A couple of days ago, I wrote about Permission Granted: Say YES to Yourself. I had a number of people share information with me about that post and people started say yes to themselves for the first time in a long time. One question really hit home for me though – the question was “What if you don’t know who you are?”
Don’t worry, I can relate to this question so deeply… It wasn’t that long ago, I have been in a similar place. Actually when I was playing professional tennis, I had a lot of people talk to me about tennis and I had invested a lot of time as a tennis player.
Then when tennis was over for me professionally, I started to go on a search to find out who I was. Back then, I had little idea of who or what I was and am grateful for that time when “The day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ~ Anaïs Nin and I have been discovering my true Self ever since.
What Does Knowing Yourself Mean?
Socrates said it so well ~ “Know Thyself.”
Knowing yourself is not about the skimming the surface like finding a favourite colour or music you like (although they may give you some clues). Knowing yourself is about delving much deeper.
Knowing yourself is an adventure. It is about discovering who you are as a human being – yes the real you. The journey is unpredictable and engages you deeply as it brings you face-to-face with your deepest fears, self-doubts, vulnerabilities and insecurities.
On the adventure you question how you are living your life and whether or not it is in alignment with your highest purpose. And if you don’t yet know your highest purpose, allow yourself to live in that space of not knowing.
The adventure around knowing yourself can be challenging and scary, however it also changes over time. For me remembering “This Too Shall Pass” has been a gift and the work does pay off – but not the way we may expect (well it wasn’t for me!).
Knowing yourself means giving yourself permission to not knowing whilst unravelling the deeper truth of who you are. It is about listening to a deeper calling and wisdom within, whilst following your heart. Knowing yourself is about being aware of your core values, priorities and dreams (yes even if you don’t remember them yet).
Knowing yourself means respecting (but not attaching to) your strengths and limitations, your passions and fears, your desires and dreams, your thoughts and feelings, your likes and dislikes, your tolerances and limitations.
Why Is Getting to Know Yourself so Important?
To be honest, it is up to you and you have to decide for yourself the importance of knowing yourself and whether you want to go on that adventure. It takes courage and a willingness to peel back the layers bit by bit.
For me, I felt lost, stuck (a bit like a caged bird) and had a deep longing or feeling within my heart that was not going away (no matter what I achieved or did on the outside). I decided and committed many years ago, that I was not going to stop until I discovered what I was searching for.
Fortunately after a while, I stopped searching on the outside and realised that the search was an inside job and I had to do the work, no one else could do it for me.
The Tao the Ching says ~
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.” and “The cost of not following your heart, is spending the rest of your life wishing you had.” ~ J. Paulsen.
Over to You…
After reading this post, do you think it is important to know yourself? If so, feel free to share your thoughts below.
If you are ready to take yourself on the journey of getting to know yourself (your true self), why not join the Toolkit? A place where I share tools, inspiration and ideas to live a courageous and openhearted life. Also – you may also like to join Leadership Starts from Within – a 4-Week adventure to start getting to know your Self.
Page Reference –
I have had many people want to reference this page, so here is the correct reference. Thanks in advance for honouring my work 🙂
Taylor, J. (2015). The Importance of Knowing Yourself. [WWW] Available from: https://www.habitsforwellbeing.com/importance-knowing/ [Accessed …….. ]
22 Comments
Yankee Kheshen
July 10, 2021Jane, this article is so… great, and very helpful to my research. But… why you advise this, “if you don’t know your highest purpose, allow yourself to live in that space of not knowing”.
I really want to know.
I love the article very much, thanks for sharing. I might use some direct quotes from in it, hope you are okay with that.
Jane
July 15, 2021Glad you enjoyed the article.. and yes you are welcome to reference quotes, however please acknowledge the website and source.
I am going to reply with a question to your question… “Why do you think I say allow yourself to live in that space of not knowing?”
Aastik Srivastava
May 21, 2021Thanks for sharing this article. I hope I can continue my work of finding myself.
Jane
May 23, 2021You are welcome 🙂
Karen caroline fiesta
March 28, 2021Good day mam..
I thank you for sharing your article about The Importance of Knowing oneself. May I ask permission if I can use this as one of my resources for a presentation.
Thank you!
Jane
March 28, 2021Thanks for your interest in the article Karen – appreciate it. Yes you can reference the article.
Can you please use the correct reference – Taylor, J. (2015). The Importance of Knowing Yourself. [WWW] Available from: https://www.habitsforwellbeing.com/importance-knowing/ [Accessed …….. ] if you choose to use it in your presentation?
Thanks in advance, Jane
Kyla Mae guevarra
October 6, 2020May I use this? For my assignment?
Jane
October 8, 2020Hi Kyle – you can use the link for your assignment and reference it properly as per referencing guidelines. For example – Page Reference –
I have had many people want to reference this page, so here is the correct reference. Thanks in advance for honouring my work 🙂
Taylor, J. (2015). The Importance of Knowing Yourself. [WWW] Available from: https://www.habitsforwellbeing.com/importance-knowing/ [Accessed …….. ]
Edgar Esparagoza
September 17, 2020Dear Maam/Sir,
Greetings of peace.
I thank you for sharing your article about “The Importance of Knowing Yourself”. It is very helpful for me.
May I ask permission if I can use this as one of my resources and quote this for a presentation?
Thank you.
Jane
September 25, 2020Thanks for asking Edgar – yes you may use this article, however please make sure you reference it correctly! Take care, Jane
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