We give too much of ourselves to external things with the goal of producing results whether it's school, work, or society in general. This takes energy away from knowing more about ourselves to understand what makes each of us tick and drives us to do what we do. Take the time to explore yourself to find what works for you. Knowing yourself is an important piece before really committing to whatever you decide to do that's going to help you perform with purpose. Without it, there is a sense of emptiness. Once you know why you do what you do a higher level of awareness is gained that gives you clear direction of what is best for you.
There will be times when you are unsure of what to do next or hesitant to move forward with something. While advice from others can be helpful, it also can be overrated and a distraction. It can be very gripping to listen to somebody who's reached a high point in their life through whatever successes they've had and think that same formula will work for you. It may work for you, or it may not, but you're going to have to determine whether it's a good fit for you. You have to be able to find a pair of shoes in life that fit you so you can be yourself and maybe that pair does not yet exist so might need you need to create your own.
Take time to be alone
In exploring yourself to find what works for you there will be times where you will be on an island, all by yourself and understand that's OK. You don't need to have the approval of others to tell you are doing the right thing because they don't see things from your perspective. You're the one that must live with yourself on a daily basis and not those other people. To become accustomed to being on that island spend some time alone and cut out the distractions to allow yourself to reflect on your experiences. Giving yourself the time to do this allows you to work through things that too many times get interrupted throughout the chaos that can be in your daily life.
Once you give yourself the opportunity to be alone, at times it will hurt to relive some of the more painful unpleasant experiences but allow yourself to process that information. As you do, the pain stings a little less and less that will help iron out things that might be holding you back from your personal growth. There will be important things that you pick up about yourself in reflecting on those experiences that you might not have otherwise because of the constant suppressing of those memories.
Know what you like and don’t like
The things you like is going help you sift through the things of what you want to pursue that will give you more time to do whatever it is you want. Knowing what you like is a little bit more obvious as there is a tendency to make you excited. Recognizing these things are something you should pursue and work to foster that excitement of it. Clearly define the things that you like which will help define what you exactly want. The clearer the simpler it is to spot it. You might like nature because it gives you peace and recognizing the specifics of why it gives you peace such as the abundance of trees and the sounds that the birds make, the array of colors or how the wind blows that uplifts you. These details give you important information as to why you like anything.
Knowing what you don't like is just as important as what you do like because it clearly tells you what you will not tolerate. Recognizing what you don't like is going to help you move on from it and save you time. The dangers of not knowing what you don't like is you slowly give in to it and build up a tolerance of eventually what you don't want. This can be especially frustrating when it comes to a job, not realizing you may not like it, but you do it because it is a steady source of income, and it is not something you hate so there might be a tendency to stick with it. And if you stay long enough, the feeling of being in too deep will settle in that might make you just stick with it until you retire.
Pay attention to the things that you tend to tolerate and ask yourself if you really like it. If you don't then this might be an indication that you should probably move on from it. Knowing the specifics of why you don't like something also needs to be applied. Simply saying I don't like it is not going to give you as much information as if it was specific. Knowing these details will give you important information as to what you do or don't like which will help you find what to purse and what to cut out.
Feed your creativity
Allow yourself to be creative and as it will help you be more connected with what is possible. Sometimes we can be so consumed by what we see physically that it suppresses our creative side and only operate in a small circle of what we know. What your creative side gives you is a world of wonder of asking because it peaks your curiosity that gives life to your ideas. Let things happen naturally and when great ideas come about immediately take some action towards it, which can be something as simple as writing it down or yelling it out with conviction. This will help you gain momentum towards possibly pursuing it and at the very least you have a better chance of remembering it when you put some action towards it.
If you are having trouble tapping into your creativity, start by firing off ideas out loud to get your juices flowing that eventually opens the floodgates for your imagination to run wild. Music is another way to unlock that creativity within you as it will trigger feelings that naturally evoke great ideas. Or just learn to color outside the lines of things in general and see what you create. Many inventions were created by accident, so see what you stumble upon. The key is to feed that creative side to tap into the possibilities.
Journal to find answers
Journaling daily allows you to mentally unload whatever it is that you're thinking about. This allows you to reflect on them whereas in your head they race so fast that those thoughts can elude you. It really gives you the ability to gain perspective at a later time and you learn more about yourself. With enough written material in your journal, you will start to notice patterns about yourself and many times you will end up getting answers to many of your questions.
There are mirrors to see yourself to notice what physically stands out and a journal works the same way only it gives an internal view of what's really going on. While journaling might seem a bit intimidating it's there to serve you so it doesn't have to be a well published article. This is strictly for you to see what's going on and it can be about anything that is most significant to you. It is a tool to express yourself and it can be done through more than just writing alone.
Final thoughts
As you explore yourself to find what works best for you there is no specific time frame of when you know more about yourself. The more you're committed to finding what works for you the more clarity you have that will allow you to perform with purpose. Maybe what works for you is the need to have different paths throughout your life. And sometimes finding that path can be long and difficult, but just stay committed to yourself and not conform to others. Take the time to define the things in your life such as what you value and what you're striving for. There is more than one right way to do things and you should not let others dictate what that is. And if you are wrong, so what, see what you gained from it and move forward.
Comments