7 Signs That You Need More Self-knowledge

Getting to know yourself is perhaps the most difficult but important thing you can do. There are some signs that indicate whether you need more self-knowledge or not. Of course, no one can achieve complete self-knowledge, since the process is very subjective. Being both the person who learns and the topic you learn about makes it very difficult to achieve.

Accepting and valuing yourself is a sign that you know yourself well. At the same time, only those who accept and value themselves can live satisfying lives. That is why self-knowledge is so important, since your actions and goals depend on it to a great extent.

Education and the environment can make this process difficult. All are inevitably interpreted by the people around them from the moment they are born. In other words, other people publish opinions about who we are and what we do throughout our lives.

This interpretation is almost never accurate. It has more to do with the people who interpret you than yourself. The process of self-knowledge begins with distinguishing how you see yourself from how others see you. So how do you know if you need more self-knowledge? We share some characters with you below.

You seek your own truth outside of yourself

A sign that you do not know yourself well is that you are looking for answers, reasons or motives in external factors. You do not think you have wisdom. You underestimate what is inside you and validate things outside of you.

You may or may not have realized that the answers to your feelings and your destiny can only be found in you. And if they come from someone else, they are always partially or probably completely wrong. Nothing and no one else has the right to tell you what to do or how to feel. The answer to all this is always inside you.

You compare yourself with others

Comparing yourself to others is the wrong way to answer the questions of who you are and what you are capable of. You can not do anything just because others can, and vice versa. And if many other people do something, then it’s the way to go.

When you compare yourself with others, you fall into a trap. Is it reasonable to compare yellow with blue? Would it make sense to draw parallels between water and earth? Comparison only leads to frustration and false self-knowledge, especially when it becomes neurotic.

You regret saying “yes” or “no”

This is another typical sign that you need more self-knowledge. You doubt all the decisions you make. It does not matter if it is big or small, you always doubt it. And you often end up choosing the option you do not really want to take.

You say “yes” or “no” because you feel pressured by the circumstances or by another person. You say “no” because you are afraid of being too ruthless, and you say “yes” to following the majority. You do not listen to your heart, your thoughts or your own experience until you commit to a “yes” or “no”, and you end up regretting it later.

You seek approval from powerful people

People who do not know themselves well are fascinated by powerful people. In reality, they do not consider the quality of these people, but rather see them as important and seek approval, regardless of the values ​​they represent.

To receive approval from a powerful person makes up for the uncertainty caused by  to  not know himself. It’s a way of replacing the bond with one’s self – esteem with another person who has enough power to make your insecurities go away.

You are deeply touched by criticism and ridicule

Because you have not developed your own criteria for evaluating your own actions, you place too much value on the opinions of others. If their opinion is one of approval, you feel calm. If their opinion is critical or disliked, your world will crumble.

Being dependent on the opinions of others is really a way to destroy your self-image. Of course, we all want other people to accept and think strongly about us. But it can not be at the expense of your identity, because at that time it would be superfluous.

If you make a mistake, you will die

When you do not feel well, you tend to judge yourself harshly. Knowing is understanding, and when you understand yourself, judgment is more objective. Not only do you look at the results, but also at the processes, causes and consequences.

Understanding yourself leads to a kinder assessment of yourself. If you make a mistake, you can forgive yourself more easily because you understand that it is a learning experience. If you do not know yourself, you see the error as a threat. You are afraid that you may destroy yourself and disappear.

You react impulsively to conflict

People who know themselves are not attracted to conflict. They know that they have a limited amount of emotional energy and can not afford to waste it on unnecessary things. The opposite happens with people who need more self-knowledge: they seek conflict as a way to affirm themselves. But never conflicts that are too big.

A sign of a good degree of self-knowledge is self-control. If you know yourself, you know how to deal with your emotions, and you are rarely carried away by immediate impulses. If it turns out that you need more self-knowledge, you overreact to even trivial situations because you feel threatened by everything.

Self-knowledge is a lifelong process, but any effort you put into it is worth it, because it enables you to achieve a higher level of awareness, independence, freedom and security. Do not deny yourself the opportunity to navigate through the riddles and wonders of the most important person in your life: yourself.