To Know Thyself

“He who knows other is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.”
- Lao Tzu

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Do you consider yourself smart? Just how smart are you? Smart people know people and know things, right! Well, if you’re so smart, then you should know nobody better than yourself. So let’s test your intelligence; your emotional intelligence. The following questions will assist you in determining your degree of self-awareness, or in other words, determine just how smart you are about yourself. If you’re ready for the test, begin now!

What is important to me? Why?
What do I stand for? Why?
What brings me pain? Why
What makes me angry? Why
What makes me mad? Why
What makes me ecstatic? Why?
What are my strengths?
What are my weaknesses?
Who am I?

How did you do? If you had no problem answering these questions, congratulations you possess a great deal of self-awareness. Self-awareness is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence (EI). Knowing who you are and what you’re all about puts you in touch with yourself. Possessing self-awareness helps one to recognize and control their emotions, while understanding the basis of those emotions. Understanding and controlling your emotions will allow for a deeper understanding of yourself and allow you to make deeper emotional connections with others.

If you struggled with one or more of the questions above, you can work on increasing your self-awareness by living in the present moment. By living in the present moment it means, forgetting about the past and not fretting about the future. It means being in tune to yourself and the experience; it could be you just being with you; it could be you and another; it could be you and nature. It doesn't matter! What does matter is it is about YOU! Keep a journal and write down your experiences. What was it like? How did you feel? What moved you? What bothered you? By spending some time examining the experience and the emotions associated thereof, you'll develop a greater self-awareness. And, in no time, you will become super smart when it comes to you!

When you become aware of you, you’ll begin to discover those things that make you feel complete. And, the best part about being self-aware is you can be yourself (authentic) without having a thing to prove - to anyone, including yourself!

It’s your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD