Who are you?

“Who are you?”

You’d typically respond with your name, a standard reply with no need to share much more. But what if you were asking yourself that question? Is your name all that you are? There is surely more to you than just your name.

Why do you need to ask yourself these questions at all?

Think about it like this, all the things that you see, do, say – these are the things that make you who you are to everyone around you. But no one will know you better than yourself, there’s still what you think, feel, want – these are all things that no one but you will know, especially if you don’t openly share these things.

As you live your life, sometimes these things also become obscured from your view. You grow, you experience things, you change. Then one day, you become unsure of who you are. It can make you feel lost, uneasy. And with how busy life gets with all our obligations and responsibilities, unfortunately, the realisation that you don’t really know what you’re doing with your life doesn’t hit ‘til things get bad.

What’s bad? It depends. Bad could be realising that you’ve spent the last 10 years chasing a career that sounded great but you actually hated. Being stuck in a relationship going nowhere. Idly wasting each day without finding something that gives you a reason to get you out of bed every morning. Trying to live up to the expectations of others without considering what it is you want.

So, who are you?

The first step to answering that question for yourself is to observe and reflect.

- What do you value the most in your life? Both material and immaterial. There’s no right or wrong answer, it’s just what you think.

- What is the one guiding principle you have in your life? How did it come about? Why do you think it’s so important?

- If you behave in a certain way now, what was it that helped shaped your behaviour? Do you think it is a good behaviour or a bad one?

- Is there something that makes you uncomfortable? Why?

These are just some of the many questions you can ask yourself to get to know you a little better. Naturally, the answers to these questions can be pretty heavy and take a while to wrap your head around. It may not be quite that clear cut either. We are complex people but that is also no excuse to bury your head in the sand and avoid the tough questions. Uncertainty is a fact of life but knowing yourself will make dealing with that uncertainty a whole lot simpler and make your life a whole lot clearer.