How to know yourself better in 10 different ways.

Have you ever felt lost, unaware, discontent, overwhelmed, scared, or like you’re running on autopilot? These might be some signs that you need to know yourself better.

This is important because studies have shown that getting to know yourself better can improve your well-being, your relationship with others, your self-confidence, and how you manage your tasks.

It can be challenging to operate in the world and ultimately find true happiness if you don’t know yourself very well. In this guide, I’ll show you how to know yourself better in 10 different ways.

10 Ways To Get To Know Yourself Better.

1. Get To Know Your Core Values.

Your core values are the things that are most important to you. Knowing what your values are is important because it can impact how you make your decisions and create goals in life.  Here are some questions to make you more aware of your values:

• What is the most important thing to me right now?
• Why did I choose my career?
• What makes me excited?
• If money was not a factor, where would I go?
• Think of something that brings me great joy?
• Who do I look up to or admire?
• Why did I choose my partner or significant other?
• If I had all the time in the world, what would I do right now?
• How would I describe myself in one word?
• Where do I like to relax and why?

2. Know Your Life Vision And Mission.

Knowing your own personal life vision and mission is important because it maps out the path and destination of how you define success in your life.

It also keeps you from getting distracted and from focusing on setbacks or challenges. Here are questions to help you learn your life vision and mission.

• What aspect of my life energizes me?
• Can I identify the most urgent and important thing in my life?
• How would I describe my big why?
• What feels like an energy drain in my life?
• If I could plan my perfect vacation, where would it be?
• What makes me feel happiest and healthiest in mind, body, and spirit?
• Who are the people in my life that I like to spend my quality time with?
• If I was close to retirement right now, where would I want to live?
• What would my ideal workday look like?
• In 10 years, what would my life look like?

3. Start Journaling.

Journaling is one of the best ways to get to know yourself and all you need is a pen and paper to get started. Here are some journal prompts to know yourself better.

• What would I like to be remembered for?
• Where do I like hanging out whenever I have free time?
• Name 5 places in the world I would love to visit?
• What do I like to spend my money on?
• Do I want to get married someday?
• Would I like to have children in the future?
• What is the biggest purchase that I have made so far?
• Who is the most important person in my life?
• If I had to leave my house right now without ever coming back, what 3 things would I take?
• What would I say to my 7-year-old self?

4. Identify Your Strengths And Weaknesses.

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is important because you’ll learn what you are most effective at and where you need to improve or eliminate something. Here are questions and prompts to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

• Think of something that others always say about me.
• What am I the best at?
• Identify one thing people always praise me for.
• What task do I loathe even when thinking about it?
• Is there something that makes me scared?
• Where do I like to spend my creative energy?
• What makes me doubt myself?
• Where and what am I able to keep my focus for long periods?
• Where am I feeling overstretched in my capabilities?
• What has made me feel successful?

5. Find Your Purpose In Life.

Your purpose in life is your big why. It is what gives you meaning in life and the reason why you get up each morning.

Knowing your purpose will help you know yourself, and vice versa. Here are some prompts and questions to help you find your purpose in life.

• Name one thing that made you feel powerful.
• What was one thing that really challenged me?
• Name something that made you feel accomplished.
• What did I love doing when I was 9 years old?
• Is there something that I do that makes me forget to eat?
• If I were to walk into a room of distinguished people, what would I want them to say about me?
• What would I wish for from my Fairy Godmother?
• When and where do I feel happiest?
• If I knew I couldn’t fail, what would I do?
• If you won the lottery right now, how would you spend your money?

6. Explore Your Passions.

Our passions are the things we have a strong desire for. Knowing what your passions are will help you understand why you gravitate toward certain things. Here are some ways to identify your passions.

• What would I do even if I wasn’t getting paid for it?
• Is there something that I’m always talking about that I never get tired of?
• What are some things that I am already doing that light me up inside?
• Name something that makes me feel free.
• What makes me lose track of time?
• If I could have a superpower, what would it be?
• What do I think about constantly?
• Is there an activity that I would pay anything for?
• What is one thing I would put on my bucket list right now?
• What makes me stay up late at night?

7. Find Out What You Love.

You probably already know what you love and just need to write it down to see exactly what it is. Here are some things to ask yourself to find out what you love.

• What makes me want to leave my bed right away in the morning?
• What does my heart desire most right now?
• If I was stuck in my house for a month, what would I do every day?
• What would my ideal day look like?
• How would my life look like if I was doing what I loved?
• Is there something I’ve itching to learn?
• What was/is my favorite subject in school?
• Where is my go-to place for fun?
• What would be my dream job?
• What was my happiest memory?

8. Know What You Want To Change.

Change is good, even if it looks and feels scary sometimes. It’s important for your personal growth and evolution, however, so here are some questions to help you know yourself better.

• What change would I like to make in my life in general?
• What makes it hard for me to move forward in life?
• If I could change one thing in my life right now, what would that be?
• What is in my life distracts me right now?
• If I inherited money right now, what would I spend it on?
• What am I interested in learning more about?
• Fill in the blank:  I wish I could change _______.
• With whom would I trade places?
• If I knew I couldn’t fail, what would I do right now?
• What do I see myself doing in 5 years?

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle

9. Figure Out What You Stand For.

This is important because there are some things in life that are bigger than ourselves and are worth fighting for. They can bring meaning to our life and make it feel purposeful. Here are prompts and questions to help you figure out what you stand for.

• What challenge were you able to overcome?
• Is there something you do that makes you feel 10 feet tall?
• If I could hear my heart whisper, what would it say?
• In what ways am I like other people?
• Thinking back on my life, what adversity did I face?
• If I could change one thing in the world, what would that be?
• What is my calling?
• If I had a super power, what would I fix in this world?
• What is it that lifts up my spirit?
• If I could take on a role that made me feel powerful, what would it be?

10. Make A List Of Life Goals.

Your goals in life are the things you want to accomplish. They give you direction in life and keep you motivated, especially when the going gets tough. Here are some questions to help you figure out your life goals.

• Where do I see myself in 6 months?
• What makes me feel overwhelmed?
• Where would I like to be in a year?
• How do I like to spend my time and energy?
• What would I write in the last page of my memoir?
• If there is a hurdle in my way, how would I get to the other side?
• If I could write just one sentence about my life, what would that be?
• What would my ideal career be?
• What is it that I always want to learn?
• If I could create anything, what would that be?

BONUS: 6 “VITAL” Signs Of Self-Knowledge.

Knowing your “VITALS” is an interesting way to get to know yourself better. VITALS is an acronym for:

• V = Values.

Your values are what you believe in and can be intrinsic or extrinsic. This means that they can come from within or are shaped by how you were raised and where you grew up.

• I = Interests.

Interests are the things that captivate your attention or curiosity. These can be your hobbies, passions, and anything that you enjoy learning about. Your interests can help you gain knowledge about yourself and also the way you think and make decisions in life.

• T = Temperament.

This is how you naturally react to others and your personal preferences. For example, some people get fearful or stressful when they are facing a challenge or are undergoing change, while others get excited or motivated.

• A = Around-the-clock activities.

This is your biorhythm. If you pay close attention to your mood and energy, you can observe the times of the day when these are at their peak. For example, you might be one of those people who likes to get up in the morning because that’s when you are most enthusiastic and energetic.

• L = Life mission and meaningful goals.

Think about the moments in your life that meant a lot to you. They can help you uncover things about yourself that you may not have known before. For instance, if there was a something that made a huge impact on your life, you can perhaps turn into something useful.

• S = Strengths

Your strengths are the things that you’re great at. They can be your skills or talents. Or what others say about you or come to you for help with.

Benefits Of Knowing Yourself.

According to studies, knowing your true self is good for your well-being and can even have a substantial impact on your day-to-day functioning. Here are some of the benefits of increasing your self-knowledge & self-awareness.

• More clarity.

Knowing yourself is getting clear about the workings of your inner world, how you respond to the world around you, and the way you interact with others. Thus, it makes you more aware of how your behavior & thought patterns affect your mood.

• Deeper connection to yourself & others.

Being more aware of yourself can deepen your relationship with others by making you aware of how you interact with them, how they react to you, and how it affects you emotionally, mentally, and physically.

• Increase self-confidence.

Employees who participated in a self-awareness intervention had increased confidence, as well as greater appreciation of diversity & improved communication with colleagues.

• Enhanced self-reliance.

Students with higher levels of self-awareness were able to recognize and articulate their mood and monitor it accordingly.  People with higher levels of self-identity were also less likely to rely on the feedback of others.

• Better decision making.

Students who developed a high degree of metacognitive awareness and were able to set clearly defined goals, improved their performance on decision making tasks.

• Increased self-esteem.

People with reasonable self-standards in regards to self-awareness experienced higher levels of self-esteem, as well as greater acceptance of different perspectives, self-control, and creative accomplishments.

“One’s own self is well hidden from one’s own self; of all mines of treasure, one’s own is the last to be dug up.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Last thoughts.

Knowing yourself is more than just knowing your favorite flavor of ice cream or what tv shows you love to watch over and over.

It’s also about being aware of how your mind works, how your thoughts affect your actions, and how you express yourself in the world.

If you want more ways to get to know yourself better, check out A list of over 130 passions to inspire and motivate you.

If you want to increase your self-awareness, read 71 questions to ask yourself to increase self-awareness.

Finally, if you want to discover new things you enjoy, be sure to read, 5 great ways to discover new things you enjoy.

I hope you found these tips helpful and please let me know what you think in the comments!