Who am I?
Self-reflection – the key to answering the “who am I” question.
Answering the “who am I” question requires each of us to take a deeper look at ourselves.
However, we are complex.
Our whole being is made up of our interactions and experiences to date. Every encounter (good or bad) shapes how we view ourselves and the world around us.
- We must question our thoughts because they become our attitudes and beliefs. We must beware of our attitudes and beliefs because they drive our behaviour. And we have to watch our behaviour because that becomes our character.
It is no wonder that answering the “who am I” question is challenging!
How to begin answering the “who am I” question.
Understanding ourselves is partly dependent on learning from our experiences.
For example, we cannot foresee how we will behave in a particular circumstance until we experience it. Therefore, every experience is an opportunity to learn about ourselves.
- The more we look at ourselves and analyse our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours, the more we can discover who we are. Hence, self-awareness becomes possible with self-analysis.
We can start to discover our character and what motivates us. Begin to understand why we like some people more than others. Open ourselves up to development and change.
We are on a continuum, always learning and continuously evolving. In other words, there are opportunities to learn about ourselves every minute of every day.
What is in it for each of us?
Understanding ourselves better is extremely helpful because it supports growth in self-belief and self-esteem.
Knowing we behaved well or achieved something makes us feel good. In other words, answering the question “who am I” can positively impact our confidence and happiness in life.
Here are two scenarios – one that is helpful and the other not so much!
- Realising something about ourselves (good or not) enables personal growth.
- Believing that you know yourself so well that you have nothing to learn stunts personal growth.
How self-awareness helps young people.
If you are a regular reader, you know I am passionate about helping young people to figure themselves out. I am not alone! Sir Richard Branson’s recent blog post titled; “Let’s teach kids skills for life” includes this poignant quote:
- “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Unverified author.
This quote describes how vital self-awareness is!
In just a few very well-chosen words, it highlights that we all have different abilities and how not knowing ourselves can lead to underachievement and unhappiness.
You may also like this post about Gaining confidence | Mindscreen
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Helping Children Flourish
Gav Devereux
Author bio
Being diagnosed with dyslexia, labelled remedial, and regularly told that I was a “stupid boy” affected my self-esteem.
Worse still, I carried low self-worth into my adult life. Yet, later, when I learned how to challenge my destructive mindset, I began to feel happier.
I thought, if I can change my way of thinking, anyone can!
And so, in 1996 I founded Mindscreen and began developing resources to help children to believe in themselves and go after their dreams.
That’s how the Mindscreen experience® came into being. I hope it helps your children as much as it has helped me!