How to develop Self-knowledge

Self-knowledge, as the terms indicate, is knowing yourself, at all levels, both psychological and spiritual.

Developing self-knowledge means allowing yourself to discover your real strengths and weaknesses, but also your desires, deep desires, etc. So, knowing yourself means being able to define life goals and make choices that really suit you. It is also knowing how to say yes or no to life's opportunities that present themselves, whether on a personal, social, or professional level.

Let's see how to develop self-knowledge through 9 concrete exercises, which you can now practice on a regular basis.

1.Write about you

The first exercise to develop self-knowledge is very simple. Not all of us are used to doing this, but writing is a great way to develop self-knowledge. Start with paper and pen, instead of writing on a computer keyboard.

Make two columns on your sheet. Start by writing who you are in the first column and be honest with yourself. Go into detail and write down every trait of your personality, who you are, and everything that pertains to you: your strengths and weaknesses, what you like and hate, what you like and dislike about people. others, and at home, etc.

On the second column, then write down what you want to be, what you want to change in yourself, and what you are doing to make that change happen. If you wrote previously that you are a shy person, and want to become less shy, write it right across from what you wrote, in the second column.

This is the first step in developing self-knowledge. Indeed, we learn to write down what we are or think they are, which makes things more concrete and very real. This act of writing has a lot more impact than just saying things in your head. The writings remain.

 

2.Chat with your loved ones

Following your writing, you can ask your loved ones what they think of you. It's not about showing them what you've written and got their opinions on it. Simply get their thoughts on who you are and what they really think of you. This is how to develop self-knowledge.

This will allow you to confront who you think you are and who you really are. You will know if you know each other well or not.

That's why this question should be asked of the people who know you the most. It could be your parents, your spouse, your sibling, coworkers, or very close friends who know you quite well.

Stay objective when you go to confront what you have written and what is said about you. Indeed, it happens to us to hide the face and to make-believe certain things. We can very well be wrong about ourselves, and you should not blame others for being honest about their opinion. Thus, we must remain objective when we listen to the opinions of our loved ones, because they can be different from what we think. It is very important to develop self-knowledge. Know yourself with transform your life 2.0

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3.Keep a journal

Yes, this is a diary that will be yours alone and in which you will write down what concerns only you.

To develop self-knowledge, you will write everything down in your journal. Note the times when you feel strong emotions such as anger, sadness, or joy. Write down why you have these feelings, what you think are the triggers.

Write down all the important moments you go through, and even the less important moments of everyday life. You might, without realizing it, write down a trivial moment today, but it won't be later

Do this for at least 6 months. You free your mind and thoughts by transcribing everything in your journal. Then read it again after several months, you will realize that you will have a perspective on everything you have written. You may even be surprised at what you may have written saying to yourself: did I really do this, did I really think that etc.

It is a very good exercise to develop self-knowledge because you will discover elements of the past that you will have forgotten. Few have an elephant memory, and your journal will serve as your memory.

 

4.Do meditation

How to develop self-knowledge through meditation? Do not panic, a self-meditation can help you, and without having to integrate a center or a group. You can stay at home.

Meditation is not rocket science and this exercise can be practiced alone. The act of meditating is not necessarily linked to the practice of yoga or any other religion. You can be an average person and practice meditation, at your level, and according to your needs. Take time off every day. A few minutes are enough.

Don't think it is a waste of time. When you start to practice meditation on a regular basis, you will realize its benefits on you, at the psychological, spiritual level, and especially at the level of your well-being.

To develop self-knowledge, you need to be in a quiet place at home. Close your eyes and clear your head of the environment around you. Don't think about anything anymore. The goal is to think about yourself, what you are, what you want to do. Specifically, think about who you are, what are the goals, and how to achieve them.

If there is too much noise in your home, you can try to arrive at work earlier in the morning, to allow yourself ten minutes of silence.

Meditating is not just about calming yourself down and putting yourself in a certain position. You can meditate very well when you are alone doing your sport or even going to church. As long as you can free your mind from what bothers you on a daily basis.

 

5.Take personality tests

Have you ever done personality exercises? If not, this is a great exercise in developing self-knowledge.

There are tons of personality tests available online, which you can easily complete. As an example, we can cite the MBTI psychological test. There is also the Enneagram which helps a lot in terms of personal development.

These self-knowledge tests usually take less than 15 minutes to complete and are very often multiple-choice questions.

When performing the tests, try to be as honest as possible with yourself so as not to bias the results. Also, try to answer all the questions in order to get the best results. Otherwise, the test will be skewed.

You may not be surprised at the results, because you need to know yourself a little bit anyway. The goal is for you to become aware of who you really are, and this is how the personality test is a great way to develop self-knowledge. It supports your certainties or your doubts, and according to the tests, helps you with advice, to know yourself even better.

 

6.Observe and learn from others

Here is an exercise to develop self-knowledge which is very harmless. You just need to observe others, those around you and listen to them.

Don't choose who to listen to in particular, it can be anyone you know, maybe even someone you don't know very well at the start.

By listening to others and observing them, you will get to know them better, or better understand how they work. You will automatically use it as a mirror to reflect on yourself, and you will find common points or completely divergent points.

By learning from them, you will improve yourself and this will help you to challenge yourself and thus achieve your goals. Very often, what you observe in others, and which touches you, is also present in you. You can discover good, but sometimes also bad. You will be able to draw the parallel with certain situations that are specific to you.

Always in the process of developing self-knowledge, list what others inspire you. Take time on a regular basis, and spend that time reviewing your writing. It will allow you to get closer to your dreams and your goals. It also helps not to lose the habit that has started in the process of developing self-knowledge.

 
7.Change your habits

To develop self-knowledge, we must learn about our habits, whether they are daily habits or those that we have from time to time in certain situations that happen to us.

It may seem surprising, but very often we have habits, and we do them, without realizing it. What you can do today is start writing down every one of your habits, all of them. If you don't write them down, you may find yourself saying “I don't do this” when it's a habit you have but do without realizing it.

Then take stock by separating what you think are good habits and bad ones. This first written exercise makes you aware of these famous habits, which make you who you are and allow you to know yourself better.

To go further and initiate a process of personal development, change your bad habits. Take it little by little since it is a habit, and it is very difficult to get rid of it.

 

8.Discover your limits

To know whether you have a good knowledge of yourself or not, you need to be able to know your limits.

Start by discovering new experiences. This is because if you never do anything new, you won't know what your limits are. It's sort of stepping out of your comfort zone. You will then know if you are the type to take risks or to stay in what reassures you. Try out different experiences, whether it's meeting new people, playing a sport or other activity, etc.

Then learn to motivate yourself. When you're lacking motivation, whether in everyday life or at work, find ways to motivate yourself and see if it works. Developing self-knowledge also means seeking to know what motivates us in life, what pushes us forward, and what our limits are.

 

9.Stay open-minded

One of the most important steps in developing self-knowledge is to stay open-minded.

This exercise to develop self-knowledge is not really one. Rather, it is an attitude to adopt. Indeed, trying to get to know yourself is to take the risk of being disappointed. Disappointed with what we thought we were and who we really are.

Very often this disappointment comes from outside. Indeed, when you ask those close to you to describe you in the most sincere way possible, you risk discovering character traits that you did not think you had.

Thus, keeping an open mind allows you to assimilate these remarks, and to use them wisely, to make a better difference. If you don't look the truth in the face and hide, it's not knowing yourself or seeking to know yourself. The exercise of developing self-knowledge then loses all of its meaning.