A Simple Exercise To Discover Who You Really Are

Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

1733

Abstract

r can be about anything. You can write about how a particular event has shaped your personal beliefs, how you do things in a certain way due to your experiences or simply more descriptions about yourself. Give yourself 10 seconds to think and proceed to write non-stop for 30 seconds. You’re to try your best to write without pausing and you should try not to repeat whatever you’ve written in the basic introduction.</p><p id="bfa3">After you are done, read through what you have written and jot down some things that that version of you might want to achieve.</p><p id="69ed">Here's what an example of what it might look like:</p><blockquote id="52f0"><p>Basic intro: male, no religion, likes playing games Who am I 1: someone who appreciates theatre…name of favourite character…favourite drama…started watching theatre after school trip to the United Kingdom What do I want 1: perhaps to watch the latest local production, take part in a small play…</p></blockquote><p id="faaf">Afterwards, continue to ask yourself the same set of questions. It should get increasingly difficult to write for 30 seconds. If necessary, give yourself more time to think before you start writing. Repeat the process until you have 10 different sets of answers. (it doesn't necessarily have to be 10, you could do more or less depending on your progress)</p><p id="9ccc">The answers you get should vary across different topics and events from your life, some of which are publicly known facts about you while others might be your personal dreams that no one else knows. What's important is that you read through all of your answers and highlight the actions (under What Do I Want) that you believe are attainable or those you want to strive towards.

Options

You can compile a list of them or set out goals that will help you achieve those actions. Hopefully, this can help you get a clearer understanding of what you want in life currently (after all, who else but yourself can understand and know your deepest desires).</p><p id="34e1">What I like to do is to do this exercise periodically (every six months) and compare my answers to my previous exercises. It allows me to see how much progress I have made and flag out major events in my life that drastically change my train of thought of beliefs.</p><p id="fb29">You may also be interested in reading:</p><div id="5ef8" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/naarwrimo-d3fac0a9f702"> <div> <div> <h2>NaArWriMo?</h2> <div><h3>What I learned from spending a month attempting to write 50000 words worth of non-fiction articles.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*NQAP6En-pQCN99C6)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="feb6" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/nineteen-af8bf54d7ff6"> <div> <div> <h2>Nineteen</h2> <div><h3>A poem about growing up</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*LgPorX7yk1LaccqIzU1Wpg.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

A simple method that I use to understand myself better

In today's chaotic world, it's often easy to find ourselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of roles that we have to play. Some of these identities we assume require us to be responsible (e.g. being a parent or a leader) while others might need us to be jovial or empathetic. In the rush to be the very best versions of ourselves, we sometimes forget what it truly means to be our own individual self. Yet, being able to understand yourself is often the most important factor in deciding what would be the best course of action.

Here is a simple exercise that I undertake often in order to find out what I truly want to achieve. Hopefully, it will also be able to help you find yourself and be able to know what you are looking for. All you need is some time, a pen, and a piece of paper (I find writing to be cathartic and allows for me to better express myself. Feel free to use a laptop or your phone if you find it more convenient.)

Start of by writing down some basic facts about yourself. They might include (but are not limited to) your name, ethnicity, religious view, where you lived/live, and your hobbies.

After you’re done, ask the question “Who am I?”. Your answer can be about anything. You can write about how a particular event has shaped your personal beliefs, how you do things in a certain way due to your experiences or simply more descriptions about yourself. Give yourself 10 seconds to think and proceed to write non-stop for 30 seconds. You’re to try your best to write without pausing and you should try not to repeat whatever you’ve written in the basic introduction.

After you are done, read through what you have written and jot down some things that that version of you might want to achieve.

Here's what an example of what it might look like:

Basic intro: male, no religion, likes playing games Who am I 1: someone who appreciates theatre…name of favourite character…favourite drama…started watching theatre after school trip to the United Kingdom What do I want 1: perhaps to watch the latest local production, take part in a small play…

Afterwards, continue to ask yourself the same set of questions. It should get increasingly difficult to write for 30 seconds. If necessary, give yourself more time to think before you start writing. Repeat the process until you have 10 different sets of answers. (it doesn't necessarily have to be 10, you could do more or less depending on your progress)

The answers you get should vary across different topics and events from your life, some of which are publicly known facts about you while others might be your personal dreams that no one else knows. What's important is that you read through all of your answers and highlight the actions (under What Do I Want) that you believe are attainable or those you want to strive towards. You can compile a list of them or set out goals that will help you achieve those actions. Hopefully, this can help you get a clearer understanding of what you want in life currently (after all, who else but yourself can understand and know your deepest desires).

What I like to do is to do this exercise periodically (every six months) and compare my answers to my previous exercises. It allows me to see how much progress I have made and flag out major events in my life that drastically change my train of thought of beliefs.