Do you want to find yourself? Many people do, and the subject has a wealth of fictional and nonfictional content. The goal of self-discovery could be humankind’s great purpose. To get deeply in touch with oneself and know oneself so intimately seems simple and yet remains quite elusive.
If you’ve wanted to start your self-discovery experience, you may be confused about where you should begin. It’s a huge ordeal and a very overwhelming one, and its daunting nature can cause many people to simply never start it at all. Luckily, there are a few precise places where you can saddle up for the ride. Here’s where to start on the journey of self-discovery!
1. Get To Know Yourself Deeply and Enjoy Your Self-Discovery
The first place you must begin to start on your journey of self-discovery is, perhaps obviously, with yourself. You have to know your true identity, what’s most meaningful to you, and who you genuinely are beneath the surface.
Of course, this is a challenging process. It’s not easy to get deeply in touch with yourself, and it takes an honest effort. Here are some ways to get started.
· Identify Natural Passions
There are a lot of things in the world that you may enjoy. But some things are even closer to your heart than that! Find out what you’re naturally in tune with. What are things that make you feel expressive? And what are things you’ve always loved?
What moves you, pulls you, and makes you feel like you have a purpose. These are the things that you can use in your self-discovery. Please pay attention to your subconscious and what it gravitates towards. These preferences may be built on your experiences, past, or even natural temperament. You’ll want to pay extra attention to things that feel like second nature to you!
· Separate Yourself From Others
This sounds like a simple concept, but it’s harder than it seems. When you go through life, you subconsciously pick up on the ideas and thoughts of those around you. It’s easy to go with the flow and not think about what that entails. Indeed, you might easily muddle the opinions of others with yours.
The status quo has a pretty strong pull, so you have to actively take the time to separate yourself from those norms to achieve self-discovery. What do you truly want in life? What are your honest opinions on specific concepts? How about even the most controversial ones? What do you think about the world? What beliefs or values do you have that may differ from the norm?
· Do Some Backward Planning
As its name suggests, backward planning is the act of planning your life in reverse. You start by thinking about yourself as an old, retired individual. Then, you fill in the blanks. What would that future you be most proud of? What do you want them to be able to reminisce on? Once you have your answer, you can determine what you can do to achieve those results. Research shows that this is an excellent trick to plan and stick to goals throughout your life properly!
It is worth keeping in mind that self-discovery is a process and getting to know yourself deeply will also be a process. You’re unlikely to unearth every truth about yourself from the get-go. It’s okay to take time to discover yourself, to get things wrong sometimes, and to make changes as you develop, grow, and change yourself. That’s all part of the process of profoundly getting in touch with who you are!
2. Find Your Ways To Claim Space
Many people who have yet to begin their self-discovery journey fear taking up space. If you’ve ever felt like you needed to quiet yourself or make yourself smaller so you’re less of an annoyance, then you know what that feels like. You also know what that feels like if you’ve ever felt like you didn’t fit in anywhere or that you had to bend over backward to feel like you belonged.
Self-discovery requires that you break free from this fear of taking up space. You need to have that space so you can perform all your discovery-related tasks! This is also an essential part of living a purposeful life. It would help if you found places to fit in and claim the space you deserve. This will let you stretch out and live up to your potential.
There are plenty of different ways to claim space, but here are a few ideas!
· Find Communities You’re Comfortable In
Support systems are crucial to human happiness. After all, we’re all social creatures by nature! Different people have different social needs. But the bottom line is that you need at least one place where you feel that you belong. Seek out communities that have similar goals, passions, or interests to you. A good society has people who lift each other and are kind and respect each other. Having a sound support system like that will facilitate your self-discovery through helpful encouragement!
· Make Time For Yourself, and You Embark on Self-Discovery
With all the obligations you have in your day-to-day life, it’s hard to set aside real quality time for just you. Don’t make the mistake of neglecting this need. Taking that time for self-care can be crucial for physical and mental health, according to studies. Spending time with yourself, loving your own company, and falling in love with yourself is a critical step of self-discovery. It gives you the chance to have the right energy and motivation to pursue your goals and what you want in life properly.
· Make Your Mark On The World
Not everyone’s self-discovery necessarily includes their impact on other people, but it’s a significant factor in many people’s journeys. Making your mark on the world is a powerful way to claim space, and even a small mark can be a massive thing in the grand scheme of things.
One great way to do this is by performing acts of kindness, volunteering with causes you believe in, and just being good to others. Studies show that these acts will improve your mental health and make you feel more satisfied in life. Making your mark will also increase your ability to have self-efficacy, which is the motivation, resilience, and regulation necessary to put your goal-related plans into action.
· Let Go Of The Need For External Validation
Getting praise from others is nice, but it’s not the main thing that should be driving your journey of self-discovery. If you do everything to receive validation from others, that means your motivation is entirely conditional. Your self-discovery requires that you’re the main person driving it. A mix of external and internal motivation is needed, but the latter is certainly much more crucial.
3. Keep An Open Mind During Your Time of Self-Discovery
We’ve already talked about self-discovery as a process that takes time and how you might sometimes be wrong or need to change your track. That’s a hugely important part of this journey: maintaining an open mind and being okay with the possibilities that may one day come to fruition.
But how can you maintain an open mind? Here are some tips for moving forward in that way:
· Learn And Try New Things
You’re never too old to learn something new. If something interests you, don’t shy away from it because you don’t know anything about it. If you stifle the number of things you explore, that means you’re limiting the potential for discovery that you have. Trying and learning new things will keep you sharp and set the stage for further open-mindedness down the line. It can be intimidating at first, but the more you practice trying novel things, the more you’ll enjoy the process!
· Question Yourself
Like all other human beings, you have shortcomings, points of weakness, and various past experiences you’re still learning from. This means that you can’t lose sight of the fact that, as valid and valuable as you are, you’re not immune from making new mistakes. This means you need to retain an open mind about yourself, too. You must question your thoughts, re-examine your values, and consider your perspectives, prejudices, and errors.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should become your own worst critic. It just means that you need to remain aware that your thoughts aren’t always perfectly accurate. That’s how you continue your self-discovery journey and don’t get lost along the way!
· Request Feedback From Others as a Tool of Self-Discovery
If you have a sound social support system, their feedback and advice can be invaluable when you need it. While other people shouldn’t dictate everything about your life, the people you trust can see some blind spots you may have missed and offer new insights and perspectives. It’s a great idea to have diverse groups of trusted individuals to ask for advice, as this will give you many different ideas to pull thoughts out of. Widening your horizons comes more easily when you’re around people who can already guide you to new roads!
· Use An Abundance Mindset
An abundance mindset involves a lot of positivity and gratitude. It means that you understand that your unique journey of self-discovery is entirely your own and that you’re not in a rush to compete with others. It allows you to let go of the fear of missing out or falling behind.
You understand that life is not a race and are grateful for your unique experiences and the roads that you take along the way on the trip. In other words, you trust that you’ll end up at your goals eventually, as you’re committed to them. So instead of worrying about whether you’ll ever get there, you focus on enjoying the journey on the way!
Final Thoughts On Where To Start On The Journey Of Self-Discovery
Everyone’s self-discovery journey is unique, so it’s hard to give specific advice for your beautiful, one-of-a-kind experience. But there are some great ways to get started on that journey. By getting to know yourself, finding ways to claim space, and maintaining an open mind, you’ll be starting off your trip on the right foot!