Do you know yourself well? How do you normally introduce yourself to others? Most people will normally introduce themselves based on what they do for a living. While your work is a big part of who you are, it should not define who you really are as a person and as a human being unless your work is related to your purpose in life. But how do you know if you are on the right track? Well, it’s easy. Just simply ask yourself, are you happy? Are you excited to go to work each day? Are you satisfied and content with your career? If not, then it is time to find yourself. But, how to find yourself? That’s the question.
Do You Know Yourself?
Studies reveal that on average, a person spends 90,000 hours of work over a lifetime. If we are going to spend almost half of our waking hours in our lifetime on work, then it is imperative that we spend these hours on something that we love. Imagine spending all that time on something that you don’t enjoy? That will surely lead to burn-out and stress. If you have to drag yourself to work each day, for your own wellness (and sanity), you may want to consider shifting your career and pursuing your passion instead.
But what if you are unsure of what you want? Yes, it can happen; regardless of age. Some even already reached the pinnacle of their career yet they still feel empty inside. This is what happens if you pursue something that you are not meant to do. So, everything goes back to what it is your purpose in life. If you are one of those people who still don’t know what they want to do in life, here are some tips on how to find yourself.
1. Tap into Your Inner Child
Do you remember yourself as a child? What was it that you loved doing as a child? What were your favorite toys and games? As children, we were all innocent, honest, pure, sincere, curious, enthusiastic and still free from societal expectations. That is why, we were not scared to reveal our truest self to others. But somewhere along the way, as we grow, we encounter challenges, difficult situations and for some even trauma. So, we learn to hide our true self for fear of being judged. We were scared that other people might not accept us for who we really are, that’s why we began to put on a social mask. We do this over the years until such a point that we no longer know who we truly are.
Thus, our childhood holds the key to our true self. Try to remember the past. Who were you then? Start your inner child journey.
2. Meditation
Our personality is often molded by society. That is why our real self is often buried deep within our consciousness. Therefore to get to know our true self, we need to learn to withdraw from our physical surroundings and external circumstances. We need to clear our mind totally and achieve a state of calmness which can only be achieved through meditation. Do this everyday and soon you will have a heightened sense of self-understanding and realization. In addition, you will be able to tap and listen to your intuition.
3. Find Your Ikigai
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that pertains to your reason of being. If you are having a hard time with meditation and tapping into your inner child, you can find your purpose in life through ikigai. It involves a self-assessment of your hobbies, passion and other things that you are good at. It also takes into consideration the needs of the community and what you can do to help the community. By listing down all these things and analyzing the answers, you will be able to have a clue on what your life’s work should be.
4. Check your Human Design
If self-analysis is still not your thing, there is another way and that is through human design. Human design is a blueprint of who you are. It is calculated based on the time, date and place of your birth. It is a combination of several disciplines rolled into one – the ancient Chinese divination called I-ching, astorology, the chakra system or the energy points in your body, the Kaballah or Jewish mysticism and Quantum Physics. Knowing your human design will help you understand yourself better. It will also help you make better decisions.
Take one step closer to a happier and more fulfilling life. Know yourself better.
Feature Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay