?”

The greatest tragedy that can ever happen to any man is not the occurrence of death. Instead, it is living a life of not knowing about yourself. Unfortunately, most people live all their lives without knowing about themselves. They believe their job is what defines them. Others believe their surroundings, opportunities, marriage, children, money, and material acquisitions define them. The danger of accepting all these definitions is that you can not achieve inner peace. This is because you are constantly trying to fit in with what people say you are. Jesus, the greatest teacher that has ever graced the earth, commented, “For your life can never be measured by the number of things you possess.” (Luke 12:15 TPT)

The Art of Discovering Yourself

The process of discovering yourself and personal development is important because not only does it help you find out your inner being and your potential. The lives of people who do not know discover themselves become an infinite chain of activities that do not mean anything for their success. You are created with a purpose, which is why you were born. That is why it is necessary to understand “who am I?” Here are some ways to discover who you are:

Reflect Inward:

Make time for self-discovery and allow yourself to look inward. This is because your ‘self,’ as it were, is first of all within you and not out there, so spend time by yourself to pray, meditate and unleash it. Studies have shown that meditation helps people realize their inner selves. So, it is important to switch off your phone and don’t do anything that will distract you.

Deal with your past:

Early life development and early formative experiences within the family, at school, your immediate environment, etc., play a role in self-discovery. Unresolved traumas from the past can make you automatically respond wrongly to who you are not. This is due to the formation of the trauma in your mind. This is why a conclusive review of the past must be made.

Visualize your ideal self:

To begin with personal development, you have to have a focus or an aim of what you really want to evolve or build yourself into. You don’t need to begin with a perfectly complete picture — that’s not what it’s about because that would create a strict stereotype and make life boring. Instead, as you contact people, build relationships, and engage in day-to-day activities.

Identify your value:

Your personal values, or the specific qualities you view as most important and meaningful, can tell a lot about you. These include honesty, compassion, loyalty, courage, intelligence, etc. If you’ve never taken the time to explore what principles you find most valuable, please do because making this a part of your self-discovery process can benefit you in many ways when it comes to personal development.

Ask yourself questions:

Be truthful with yourself. Ask yourself questions that address how, why, when, or even the overall impact of a decision you take, both on you and others. For example, find out the true reason why you do some things, because you’re really passionate about it or because you want to please others?

Evaluate and Explore your passions:

This is another process of personal development. When you express yourself or your natural flair, it can increase your confidence, which can encourage you to keep exploring these talents, along with any others that might have been unnoticed. Passions help give life purpose and make it rich and meaningful.

Be mindful that passions don’t always have to be complex or related to professional interests. It might just be what you spend your free time doing on a day-to-day basis, what excites you and brings you joy. Even interests like movies and music can offer insight. Taking some time to consider what you enjoy and look forward to most can help you discover ways to enrich your life.

Try something new:

It’s OK if you can’t recall any passions. If you haven’t done much for yourself in a long time, you might not remember what you used to enjoy. So do something new and different. You won’t know what you enjoy until you give it a try. Exploring new hobbies, especially ones you’ve never tried before, can make you feel nervous.

Build self-dependence:

This refers to developing a sense of yourself as an independent individual. In addition, you must differentiate between destructive familial, interpersonal, and societal influences that don’t help you in personal development. Here is how to build self-dependence during personal development;

• Change destructive internalized thought processes.
• Put away negative personality traits
• Do away with patterns of defense formed as an adaptation to unpleasant past events.
• Learn time management.
• Be consistent and intentional about following through with your decisions.

Help and serve others:

One key way to become successful is to help and serve others. It is called creating value in people’s lives. You create solutions to people’s problems, and since what you have is a big picture, you get a bigger motivation. When you do this, you feel fulfilled and satisfied.

Recognize your personal power:

When you know what you want, you are challenged to take power over your lives. As a result, you wouldn’t engage in a loop of negative thinking that makes you think you are a failure. Instead, you come to terms with yourself as a powerful player in your destiny. Harnessing your personal power is essential to both finding and becoming yourself.

Conclusion

In our dynamic age, the speed of motion is increasing. The problems that need to be solved are growing in number, and the business of life is overpowering. Yet, very little time is given to how people should think about essential matters, such as personal development, and answer questions about their true selves. You need to take a break from the constant rat race and think about whether or not you are living your life properly.