There are some people that have known us forever, from our family members to friends we made in school, or relatives that we’ve kept it touch with over the years, to the point where they probably know more about us than we do.

Just as fire cannot burn itself and light cannot illuminate itself, it’s not uncommon for people to be relatively blind to the character traits and personality quirks that they have. Sometimes, when they’re made obvious and in full view, we can begin to work on them. Often, this is for the better, be that trying to retain our humility and goodwill towards new people, or as a means of discipline, such as trying to restrain our addictive nature.

But are there ways in which you can format and regularly apply the effort of understanding ourselves? This might give us more insight into what kind of job we should take, or what we should do about any given life situation that confuses us. In this post, we’ll discuss a few efforts we can make towards understanding who we are and what we want, without falling into overly analytical and neurotic thinking:

Write In Your Journal

Writing in your journal can be an important measure of understanding your thoughts and how they develop from week to week. Writing your thoughts down is very worthwhile, because it encourages you to structure them in such a way that actually makes logical sense, rather than simply encountering the thoughts and feelings you have. They force you to format them more readily, and to confront them. That can provide insight, even if it takes a while.

Watch Your Actions & Emotions

If you hope to try and learn more about yourself, watch how you act and react during the course of a normal day, without acting. It might be that someone upsets you at work, which is a good way to figure out just why you were upset and annoyed at a comment they made. Or, perhaps you feel the urge to overeat one evening despite dieting, and we’ve all been there. Where does that feeling sit, and how does it operate within you? What justifications are you telling yourself to cheat on your diet? A little attention can sometimes make a huge amount of difference, and you may be surprised to what degree that’s true.

A Little Life Guidance

It doesn’t hurt to seek a little life guidance from places that you might not usually think of. For instance, looking up your dream meaning might help you understand what your subconscious mind is trying to process, or having your tarot read might give you some insight that you hadn’t thought about before. Sometimes, just a conversation with a trusted friend can help you look at things in a new light, and grow as a result. You’d be surprised just how much this can help someone develop and bloom as the people they were meant to be, and hopefully, this happens to you too.

With this advice, we hope you have a better and more profound chance of understanding yourself with clarity.