Knowing Yourself

The journey we travel to know ourselves is not a sprint, but a marathon … with intermediate instances where views about ourselves are challenged by the reality of our actions. We have either implicitly or explicitly been establishing our identity since we were a child by categorizing events, emotions and experiences as a matter of cognitive reconciliation.

This drill continues, hopefully with a more mature lens as (or since) we are older and more experienced. So how well do you think you know yourself, and are your actions (past / present) consistent with this self-perception?

How do we address those who care enough about us to challenge our perception? Being true to ourselves, and honest about inconsistencies, can be difficult but is no less critical to truly realize both our potential and happiness now and in the future.

This realization has helped me “check myself” over the years, though I fight criticism from those who know and love me the most. When I dedicate time and energy to self-reflect, I find either I do not know myself as well as I think or I have not accepted certain flaws (even when I know I have them).

The question I ask you is twofold - how well do you actually know yourself, and is that consistent with where you are (or believe you should be) in your life?