You are the lens through which you see the world.

There’s only one of you in existence, and you live here and now. You struggle through today’s battles and enjoy today’s triumphs. Understanding yourself allows you to consciously be at the heart of your experiences.

You don’t get to live your life as someone else; you don’t get to run away from yourself, no matter what you try. You’re a constant in your life.

And you are so important.

We have to view the world through our own eyes. Before we improve ourselves, understand the world around us, connect with others, or understand the greater universe, we first have to look inside of ourselves and understand the amazing person living there.

That’s why understanding yourself is such an important place to start your journey of personal evolution. Learning about yourself may seem small, but it encompasses so much more.

Your inner knowledge of yourself tells you what you truly care about and believe in, what you want to do with your life, and what chances are right for you to take; it tells you what kinds of people will uplift you and what traits will pull you down.

Understanding yourself allows you to be guided by your internal drumbeat each moment, and to not be swayed by difficult situations or the opinions of others.

When you live in your true self, you live in your best self.

Your Future Or Someone Else’s?

There will always be people in your life who give advice, want to help, and try to be there for you as best they can.

And although their intentions may be good and right, if you don’t know who you truly are on the inside, their opinions might influence the choices you make.

Sometimes it’s as simple as your friend loves chocolate ice cream and makes it sound so good you get convinced to order it. But when you eat it, somehow chocolate ice cream just isn’t what you want. Vanilla is your favorite and would have made you much happier.

But sometimes it’s as big as your family believing you should have a steady income, and thinking that matters more than loving your work. So you spend your life moving in a direction you don’t believe in or have passion for.

If you build up enough small moments of not understanding yourself and what you feel, think, and know, you might end up on a life long path that is foreign to the person you really are.

The more you lose yourself and take time away from listening to your own truths, the more likely you are to make decisions that don’t make you happy. You can’t be fulfilled on someone else’s dream path.

You are the only you, and no matter how wonderful some else’s path is, it will always be a disappointment if it isn’t yours.

Your happiness, your purpose, your fulfillment, your success, and your love of life are all based on you. And if the truth of you isn’t being heard, you’ll be living your life for someone else.

And you deserve better than that.

Understanding Yourself Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Change

You can be stuck holding onto the specific things you’re sure of so tightly, you become closed off or narrow-minded.

This can cause you to be so shut off to advice that you’ll only see the exact idea you have, which can stop you from growing and being elevated by others.

You risk missing information that might really change things for the better.

As your life evolves, you change. Great adaptation comes from the confidence to change and allow new information to alter your path…

But if you don’t understand yourself, you may not be able to adapt naturally due to a fear of losing what you do know about yourself.

For example, let’s say you’re 14 and know you want to be a veterinarian. But as you grow up you have more and more interest in animals, and less and less interest in medicine.

If you allow yourself to adapt as you change, you might end up leaving that career behind entirely and owning a bunch of pets instead, leaving the medicine to someone else.   But staying so firm to who you once were might stop you from transforming into the new person you truly want to be: a pet owner, not a veterinarian.

By understanding yourself and being able to listen to your own needs and thoughts, you will open yourself up to hearing advice in a way that can positively affect you instead of negatively sway you.

You have the opportunity to learn from others, while still hanging onto your sense of self and staying true to your internal heartbeat. That way you can adapt as you change, without the risk of being stuck in a life that no longer suits you. Instead, you can stay on track with what you want through all the phases of your life.

What About the Changes You Can’t Control?

Let’s not forget that there are road bumps in every journey! You’re going to face some in your life; you most likely already have. And these bumps can jostle you off your path or even onto a new one.

Understanding yourself gives you strength and courage to follow your heart and your head. It also helps you learn to love your journey

It’s hard to know what to do, and you won’t always, but it’s so much harder if you don’t know yourself. How can you make a good decision if you don’t know what lights you up inside?

Say you’re offered a wonderful job opportunity, but you have to uproot your life for it. There may be great pros and hard cons.

If you don’t know where you stand with many things in your life, this decision becomes terrifying and stressful. Maybe you don’t know how you really feel about this job, or how much you like living close to your family, or how you feel about your location.

You don’t have any of the information you need to navigate this situation!

But say you do know you love your job and it’s so important to you. And you’ll miss your family but feel like phone calls are still fulfilling. And you’re ready for a change of location.

Suddenly, it’s an easier answer. Suddenly, it’s not as overwhelming.

You give yourself the best chance to live a peaceful, fulfilled, and happy life when you know where you stand with things. Understanding yourself helps you make decisions based on who you truly are and what you truly want.

Be Comfortable In Your Skin

Doesn’t it sound great to feel comfortable with who you are? Doesn’t it sound relaxing to not have to second-guess yourself?

Isn’t it relieving to listen to advice without feeling persuaded? Isn’t it exciting to know yourself?

It’s powerful to be able to sit quietly and understand the person inside of you.

It’s life changing to be able to hear yourself.

So take the risk of getting to know the amazing person you are!