How to Be Your Own Best Friend
Listen to your inner voice to get in touch with yourself
“You are your own best friend. Listen to yourself more often than someone else.”
― Steven Cuoco
Some people live their lives under the illusion that others know them better than they know themselves. They look for answers outside without attempting to look inward.
In today’s world, we waste our time doing mindless things that not only drain our energy but further alienate ourselves from us.
The reason we don’t know what we want from life is that we don’t stop and listen to ourselves. To know who we are, we need to listen to our inner voice. That inner voice is our guiding star that shines its light on our pathway.
We need to listen to it more. When we tune in to ourselves, we get in touch with our feelings and uncover our deepest desires.
Embrace the power of your inner voice. You can hear it, but only if you choose to do so.
Here’s how to listen to your inner voice.
Embrace the power of silence
Often our lives are too hectic for us to slow down. But how will we ever find ourselves if we don’t get away from a chaotic world?
To get to know yourself, you need to give yourself plenty of alone time. You need to embrace the power of silence. Once you’re at peace with yourself, you would naturally listen to yourself more.
When you sit alone with your thoughts, you’ll uncover a lot of things about yourself that were previously unknown to you. You’ll understand more about what makes you happy.
For example, during the pandemic, the isolation led to my discovery of my passion for writing. I believe that if I hadn’t had this free time to myself, I would’ve never realized that writing was my passion. The pandemic opened the door to a new opportunity and gave me a chance to explore writing.
Assess your goals and needs
Different people have different goals and aspirations in life. Your life trajectory may be drastically different from someone else’s.
For example, one person may put more importance on starting a family first before choosing to pursue a career. Other people may put their careers on hold for a while and decide to focus on their families instead.
For example, when I was in my late twenties, I knew I wanted kids, so getting married and starting a family was my number one priority. I figured after I have kids, I’ll focus more on my career and other aspects of my life that I had put on hold.
You don’t need to force yourself to fit into a particular lifestyle just because society’s trends are changing. What’s important is that you ask yourself a question: “What is it you want?” “What are things that will make you truly happy?” Answers to those questions will help steer you in the right direction.
Just as people have different goals in life, they have different values too. What do you value more: your personal freedom or your financial freedom?
For me, I always put importance on my personal freedom. I never chased money, fame, or fortune. Instead, I sought happiness and spiritual fulfillment. As a creative, that meant being happy and content at doing what I loved the most, which is music and writing.
Your threshold of happiness may also differ from someone else’s. You don’t need to change your perspective on happiness just to keep up with society’s changing trends.
To help you assess where you are in life, ask yourself these questions:
- Are you happy with what you do in life?
- Are you in a fulfilling personal relationship?
- Are you surrounded by people who support you in your life’s journey?
- Do you devote enough time in life to hobbies or activities that make your life fulfilling?
The bottom line
No one knows you better than you know yourself. Getting in touch with yourself will help you uncover your deepest feelings and desires. Embrace the power of your inner voice and listen to yourself. You are your own best friend.
