by Anja Uitdehaag

“The more you know yourself, the more patience you have for what you see in others.” – Erikson

 It is very easy to confuse “What we do” with “who we are”.

When I was younger, I associated job title and fitting into a group with my self-worth. I didn’t realise how much I drew upon my work as the source of my identity. I had spent so much of my life working toward what I thought were my important life goals only to find out that this was not the case.

I ended up thinking ‘There must be more to life, or to me than this’?

What is really driving me? What am I working toward?

I decided to have a detailed look at what really drives me.

Not easy! It takes courage and honesty.

For me, understanding myself means knowing and respecting my values in life, my beliefs, my personality, my priorities, my moods, my habits, my body, and my relationships.

It also means having a better insight into my strengths and weaknesses, my passions and fears, my desires and dreams. It means being aware of my likes and dislikes, and my tolerances and limitations.

My “discovery journey” is ongoing. Of course, by times am influenced by other people’s goals and desires, so I learned to make a conscious effort on a regular basis to find out what it is I really want by taking the time for checking in with myself.

One thing I know for sure: The better you know yourself, the better your relationship with the rest of the world.