Know Thyself: 6 Forms of Self-Discovery to Help You Find Your Career Path

Why Do You Need Self-Discovery?

Because to know yourself is to know your soul. Can we make ourselves better if we don't know what we are? Can we live a fulfilling life? Can we build healthy relationships? Can we do what we love?

Epictetus - I can only tell you this; Those who do not know who he is, do not know what he was born for, do not understand what this world is like, and therefore do not know what it is for, who cannot distinguish between good and bad, beautiful and ugly, right and wrong, will never be able to use his logic to shape his desires, instincts and things he detests. In a word, he will wander blind and deaf, knowing nothing. But is this surprising? Isn't this ignorance the cause of all mistakes since humanity began?

Why Some People Avoid Self Discovery?

Because it takes work. Deep work... It's kind of an "endless" journey.?There is no destination. The important thing is the journey itself.?That's why some of us find it easier to work long?hours in jobs we're not fully satisfied with instead of?uncertainty or surprises.

The History & Philosophy of Know Thyself?

Those who do not hesitate to know themselves and their souls have been thinking about this for thousands of years. Sokrates, Epicurus, the Stoics ... Not only in ancient Greece, but look at the times when philosophy was made by poetry: Yunus, Kaygusuz Abdal, Pir Sultan, Sheikh Galib …

In ancient Greece, the knowledge implied by the phrase "know thyself" on the Delphi temple was knowledge of this discovery and this craft. 'Knowing oneself' was an action and a 'technique' rather than a 'contemplation'.

There was even a belief in ancient times;

In order to be the captain of one's self, one had to take care of oneself first. The word "take care of yourself", used today as a "goodbye gesture" in everyday language, was a philosophical principle in ancient Greece, moreover, it was the basis of the philosophy of life. Taking care of oneself, showing care, attention and care was the main motto that brought the principle of "knowing thyself" into effect. Living was a craft, a craft of "care for oneself," and its masters—Sokrates said in his famous defense that he was a "master of self-care"—were those who knew and practiced its techniques.

So where do we start?

Here are some tips and tools that I find useful

6 Ways of Self- Discovery

Journaling: Studies suggest that a specific region in the right prefrontal cortex becomes more active when you consciously manage your emotions by either suppressing them or interpreting the event differently. Therefore, expressing ourselves through journaling can help us understand our thoughts and feelings, evaluate our experiences, and develop an intuitive understanding of ourselves.?

Regular journaling practice can help us meet your goals and improve the quality of your life in general. It can help us clear our minds, make connections between our thoughts and feelings and visualize how we want to feel when you achieve our goals.

Mindfulness: Mindfulness requires us paying attention to one's current experience in a non-judgmental way. Research suggests that this approach might help us to learn more about our own personalities. As a Mindfulness Coach, yes I agree. Because Mindfulness allows us to turn inward, observe and accept ourselves as we are. I'd like to share 2 more quotes from Epictetus on this subject:

1. It is people's reaction to their difficulties that show what they really are.
2. What people dislike is not the things that exist, but their judgments about those things.

Walking: Did you know almost all philosophers used to create their work while walking? For example: Rousseau walked in order to think, while Nietzsche wandered the mountainside to cure his migraine, then he became philosopher. In contrast, Kant marched through his hometown every day, exactly at the same hour, to escape the compulsion of thought. Not only the philosophers, Paulo Coelho also decided to become a writer on Camino de Santigao where he want for a walk to find meaning of life.. I personally totally agree with this. If you're interested the power of walking check the book A Philosophy of Walking. I enjoyed reading it a lot. Here another Epictetus quote comes, you can see how much I love him :)

Instead of getting lost in the choir, try to walk by yourself and just talk to yourself, think long and hard, look around, take action and start discovering who you are.

Therapy: One of the most strongest tools because it gives you a safe space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and concerns. I will never forget when my a friend of mine told me that she was a stranger to herself for 35 years and she started to discover herself thanks to therapy

Dreams: Although it may seem new, dream interpretation dates back to Sumerian culture 3,000 years ago, in what is now modern-day Iraq. There is evidence of priestly dream analysis in ancient Egypt as well. Doctors in ancient Greek cultures employed various dream-centric treatments for spiritual healing.

In 1900, Freud devoted a portion of his work to interpretations, seeing dreams as the “day’s residues,” or simple reflections of our daily lives. His contemporary and protégé, Carl Jung, conducted a study that examined 697 dreams over the course of 23 nights. He found that those who recalled archetypal symbols in dreams were more intuitive, while those who recalled dreams daily had more introverted personalities. This is the foundation of dream analysis as it relates to personality in today’s psychological science fields. I think interpreting our dreams can be a great self discovery tool. Keeping a dream journal, and jotting your dreams as far as you remember then going back the repetitive patterns is something I would recommend.

Thanks for reading Mindfully Yours newsletter, I hope you enjoyed the topic. Here are some ways to access more mindful living tips:

→ Contact me if you're interested in to work together on Mindfulness or Career Coaching.

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Warmly,

Emine