The first step to living a more meaningful and fulfilled life is being able to fully understand and accept yourself as who you are.
Too often, we go through life just following what we’re supposed to do and what the society expects of us. How often do we stop and think about what we actually want and what kind of contribution we want to make in this world?
This is why quarter-life or even mid-life crisis is a real thing because these are turning points where people are pushed to the limit and are forced to ponder and re-evaluate their entire lives.
You don’t have to wait until you are at the limit to finally try to understand yourself. What you need is to build self awareness on a regular basis so that you can stay on course and have clarity about your values and what you’re working towards in life.
Here are 4 simple ways you can start building self awareness today:
1. JOURNAL
One of the biggest benefits I gained over past 2 years of consistent journaling is definitely self awareness. There’s something powerful about writing your thoughts into words on paper. It will make a more conscious impression and you can reflect as an outsider on your own thoughts and behaviors. If you’d like to start journaling, I have some prompts and ideas for you to fill up your pages. You can also download my 17 self-discovery questions to get you started.
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2. TAKE PERSONALITY TESTS
We all have different personalities and thus function differently. There’s no one method that fits all. This is why taking personality tests will provide you at least the categories that you belong in and suggest some ways that you can better improve your life. I recommend 3 tests you can take that have been very helpful for me.
> RELATED: 3 Personality Tests To Understand Yourself
3. DIVE INTO PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT BOOKS & PODCASTS
To understand more about yourself, you must develop the habit of consuming content related to personal development and self growth. Only by consistent learning will you improve and grow into a better version of yourself. One of the most affordable option to start developing growth is by reading books and listening to podcasts.
Three all time classic personal development books I’d recommend are:
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The 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
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You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
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High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard
If you want to check out self-improvement podcasts, I have some recommendations here:
4. CREATE YOUR IDEAL LIFE VISION AND GOALS
Having self awareness means knowing what you want. It is about having clarity about your life vision, your goals and desires, and what kind of person you’d like to be.
Creating an entire life vision for yourself at this moment may seem overwhelming. What you can do is just focus on the emotions of how you’d like to feel and write down some things that you’d like to have in your life.
More resources:
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5 Steps to Envision Your Ideal Life
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How to Create a Vision Board That Actually Works
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How to Plan Your Yearly Goal to Achieve Results
Hope you find these 4 tips helpful. Self awareness is crucial if you want to go far in life. At Daring Living, I want to challenge you to not just live a good life, I want you to live your best life possible.
I have so much faith in you!
Cheers,
Do you practice any of the methods above to help you improve self awareness?
Shirley Huang is a Certified Life Coach, Podcast Host, and online educator. She provides weekly resources to help people become leaders in their life, while loving themselves and having fun a long the way. Check out her Life Coaching Programs here.