the truth within
WORDS / NIKKI WILLIAMSON
Self-awareness is something you naturally begin to develop around your first birthday. But it isn’t a completely automatic process; rather, it’s something you need to consciously address the older you get. Busy lives, distractions and fear are often at the heart of why we neglect self-awareness — yet it’s really the only way forward if you want to build better relationships, achieve your goals and lead a contented life.
As a topic of both philosophical and later psychological study, self-awareness is about understanding who you are in a practical sense. That is, why do you do the things you do? Why do you behave in certain ways? Why do you struggle to begin the process of meeting your health or professional goals? Why can some people influence your moods so easily?
The answers lie within you and are based on a combination of genetics and environment — that is, the traits and vulnerabilities you’ve inherited as well as your experiences. No one is the same as you: no one can have your experiences or your combination of genes, not even siblings growing up in the same home. As such, you cannot look for explanations and solutions to who you are anywhere else. You are your best source of information — as long as you know how to
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