“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” – Socrates
Life is a constant journey of self-discovery.
Everything we think, do or say ultimately dictates how we move through our lives.
Without a solid connection to yourself, it can easily feel like you’re a plastic bag drifting in the wind.
You can’t truly live if you don’t know yourself and if you’re not taking time to learn who you are then you’ll certainly drift through life without a purpose.
We all want to be loved, we all want to serve a purpose higher than ourselves, and feel like we’ve accomplished something in our lives.
But, are you willing to spend quality time with yourself to achieve these things?
The pre-step in this process is what I call “getting to know you”.
A few years ago, I felt like a foreigner in my body.
I didn’t recognize myself or the things I was doing. I would constantly retreat inside my head, shut the world out, and cry my eyes out. I felt like no one cared enough to see that I was broken and needed a friend. Everyone around me saw the facade of happiness.
During the times I retreated in my head, something happened. I started asking myself questions, I wanted to know why I was reacting to my situation so negatively. What was the point that I was so obviously missing?
Little did I know that asking myself those questions was the start of my journey towards discovering my true self.
Here’s the thing, you cannot heal in the same place that broke you.
For me, everything had to change.
My mindset, my attitude, and —most importantly—my choices and decisions needed a complete overhaul.
Today, I’m still on that journey and I believe it’s a journey that has no end.
The lessons we failed to learn in our past lives and this current life will always come back around until we understand their purpose.
We are all here to learn.
If you’re in a place in your life where you have begun to question everything, then I’m happy to tell you that your journey has already begun.
To reshape your life, you have to take charge of it.
Start asking the painful questions that you’ve been avoiding to get your brain churning out suggestions and answers.
The more questions you ask yourself, the more you will learn.
Let’s start with these questions:
What was something you believed about yourself that turned out to be very wrong?
What dives me to do you do the things I do?
What am I holding on to that needs to be released?
How Do I Self-Discover?
Your self-discovery journey is very personal and the steps I took (and continue to take) on my journey, may not work for you but don’t let that discourage you from finding what does.
Your journey and outcome will— of course— look different from mine because what I may like, you may detest, so embrace what makes you different because that is exactly what makes you, YOU!
I can only provide suggestions to help you on your journey, ultimately it’s your choice to take action.
5 Steps To Get You Started
#5 – Do Something That Brings You Joy
When you spend time doing something you love, you’re also nurturing yourself.
Joy and happiness displace all the fear and negative energies.
Dance, sing, color outside the lines, and laugh at yourself all the time.
Realize that at this moment, you are alive and anything that doesn’t bring you joy can be easily removed from your life.
You are the master of your destiny, the captain of your ship, don’t let the icebergs in life sink you before your adventure truly begins.
Find something you love doing and do it often.
#4 – Schedule Personal Time
Take your “me time” and do not apologize for it.
If you need to go on a walk through the park and wander off on a trail where the only thing you can hear are the birds singing, then do it.
A peaceful mind is your greatest asset. Without it, your world will feel hectic and chaotic which will inevitably put you in a reactive state of mind.
Protect your peace. Protect your actions. Don’t allow what you cannot control to influence what you can.
Take time to just be with yourself.
It may seem selfish at first, if you’re not used to taking “me-time” however to be your best for the ones you love, you have to make space for yourself.
#3 – Do Yoga
When I started yoga, my only goal was to be more flexible.
I did not expect that I would receive a constant release of body pains caused by life and mental limitations.
I was unconsciously holding myself back and I was clueless that I was doing it.
When I started my yoga practice, I started on Youtube by watching Yoga with Adriene. I didn’t start with some expensive class that overwhelmed me. I started in my room with a mat and when that became too slippery, I used a towel.
Yoga is a great way to calm and heal your mind and body while allowing you to consciously be present, it also teaches you to move through the pain by breathing through it and that in itself is a valuable life lesson.
When things get challenging, just breathe and keep on moving.
I believe it’s one of the best ways to bring your mind back into your body because we often look outwards for guidance and inspiration.
The thing is, most of the answers you seek are already inside you, you just need to learn how to tune in.
So start with some easy, basic poses, and work your way up. Eventually, you’ll find that you’re getting better and becoming more aware of your body and how you feel.
#2 – Start a Journal
Writing my thoughts on paper is how I’ve been able to cope with all the challenges life has thrown my way.
Writing things down helps to put them into perspective and reveal the hidden meaning that was invisible without written words.
If you don’t know how to start writing, pretend like you’re talking to yourself. Ask yourself questions and answer them.
We must have conversations with ourselves, and we are certainly not crazy if we do it out loud. I do it all the time. Yes, even with people around.
This is your journey, not the one side-eyeing you, so let them think what they want, it doesn’t concern you.
Get your thoughts down on paper, it’s one of the best ways of revealing your inner dreams and aspirations which ultimately lead to self-discovery.
“As you think, so shall you become.” – Bruce Lee
#1 – Meditate
Our thoughts are an incredibly powerful tool.
Everything that is around us was only a thought in someone’s mind long ago. Thoughts shape our reality.
To learn how to utilize the power of our thought we first have to know what we’re thinking on a subconscious level.
That’s where meditation comes in, it unlocks different levels of our thoughts and allows us to analyze and change their patterns.
Positive thoughts create a positive reality and negative thoughts create a negative reality.
There are exceptions to this -of course- because we tend to perceive “bad things” happening to us as a negative reality when most of the time they’re just necessary lessons we have to learn in order to grow.
Those bad things that are happening to you aren’t just happening for no reason, they’re actually helping you towards the path you need to take in life.
When you begin to understand this, you begin to experience the power of self-discovery.
Remember that after a break-down, there’s always a breakthrough so keep going, I’m rooting for you.
Don’t Rush Your Journey
It’s important to be patient with yourself as you start and continue on your journey.
You’ve probably spent your entire life looking outwards for answers when the true answers only exist within you.
It’s going to take time to unlearn those habits and start looking inwards, so take time to slowly learn yourself, pay attention to everything your body and your mind tell you, and as always, be gentle with yourself.
I want to congratulate you on taking the first steps to self-discovery.
It is a wonderful and life-changing journey, and definitely not an easy one.
You will face challenges and obstacles along the way, but don’t forget that you are worthy of love, happiness, and success.
You deserve to know and understand yourself and to be proud of exactly who you are.
Jody is a creative writer, artist, graphic designer, and a digital nomad who also helps people live more fulfilling lives by finding creative solutions to their personal growth and development problems and lifestyle challenges.
