Self-knowledge
5 ways you can find out who you really are
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What is self-knowledge and what use is it to me? Here you will find answers and strategies for better self-awareness!
Definition of self-knowledge
Knowledge of oneself – this is the simple definition of self-knowledge. What exactly is behind it now? Self-knowledge goes hand in hand with self-observation and self-reflection, ie someone deals with himself and reflects gains knowledge about himself. In order to recognize oneself, self-awareness, i.e. the ability to be aware of oneself, is a basic requirement.
If, however, aspects such as self-observation, self-perception and conscious reflection of the ego are missing, the self-image can be falsified or even lead to self-deception. Such deception can occur to varying degrees, from distorted perception, e.g. B. about the own empathy, up to the disturbance of consciousness.
What does this knowledge bring me?
The lack of self-knowledge is of course not a compelling sign of self-delusion. Recognizing your own self is often more of a process that is not completed overnight. One of the path and goal of self-knowledge is to learn to question yourself, to understand yourself better and to rule out underestimating or overestimating oneself. With self-knowledge you know who you really are – and that is sometimes not that easy: social pressure and increased expectations of yourself make life difficult at times. It is all the better whoever answers the questions:
- Who am I?
- How am I?
- What do I need?
can answer for himself. Because those who know each other and what he or she expects and needs from themselves and from life take their life into their own hands, pursue their goals more confidently and learn to deal with their own failure. Through self-knowledge, it may be easier for you to put yourself in other people’s shoes and thus improve your dealings with others. In the following, we will introduce you to strategies on how you can gain better self-knowledge.
Strategies for better self-awareness
1. Stop self-sabotage
Have you ever stood in your own way? Everyone probably knows a situation in which one has consciously or unconsciously sabotaged oneself. Why is that? Causes of self-sabotage can be behavior patterns, fears (e.g. of change) or wrong beliefs, e.g. B. “I don’t deserve XY!”. If you notice repetitions, so you get on always the wrong person or something bad happens when you are times were you happy? With the help of self-observation and reflection, you can discover such patterns, learn to understand yourself better, and resolve negative patterns or beliefs.
2. Compare self-image and image of others
Everyone consciously or unconsciously has a picture of themselves and other people perceive you in their own way, resulting in the so-called external image. As a rule, self-image and image of others do not match one hundred percent – how? Not everyone can know everything about you and some aspects of yourself remain hidden from you (the so-called blind spot). However, if the two images differ significantly, this is a good incentive for you to ask yourself why.
Do you think you’re particularly generous – but your friends roll their eyes when you say so? That doesn’t have to mean that you’re not being generous. Maybe you live out this side more with your family? But maybe there is also a core truth in the rolling eyes of your friends? So try to compare your self-image with the image of others as objectively as possible. And don’t forget: The image of others and the self influence each other. If you have been told since childhood that you are unsportsmanlike, you will probably still believe it in adulthood, although it does not have to be that way at all. (This is of course also the case with positive attributes.) Questioning and comparing the two images can help you with self-awareness.
3. Look for answers in yourself
When the perfect job is there … when the house is built … when my crush finally notices me … – then I’m complete, then I’m finally happy! Many people not only look for happiness, but also look for themselves on the outside. Such factors can of course contribute to our happiness and satisfaction in life, but ultimately you can only find all of this if you know, appreciate and love yourself.
4. Self-reflection
You are already practicing reflecting on yourself when you deal with the previous strategies. Depending on the area in which you find it difficult to perceive yourself, certain questions can help you. Here some examples:
- What does my heart beat for
- Who is important to me and why?
- What am I grateful for?
- What do i love about myself
- What values do I want to live by?
- What have been my best successes so far?
- What do I need to achieve my goals?
- How do I assess a certain situation (e.g. a conflict) in retrospect?
- Would I act like this again and why or why not?
- What can I do to strengthen my soul and body?
- When do I feel like myself?
5. Be authentic
So easy to say, but not always easy to implement, because being authentic sometimes fails because of other people’s expectations or our own fears. But when social pressure or fear of rejection mean that you don’t your If you live life, nothing else in this world will make you happy either. Follow your values and goals, question them sometimes, because sometimes they need a personal update. Be honest with yourself and allow yourself to be yourself.
If you would like to exchange ideas with others about personal development, then take a look at the BRIGITTE community past!