Who Am I?

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all Wisdom.

Aristotle

Who are you? Do you really know?

Most of us, go through life telling others that they don't know us - that they don't understand us. But how well do we really even know ourselves?

Truth is, very few people really take the time to learn anything about who they are. Sure, they know what they look like in the mirror, where they live, what the do for a living, and some even think they know what makes them happy, but only a handful really stop to think and understand the inner workings of why they do what they do or what they want to do and be about.

I believe the experience you gain with age is as much about learning who WE are, as individuals, as it is learning and figuring out the world around us. Because the world around us is NOT an objective thing that we all see the same. It is a reflection of our life and values - we don't see it as it is, we see it as we are.

When we are young, we think we know everything. But as we grow and mature, we learn, not only did we not know everything, we really didn't KNOW anything. It's not just that life reveals itself to us as we age, as much as we figure out that we don't know it all. We begin to understand more of who we are in the world - and who we are inside.

Some are better than others at "finding themselves". But no one is perfect - and it's the journey to understanding ourselves that is important, not the answer itself.

Take some time, every day and dedicate it to learning about yourself. Here are some simple suggestions that are both easy to do and powerful in generating results:

• Listen to the voices that you hear in your head - you'd be surprised how much insight they have on who you really are.
  
• Meditate for 5 minutes a day - you don't have to be good at it, just do it.
  
• Ask yourself the question "Who am I, really?" while your laying in bed, just before falling asleep.
  
• Start a journal (it doesn't matter if you write 1 word or 1000 words a day) - and review it regularly.
  
• Ask yourself the same questions you want to know of others. And don't avoid the answers.
  

These are just a couple ideas that will help you frame your thoughts around learning who you are. But don't be in a rush, you aren't going to learn everything there is to know overnight - its the process of learning that's important.

But when you do begin to really understand who you are, as Aristotle once said, you will be on the path to wisdom.