Discovering Yourself
Who are you? The first and obvious thought is to answer with your name. Then you might describe yourself as someone’s son or daughter, so-and-so’s husband or wife, your child’s mom or dad. You can also identify yourself by your job title or as a member of an organization or church. Or as someone’s friend or relative.
Those relationships and associations all tell us a little bit about who you are. But do you know who you are? Relationships and titles aside, do you know what makes you happy, what you are passionate about, what makes you uniquely you?
Having a clear image of who you are is essential to have successful relationships, self-confidence, and the ability to grow as a person. If you’ve come to realize that your life isn’t quite as satisfying as you want it to be, it may be time to rediscover who you really are. If you don’t really know yourself, you won’t be able to make the changes that will bring you true happiness. When you are unsure about who you are it is easy to be caught up in tiny imperfections because you can’t see that these flaws play only a minor role in defining the whole you.
Makes sense, but what does all of this have to do with being organized? Well, quite a lot, actually! Clutter comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and forms. If you’re not sure who you really are, you’re more likely to seek comfort and happiness in “stuff,” material possessions that take money out of our bank account and consume valuable space in your house or garage. If you’re not sure of yourself and what you want out of life, the stuff you accumulate will only bring your satisfaction for so long before you tire of it and lose interest. And then you’re left with clutter.
There’s also an intangible kind of clutter that bogs down your mind and perpetuates negative thoughts. If you’re unsure about yourself, you’re more likely to follow the crowd, worry about what other people think about you, over-schedule yourself to try to please everyone. Your mind because overwhelmed with trying to measure up that you don’t even have time to think about doing things that would make you happy. This type of clutter steals your energy and can make you miserable.
Discovering yourself allows you to both accept yourself in the moment but still seek out ways to find new ways to grow. It’s a continual process because you’re always changing and growing. The path will be windy and you’ll have to confront a few roadblocks. You’ll make mistakes, but that’s ok because you’ll gain valuable insights about who you aren’t. And you’ll have to break the rules, whatever those might be, because sometimes rules are made only to constrict and confine and limit. Discovering yourself is all about escaping old labels and ideas about you and being open to new opportunities and possibilities.
Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Readyto start this process of discovering and rediscovering yourself? Try a few of these suggestions:
- Start with a clean slate. Evaluate your values and your own moral code and start living by them. Eliminate the bad habits that don’t fit with the life you want to lead.
- Spend quiet time alone. Get away from the noises and distractions of life and give yourself a few minutes to reflect and contemplate about your life and where you want it to go.
- Ask yourself questions and write down the answers to gain clarity and reveal things you didn’t know about yourself. What are you doing when you are truly happy? What have you accomplished so far in life? What are your goals for the future? What’s on your “bucket list?”
- Don’t be swayed by others’ comments and opinions. You’ll find some people who want you to stay exactly as you are because it fits their life better. Ignore their attempts to hold you back. Believe in yourself and trust your judgment.
- Confront issues or people that have been troubling you. This if often where the mind clutter comes from that leaves you feeling unsatisfied or incomplete. Find resolutions to your worries.
- When you discover something that makes you happy, do it. Don’t make excuses about not having enough time or money, or having too many other responsibilities. Start planning and make it happen.
Ultimately, discovering and rediscovering yourself requires you to follow your own path. No one can tell you to get there, and there’s no one right answer. It’s not easy, but it is fulfilling and life changing. And yes, it will help you live a better organized and more simplified life. Knowing who you are allows you to set priorities and stay focused on what really matters to you. All the stuff that could potentially clutter your life becomes irrelevant and you realize you don’t need it. We wish you the best on your self-discovering journey!
photo credit: Bunches and Bits {Karina} via photopin cc
