You don't know yourself that well
A lot can be learned from treating yourself as a stranger
When I was younger, all I wanted was to be a cool kid. I had no clue how to achieve this aim, neither did I ever acknowledge this desire; One thing I was sure of, however, was that the way I dressed wasn’t helping my case. I was pretty averse to asking my mom to buy me things since I knew that she had enough on her plate already, so I saved coins in my piggy bank until I had enough to afford something that could increase my social capital. I amassed a small fortune of $20, and on a trip to the mall, found the item that would surely grant me my rightful social position: a snapback. All the popular kids wore them, so this must’ve been the solution to my problem! I bought it excitedly and waited in anticipation for Monday to roll around. Needless to say, nothing changed; Instead of being a socially awkward kid, I was a socially awkward kid wearing an oversized Red Socks hat. Stranger still, despite my insatiable desire to purchase this status item, I didn't even like the way it looked on me. It’s only in retrospect that I realized that my intentions were not what I thought they were, and the dissatisfaction I felt in the following days confirmed that.
As adults, we assume that we’re sufficiently self-aware to avoid falling prey to such simple traps, but I’d beg to differ; we do a lot without knowing why. Here’s some food for thought: You might not know yourself that well. Acknowledging this lack of awareness can serve a good purpose though: it enables you to learn who you are. After I had this epiphany, something strange occurred: I began to watch myself as if I were a third party. During moments when I unknowingly acted out of fear or insecurity, I began to ask myself “What is my REAL goal?” Since this shift occurred, I view each day as an opportunity to uncover what makes me tick, a strange concept since most assume that they know themselves. Dropping the false assumption that I understand my actions has helped me grow immensely.
Learning to be ok with the fact that I am not yet the master of my own mind lead me down a path of self-realization. Watch yourself as if you were a 3rd party, and you will reveal a lot of the motivations behind your actions.
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