Self-knowledge is a great tool to explore the inner world and make changes. We share some keys about it.
Self-knowledge is one of the most powerful tools related to psychology and personal development. Due to its apparent simplicity, we often overlook it or downplay it. However, getting to know each other, understanding who we are, how we work and where we come from is key to making many of the desired changes.
This is not a one day job. Just as it takes us years to get to know each other, we also need it if we want to navigate our depths. Getting to know each other is the first step in forging a solid relationship of love, respect and support towards oneself. Only from this point do we learn to treat ourselves and seek the best environments and opportunities.
The main keys to self-knowledge
If you want to enjoy these benefits, but do not know where to start, we will show you some basic points that you should know about yourself.
1. What is your temperament?
If you want to get to know yourself, your temperament type is one of the first issues to address. And it is that this accompanies you from birth and determines the basic way in which you face and react to the situations of the environment.
Three main types of temperament have been described, already observable in babies (easy, difficult and slow). And each one of them describes trends such as greater or lesser adaptability, the predominant mood, the level of activity, the tendency to explore or to be inhibited…
Although these characteristics refer to early childhood, temperament is a relatively stable trend. So, if you haven’t done personal work, it’s likely that many of those traits are still present in you today. Knowing them will help you understand yourself better.
2. Your attachment style?
This is an unquestionable second step in self-discovery, and it tells us about how we bond with others. Depending on the degree of trust that we have managed to build towards ourselves and towards the rest, we will think, feel and behave in one way or another.
There are four main attachment styles, which arise based on the bond established with primary caregivers in childhood. A secure attachment allows us to bond from interdependence and forge healthy relationships. In the other three cases (anxious, avoidant and disorganized attachment) there may be difficulties of various kinds that still interfere with your daily life as an adult.
3. Do you know your enneatype?
The enneagram is one of the most well-known and complete personality classifications that exist. It describes nine types of personality that are ordered according to various aspects: the idea one has about oneself, the empathic capacity, the way of managing personal energy.
Identifying your enneatype will help you understand much about how you think and how you act in your daily life, and how you have been doing it for years. If you still don’t know yours, it’s time to find out.
4. Can you describe your values?
Personal, ethical and moral values are what guide a person’s decisions and actions. They are the ones who determine how it positions itself before the world, what it defends, why it advocates and what it identifies with. Therefore, they are of the utmost importance. However, we are not always clear about what ours are.
In short, the values represent the priorities and, therefore, the way in which we should act. Give in to a conflict with your partner? Help a person in need? Forgive the betrayal of a friend?… All these decisions will depend on what your values are. And, if you don’t know them, you may end up falling into situations of inconsistency that cause you discomfort.
5. What is your definition of success?
As a result of the above, to achieve self-knowledge it is also important that you identify what success means for you. And it is that we often assume the definitions that others give us, that come to us from abroad and we do not stop to create our own. But this is essential to live in peace and fullness.
Do you really want to reach the top of your career, travel the world, or have multiple children? Is that what would make you feel fulfilled? Is that the life you would be excited to live? To answer yourself, try to forget what others expect of you and think about what scenarios you would feel really successful and satisfied.
6. Do you have stagnant emotions?
Finally, and this is one of the most limiting aspects when it comes to advancing in personal development, ask yourself if you have open wounds. They may have occurred at any time and in any context: in the family, at school, with teenage friends or with old flames.
There are situations that deeply impact us in a negative way and that, at the time, we did not know how to manage properly. We may have managed to cover them up and move on, but they will undoubtedly continue to condition us in the shadows.
Thus, identify your childhood wounds, remember those moments that marked you and you try so hard to forget and put light on them. By doing so, they will understand a lot about what is currently happening to you and you will open the door to change.
Self-knowledge is the key to advance
As we said, self-knowledge is essential to make any change and achieve goals, since it allows us to know the starting point, the strengths and weaknesses that we have.
There are multiple aspects of yourself that you can discover or identify, but the above are some that can lay a good foundation. First of all, remember that people are dynamic and constantly changing, so none of the above condemns you or is immovable. Remember to be in constant contact with you.
Source: The Mind is Wonderful