We often ask ourselves the question: ‘Who am I really?’ and it can be difficult to answer fully, honestly and authentically. Most of the time we opt to conform and do what we think is right and try to be the kind of person that we believe is most accepted by our peers and society.
It can be challenging to uncover the layered process of finding our true, authentic self and recognize and acknowledge the hidden parts that exist in the background of our everyday life. But to discover our true, authentic self, we have to become conscious and aware of what is going on in our subconscious mind and uncover that inner voice that is often hiding.
As children, it is much easier to simply be who we are, but as we grow into adulthood, we spend a lot of time developing a persona that is accepted by our surroundings and push away our true self in order to fit in. However, finding our true self is one of the most important tasks in life and the key to achieve real happiness, success and well-being.
Here are our TOP 10 ways of discovering your true self.
#1 Explore Your Own Biography
It is very likely that you know your own history very well, but when was the last time you really looked at your backstory and thought about the experiences, events and values that have shaped you into who you are today? Taking a closer look at your biography helps you to uncover your true self and define who you are. Look at how you were brought up, how you handled certain situations and experiences that are outside your comfort zone and reflect on the times when you were forced to re-evaluate your values. Be as objective as possible, analyze your decisions and behavior and most importantly, dig deep into your biography and figure out why you were the way you were. The end result will be that you have a much better sense of yourself and you’ll be surprise how much you didn’t know about yourself before you started this journey of self-discovery.
#2 Learn to Think Critically
Authenticity and finding your true self means that you face reality and are able to form your own decisions. Thinking critically is a crucial factor in finding your true self and it’s essentially to pay attention to details and ask the right questions so you are in a position to form your own, well-informed decision rather than simply accepting what others tell you. This can be a grueling process where you realize that there are a lot of discrepancies between the reality and your preconceived notions, but it gives you the chance to work out those discrepancies and reassess yourself and the world around you.
#3 Get Quiet and Go Within
In order to really know who you are and discover your true self, you need to learn to get quiet and go within and listen. When you learn to listen, you will gradually be able to discover that you actually do have the answer inside yourself already. Ask yourself a tough question and then listen with an open mind and an open heart. Take at least 10 minutes every morning before you start your day to get quiet and listen. Whether you have a formal meditation practice or simply stare out the window, make sure that you take the time to get quiet and go within.
#4 Express Your Emotions
A big obstacle to discovering your true self are trapped emotions. If you don’t express your emotions and they get stuck inside yourself, they can wreak havoc with your body and mind and create unhappiness, disease and accidents. However, if you express and release your emotions, you can discover your true self and live in a peaceful, joyful and loving state. Every day ask yourself why you get sad and why you get angry. Remember, there is nothing bad or wrong about these emotions and feelings, but you have to deal with them, notice them, acknowledge them, honor them and express them in a healthy way. And when you can express your emotions and feelings, then you can heal yourself and find your true self.
#5 Trust Yourself
A lot of people have lost their innate power and the ability to trust their instincts, feelings and ‘gut’. However, if you can learn again to trust yourself and your intuition, you will know what you need to do. Give yourself the permission to trust yourself and little by little make changes that allow you to be, do and act in a way that is congruent with your innate wisdom and you will find your way back to yourself.
#6 Journal
We’ve talked about the benefits of journaling before. When you allow yourself to write down your emotions, feelings and thoughts without editing or censoring, you allow your subconscious mind to come to the surface and you give yourself the opportunity to unlock your subconscious from within. See journaling as a mirror that reflects your true self back to you, so write down everything that comes to mind and you will discover who you truly are.
#7 Find What You Are Good At
This may be a difficult process, but it is a necessary step to uncovering your true self. You will encounter a process of trial and error before you find what you are truly good at, but don’t give up until you gave yourself the chance at enough attempts and don’t quit before you’ve put in enough time and effort to get a good feedback. Keep in mind, what enough time is is something only you can decide. But keep in mind, when you quit at the appropriate time, it’s not giving up, it’s about clearing the space and making room for something that is much better.
#8 Find What You are Passionate About
Discovering your true self is about following your passion. Pay close attention to what you truly enjoy doing and what you need to stay away from. Now, we all know that there are certain things in life we may not truly enjoy but have to do anyways, like paying our bills, but what we are talking about here is that you have to develop a true passion for your life and focus on your passion to understand yourself better in many ways.
#9 Assess Your Relationships
A large portion of uncovering yourself lies in your relationships. We’ve all heard the saying that we are the average of the five people closest to us, so make it a point to asses your relationships and uncover who the people are that you surround yourself with. This will give you a clear insight into who you truly are. Whether that’s in your professional or personal relationships, pay close attention to the people around you to help you discover who you are.
#10 Follow Your Dreams
On your journey to discovering the secret of your true self, don’t underestimate the power of your dreams. In our dreams, the desires of our heart come alive and you will wake up knowing who you are and who you are destined to be. Allow yourself to follow your dreams and broaden the view of your life. Establish a plan for your life and identify your heart’s desire and your core values. Keep in mind, life is so much more pleasurable and rewarding when you follow your dreams instead of simply going through the motions half-heartedly.
Finding our true self allows us to live our full potential and life purpose. When we achieve to connect to our true self, we can transcend our persona – the interface we present to the world – so that we can be more ourselves and express our ingenuity, creativity and identity.
WHO ARE YOU? WHO ARE YOU REALLY?
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked
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