Getting to know yourself - A Journal Exercise

Who are you really?

Find your authenticity. Find your truth.

In my experience, there is often a gap between who we think we are, and who we actually are.

Image by Greg Plominski from Pixabay

Many of us carry around ideas from other people and society about who we are and who we should be. However, those ideas may not necessarily reflect who we actually are.

You can use journaling as a tool to uncover your truth. In your journal, write down how you would describe yourself.

Note: This is not an exercise of criticism of yourself, but rather it is an exercise of discovery and learning.

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Describe yourself:

Temperament
What are you like? Calm? Hyper? Disciplined? Impulsive? Structured? Free-Spirited?
How would you describe yourself and your temperament?
What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?

Lifestyle
Describe your lifestyle? Active? Not-active? Balanced? Hectic? Healthy? Unhealthy?
How would you describe your day to day living?

Goals
What is your focus?
What is important to you?
What are you passionate about?
What matters the most to you?

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Next:

At the end of each day, for at least one week write about your day.

*Temperament *
What was your temperament today?
What happened today and how did you react?
What were some things you struggled with today?
What were some things you triumphed at today?

Lifestyle
What did you do today?
How did you spend your time?
Did you do anything for your health today?
Did you find time for balance?
Did you engage in self-care?

Goals
What were your priorities today?
What were you most focused on?
What was on your mind?
What occupied your attention?

This is an easy exercise. Be as honest as possible. Don't sugar-coat. Don't worry about how things sound.

Don't allow yourself to introduce any judgment.

(Remember, you can't hope to make any changes until you can be completely honest with yourself.)

Image by Rúben Gál from Pixabay

**Next: **

Compare the two lists
Observe any areas where what you believe about yourself is divergent from what is the truth. And if you find that you have been totally off-base about who you thought you were, don't be hard on yourself. It's not uncommon for people to carry around ideas about themselves that are not accurate. That's the purpose of this whole exercise.

Remember, we are constantly changing and evolving. If there is anything you don't like, the good news is that you can always make a plan to change.

Self-development requires you get to know yourself better and to get in touch with your truth. You'll find out very quickly how well you know yourself. Learning to be truthful and honest with yourself will make you a more effective person in all areas in your life.

Knowing who you are, without judgment is a great tool for learning to work with yourself.

I still do this exercise regularly to test how aware and honest I am being with myself. How can I move forward if I don't know where I am moving forward from?

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them. I'll do my best to help.

-Akiroq Brost