Knowing yourself means understanding your own sensations, thoughts, beliefs, values, and behaviors. It’s about knowing what makes you tick.
This subject of self-knowledge is a very interesting subject, so much so that you’ll expect people to have a basic understanding of who think they are but people are finding it difficult to have a grasp of who they really are because they are obsessed about who they wish they are.
They are in the ‘wishing’ category.
Quite recently, I stumbled on a brilliant book called "The Winner's Brain" by Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske. Trust me when I say the title says it all.
It is a great book that I’ll recommend to anyone who not only wants to know the secret behind what makes great men operate the way they do but also how you can perform 10x better by learning how to optimize your brain potential.
In the book, the author shared an eye-opening ideology. He proposed that one of the key factors in knowing who you are is to narrow the gap between your public and real selves.
He said, “All of us maintain a public persona to an extent: Who hasn’t put on a happy face at a party even after having a bad day? But for people who possess a highly evolved sense of self-awareness, these two selves are very close to the same thing, or at the very least, there is a conscious awareness of how (and why) they are different”. He continued, “When you narrow the gap between your public and real self, it is easier to read how others experience you. You come across as unafraid to share your real self and more likely to be perceived as a confident, authentic person.”
But for the majority of persons, bridging the gap between their public and real selves, requires a deep understanding of who they are at their core.
If you want to have that understanding, then you’ll need to answer these nine questions on a piece of paper, then ask a trusted friend to answer them as they pertain to you.
If your answer to the questions are somewhat similar with that of your friend then you pretty much have a good sense of who you are. But if they are not similar then it means you lack self-awareness of how your values , actions and attitudes influences others around you.
9 Golden Questions To Ask Yourself
- Would you trust me with a secret?
- Could you call me if you had an emergency?
- What’s the strongest factor that makes me a good friend?
- Do you think I easily forgive people or am I a grudge holder?
- What does my nonverbal language say to others?
- Am I an optimist or a pessimist?
- What do you get tired of me talking about?
- What do you notice that I do when I’m feeling uncomfortable or nervous?
- What one word do you think describes me best?
It’s always fine for you to ask your friend for more feedback. These 9 questions will help you to have an understanding of who you are as a person.
Thanks for reading this article. I hope it was helpful to you.
Always remember that you have greatness within you.