If you look in the mirror you immediately recognize your idol. You can even easily distinguish yourself in the photos. But how much do you know about your personality? If someone asks you to describe yourself, how easy is that for you?
Knowing yourself (self-knowledge) is extremely important. It means that you know your needs and desires, your strengths and weaknesses, your dreams. It also means that you understand how others see you, how they “perceive” you, either in terms of appearance or in terms of your values and opinions.
When you manage to have a clear picture of how others see you and how you can shape your behavior to communicate with them, you will have reached an important level of self-understanding and awareness.
“But why should I know myself?” you might wonder. Here are some reasons:
- Trying to better understand who you are means getting closer to your true self.
- When you act based on how you feel and your values then the chance of feeling that you have done something wrong is reduced.
- Knowing your needs and preferences, but also what is not necessary or ‘’unwanted’’, helps you make better choices (e.g. choosing friends or managing your finances)
- If you know your “buttons“, what bothers you and what does not, you can better control your actions and reactions (self-control).
- You can more easily say “no” if you don’t agree with everyone else who says “yes.” This way you can better defend your point of view.
- By understanding your own weaknesses, you also accept the weaknesses of others, you are more lenient and you accept the diversity of people.
Finding out who you really are is a never-ending process. But it is certain that it fills you with confidence and can make your life richer and more exciting. So are you ready to find out what else, apart from appearance, hides your idol in the mirror?
