Whatever your age or stage of life, the journey of self-discovery never completely ends.

There will be times of uncertainty…

About what you truly want.

About your real purpose in life.

Or the values you pursue…

A solid understanding of yourself may take years or decades. New relationships, jobs, stages and experiences continue revealing new aspects of who you are.

If interested in this topic, or exploring approaches to self-understanding and a meaningful life, these suggestions from Me&We may help.

Understanding Yourself: What and Why?

Self-understanding goes beyond knowing your identity, occupation or favourite foods, books and films. It explores deeper aspects such as:

• Beliefs.

• Core values.

• Strengths, weaknesses and areas of potential.

• Personal boundaries.

• Inner motivation.

• Wishes and aspirations.

• Your emotions and behaviours…

This empowers authentic career and personal decisions, overcoming challenges and fulfilling potential. Understanding others also nurtures important, lasting connections.

Image source: Unsplash

Self-understanding lets you live authentically rather than by standards others design. Knowing your values reduces outside negativity’s influence and the need to compare yourself with others.

More deeply, it is a key to a fulfilling, satisfying and meaningful life.

“Trong một thế giới đầy rẫy những kỳ vọng, sống chân thực có vẻ là điều không thể. Sẽ dễ dàng hơn khi có con đường được vạch sẵn cho mình. Nhưng về lâu dài, điều này sẽ chỉ cản trở bạn sống một cuộc sống trọn vẹn.” - Better Up

As the philosopher Socrates said: ‘Knowing yourself is the beginning of wisdom.’

How can we understand ourselves better?

Suggestions for Greater Self-Understanding

Try these activities and exercises to begin today:

Keep a Daily Journal

Journalling is simple yet useful for questioning, reflection and self-understanding.

Writing lets you converse with yourself. Seeing thoughts clearly on the page and rereading them reveals how your stream of consciousness flows.

It is a form of self-reflection that deepens understanding.

Joey Hulin, a meditation teacher in Cornwall, England, and author of Your Spiritual Almanac: A Year of Living Mindfully, explains:

‘Journalling sifts through mental clutter and brings what lies beneath awareness into the light. It helps us understand the mind’s story and express and process thoughts, feelings and sensations safely and without judgement—even the most difficult ones.’

There are generally two journalling approaches.

Writing freely, following your emotions.

Or answering questions such as:

• What was today’s most memorable event?

• How did you feel when facing it?

• What was today’s hardest experience?

• …

Identify Core Values

Understanding why you do what you do is central to self-awareness.

Finding the roots of actions and behaviours requires identifying core values. Knowing them makes suitable choices easier.

Five steps to identify core values:

Step 1: Write them down.

Consult more than 200 values at https://scottjeffrey.com/core-values-list/  and choose those most accurately describing your feelings or behaviour.

Step 2: Observe people you admire.

Values are often embodied by people we admire and love. Admiring a quality means valuing it. List six people who represent who you want to become.

For example:

Admiring a colleague’s perseverance and dedication.

Admiring a family member’s empathy and sincerity.

Step 3: Recall personal experiences.

Think about the best and saddest moments of your life and what they reveal about your values.

A painful experience, for example, may show empathy and compassion matter deeply to you.

Step 4: Group the values.

Review your combined list and see whether values fit into categories.

Step 5: Choose your leading core values.

Rank them by importance. Numbers vary, but narrowing to five to ten is best. If you have more than ten, ask which are essential to your life.

For professional support identifying values accurately, explore Me&We’s Core Values Identification service here.

Try New Experiences

Challenge yourself through unfamiliar activities. Openness to new experiences develops awareness of both who you are and who you could become.

Specifically:

• Different activities, jobs and environments clarify likes and dislikes, shaping values and interests. They also reveal learning opportunities and what genuinely matters.

  
  

• You discover strengths and weaknesses, perhaps unexpected potential. This builds confidence to use strengths and develop weaker areas.

  
  

• New experiences can bring discomfort, anxiety or fear—inner barriers challenging personal limits. Overcoming them expands your comfort zone, reveals potential and abilities, and strengthens confidence and pride.

After all, you cannot know until you try, can you?

Use Personality Assessments

Try the V-A-K-Ad test, NLP’s preferred representational systems assessment.

We generally receive and process information in four ways: Visual (V), Auditory (A), Kinaesthetic (K) and Internal Dialogue (Ad). These represent channels through our senses and characteristic language used to communicate with the world.

Although we all use them, each person has preferences, rather like favourite foods.

Better understanding supports much more effective communication with ourselves and others.

Take the free test on Me&We’s website.

Try the MB16 Test

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI, is a well-known psychological questionnaire based on Carl Jung’s personality-type theory, developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine Cook Briggs. It helps people understand themselves, communication styles and decision-making.

Take the test here.

Finally, Make Time for Yourself

Our world is noisy and full of external distractions.

Remaining authentic amid the surrounding noise is difficult.

Disconnecting briefly from the outside world and devices to reconnect with yourself is important.

Simply sit quietly with yourself. Silence amplifies your inner voice.

Quiet, free from distractions and interruptions, creates space for that voice.

Pay attention and listen. It may guide deeper understanding of yourself and what you truly want and need.

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These suggestions and exercises can deepen self-understanding.

Different people approach the same activity differently according to their stories and circumstances. Give yourself time and opportunities to experience and understand yourself.

For help from experienced professionals, consider:

Me&We’s Journey of Understanding Course

Powerful tools help understand yourself and others, manage emotions, use language to connect, and build healthy, lasting relationships.

The course runs monthly on Saturdays and Sundays in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Follow this link for course details.

The Resource Map One-to-One Life Coaching Package

This package shortens the journey of self-discovery and understanding.

Across five sessions, professional Me&We coaches identify core values, explore strengths, weaknesses and personal history, recognise limiting beliefs, build your personal network, and establish goals and future direction.

Register here to begin with the team.