Aristotle said. “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” This means that you need to know who you are then everything is open to you. Without self-discovery you don’t know what direction life is taking you. You also don’t know what you want to do in life and will not to be able to make important decisions.

According to the Oxford Dictionary self-discovery is the process of acquiring insight into one’s own character. In other words it’s finding out who you truly are. Self-discovery is a very important aspect of everybody’s life. Without it you really don’t have a full understanding of who you are and what you want to do in life, or even what direction that life takes you. Self-discovery ranges from things that people don’t seem important to the big things such as jobs or relationships. To me self-discovery is just as important as breathing. If you don’t know who you are then you don’t know what your purpose in life is. You just skate by in life. When you find out who you are the world is open to you. You can accomplish so many things. According to an article at 4troubledteens.com dated April 14th, 2010 self-discovery is the most important aspects of adolescence. As teens become more self-aware they start trying to figure out who they are, making choices that will impact their lives forever.

People are struggling with finding their true identity because of this ever-changing world in which we live. We’ve all heard the saying “people change” well, people are changing to fit into a group abandoning their true identity. Sometimes we think that if I change then people will like me a whole lot better. This happens constantly. Do they like you better after you changed? Most likely no. Personally would I really care if people like me if I change to fit in? No. I have an idea of who I am and what I want to do with life. Why would I want to change that to fit in? I know that I’m unique. That’s what people are forgetting. Everybody is unique in one way or another. People take to heart to what people say. Sometimes this can be good or bad. When we take what people to say negatively this affects who we are as a person making us feel like we are left out. This can make people change because they don’t like what they hear. Most of the time we focus on asking ourselves “what if they don’t like me?” and “what if they think I’m weird.” According to careerlifedirection.com there are critics that are saying that self-discovery is a bad thing. They are wrong on all counts. The article says that self-discovery isn’t important. Self-discovery is what you as a unique human being should pour your energy into rather than what people think that you should be doing. We let others tell us what we should be doing instead of doing what we want to do. Basically it all comes down to people not seeing that they need to view themselves as unique, but they are paying more attention to fitting in because they think that people will like them. In doing so they are changing their identity.

How can people find their true identity? This is simple. Ask yourself “who am I?” Just be yourself. If people don’t like you for who you are then what is the point of them for being your friend? Yes this is harsh but it’s the truth. We just need to accept it. In only two years of high school I have found out more about myself than any other point of my life. I have found out that I am a person who is struggling with personal issues. But I keep reminding myself that I am unique and nobody can tell me who I am. I have to decide that for myself. Only I know who I am. People can’t tell me who I am. According to an article advancedlfeskills.com there are several steps that you can take to discover your true self. Step 1. Find your values, the things that matter most to you on the deepest levels. Ask yourself what are you values. Do you understand why your values are important? 2. Understand your strengths. What natural abilities do you possess and which ones do you want to cultivate and develop. 3. Know your passion. What activities and pursuits make you feel really alive? You can’t build your life around your passions if you haven’t figured out what they are yet. 4. This may sound strange but know your tendencies or habits. These can be either good or bad. 5. Know your limits. You can’t be the best at everything. 6. Set goals. They need to be specific and achievable. Finally step 7. Establish direction. Where do you want to go in life? Don’t worry about reaching your destination; it’s the journey that counts. Let life unfold before you. Just enjoy the ride. It’s ok if you don’t end up where you think you need to be.

When you find who you are, the most important thing to remember is that you should be yourself. Once you find who you are endless possibilities will unfold before your eyes. Don’t give in to changing who you are. Remember that your identity is important and once you find your identity you can find so many things out about yourself that you didn’t know. You are an unique individual. Only you know who you truly are.