For those of you who are new to my community, welcome and thank you for joining my quest for each of us to gain the most important knowledge in life, which is self-knowledge.
To my avid activists, keep up the great work and please continue posting your stories of awareness, insight and understanding at the end of this post.
To ensure that you receive the most value, this is the first of a three-part post that will provide you with practical, simple and concise steps you can take to become better acquainted with yourself so you can get what you want in life. The key to getting what you want in life is as complex as it is simple. I’ve said this many times – it’s an inside job. This post will introduce you to the concept of self-knowledge. The second post in this series will give you an exercise that gets you closer to knowing what you want, and the final post will give you several results you can expect from newfound self-knowledge and knowing what you want in life.
To get what you want in life, you have to know what you want. To know what you want, you have to know who you are. Knowing who you are is self-knowledge. Knowing what you want starts with setting aside what others want for you and detaching from the internal and external expectations that prevent you from exploring the depths of your uniqueness.
Self-knowledge is about knowing yourself, about observing and being perceptive within your body, soul and mind. It’s about being conscious of possibilities that life presents to you each day. It’s about knowing what you want to get from life as well as what you can contribute.
You spend years, money, effort and energy to gain an education, learn a profession and become more efficient and more productive. You invest in physical activities to be fit and healthy. How much time, effort, energy and money do you invest in developing, nurturing and gaining self-knowledge? Granted, you have knowledge of many things. This knowledge aids you in your everyday life – everything from making a cup of coffee to solving complex logistical and strategic problems. Your knowledge helps you do virtually everything throughout the day, most of which you take for granted.
The take for granted is where you can find your self-knowledge. Yes, we are complex creatures and yes, we can learn so much more about ourselves merely by making the decision to do so.
In the next post, I’ll give you an exercise that will open the path to learning what you really want and – equally important – what you don’t want.
Would love to read your comments on this this – please share your thoughts.
Quote of the week: “Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.” David Frost
Question of the week: What would be the worst thing that would happen if you knew what you really wanted? Answer that question and your worst fear will be put to rest. Then you’re free