5 Ways to Discover Who You Really Are

No matter who we are are, we might feel directionless at times. It is natural to compare ourselves to one another and is often unintentional. One might confuse lack of motivation with the desire for self-understanding. The following five tips are designed to help you discover and/or uncover your inner-self.

1. Make space in your life. Dedicate time in your day for yourself. Secure a space. It doesn’t matter where you are or how long you stay. Most of us seek companionship and many of us enjoy helping others. However, a lot of us are conditioned to care for others before caring for ourselves. Honest and wholesome relationships develop when both parties are ready. It starts with you.

2. Don’t have expectations. This can be exercised at the simplest level: When you wake up, don’t expect yourself to be or act a certain way. It’s okay to feel what you are feeling. When you have a free morning, make space for a natural unfolding of events. You might incorporate some of these Ayurvedic practices.

3. Say “no” more often. Often, when we say “no” we are really saying “yes” to ourselves. When we can learn to say “no” to the things that make us feel contractive, we open up our lives for people, places and experiences that make us feel expansive.

4. Ask yourself what you enjoy. Think in terms of the “five senses”; taste, smell, touch, sight, and sound. You might try a journaling exercise — columnize the “five senses” and list the nouns that give you feelings of pleasure and contentment. Try to write freely and openly, knowing that your writing is confidential. Keep this somewhere that you can refer back to when you seek advice or inspiration.

5. Be honest with yourself. Acknowledging our past without dwelling is not an easy task. If we are able to do so, it can, however, allow us to make changes that promote our physical and emotional needs. Recognizing where we’ve been and where we are today can be an empowering and confidence-building experience.