Self Knowledge

The world of work isn’t what it used to be. The long-held contract between employers and employees has been ruptured since we can no longer rely on “the company” for security, it must come from within. For people who know who they are and what they’re called to do, it will be a world of great opportunity. For those who continue to define themselves in terms of the expectations and opinions of others, it will be a world of pain and frustration.

More often than not we don’t want to know ourselves, don’t want to depend on ourselves, and don’t want to live with ourselves. By middle life, most of us are accomplished fugitives from ourselves.
( John W. Gardner, Self-Renewal)

King Solomon began the book of proverbs by stating that a wise person will hear and increase learning, and that a person of understanding will seek wise counsel. At about the same time, but on the other side of the earth, Lao Tzu said that one who knows others is wise, while one who knows oneself is enlightened. Self-awareness is a continuous, lifelong process of learning and introspection.

Here are some things that you can do to help discover who you are and what you should set about to do:
1.       Write and autobiography.
2.       Keep a daily journal, including a description of your thoughts and emotions.
3.       Take time every day for peaceful meditation.
4.       Pay attention in the course of every day to those things that you find rewarding and enjoyable, and those that you do not.
5.       Every day critique your own performance against the internal standards that you establish.
6.       Ask others what they think your ideal job or your calling might be.
7.       Seek outside help from counselors or testing services.

The question I struggled with for many years goes something like this: How can I keep my life and work properly separated? It was the wrong question. The right question… is : How can I keep my life and my work properly integrated?  ( James A. Autry, Life and work )

Self Assessment and self Knowledge: Part-1