Over centuries, many great philosophers and thinkers have advocated for the importance of knowing oneself. Perhaps the best known of these is Socrates, who famously wrote “Know thyself.” What does it really mean, though, to know yourself?

Let’s consider getting to know yourself kind of like dating. While learning the favorite color or taste in music of the person you are dating can be somewhat helpful information, those things don’t really tell you anything meaningful about who that person is.

If you really want to know who that person is, you want to dig deeper to get to understand their motivations, ambitions, values, and vulnerabilities. Those things are, after all, what tell you who someone really is, right? The same is true for getting to know yourself.

Self-exploration requires you to confront all aspects of yourself, from the positives and gifts to the insecurities and fears. Each of these plays a role in formulating who you are, so they each deserve attention and understanding.

Most of us tend to just go through life without really questioning who we are or worrying too much about questions of identity. A lack of self-reflection can force you into a life of constant reaction to events rather than making conscious choices that are aligned with what you believe and want in life.

When you don’t examine yourself, you can lose sight of your goals and dreams, leading to missed opportunities in life that could impair your happiness and fulfillment.

Self-exploration will often introduce you to parts of yourself that are a false you. Things that have been added by outside influences. These become habits and to find the real you these habits need to be changed. We spend a large part of this course working a habits and how to eliminate or change them.

Jump in! It's a grand journey.