Knowing One-Self
It is amazing how much time one spends in learning about other things and other people, but very little, if any, time to know and learn about one-self.
Learning about one-self is a process, hence takes time and effort. It is the only education where one’s conscientiousness is developed reflectively – the mind studying itself. Needless to say, every person is unique and hence the thought process and entire journey of developing this skill is unique. Some of the obvious, though to some may seem subtle, benefits of understanding one-self helps to:
Maintain Control
When situations or events do not go as planned, or comes as a surprise, one tends to be overwhelmed, and at times enraged by it. It becomes overwhelming and at times bombarding, when lots of information is involved. On another occasion, the mere lack of these throws one into anxiety and confusion. Knowing how one operates enables him to manage his environment because he is able to stabilize himself. There are times when things happen beyond one could have imagined, and comprehending becomes improbable, leading to emotions getting haywire. Knowing oneself in such circumstances allows us adapt to the natural norm of behavior, and at the same time collect ourselves from being devastated.
Communicate Effectively
Communication is an eminent part of life. One needs to communicate with his families, friends and work-mates. All these segments of communication do not follow a monotonic approach. There needs to be a different styles of communication adapted in different environment. Knowing one-self will help him to tune into the right mode of communication. Once the knowledge of self is obtained (even to some degree, noting that knowledge is infinite, and humans are infinitesimal in comparison) one may act in a proactive manner and control (and even allow) certain actions to happen. The beauty of this is that one learns to benefit from this himself as well as be a blessing to others. Mastering this process helps one to maneuver his journey into directions and forms that he desires.
Increasing Self Awareness
When one learns in a continual fashion, the capacity – mind in that specific area – develops, giving him great insights and understanding that before was beyond his reach. The same principle and reward applies when the energy is diverted to learning about one-self. He becomes more conscious of his surroundings and is not entangled by hurdles of life.
Finally, there are certain procedures to follow to be able to ascertain even the slightest benefit of knowing one-self. Nevertheless, there is no hard and fast rule, except discipline is demanded. The best way to learn is by reading or listening. Having a good book about life – a book that discusses about creation and their purpose (I am not suggesting reading any science fiction about monkeys!) – will greatly help. Some of the well-known authors whose books may assist in honing these skills include, but not limited to, are Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, or Daniel Goleman.
It is common to learn about lots of things by putting our mind to it (focusing on that particular subject). If the same notion is applied to mind itself, there will be some amazing results. A word of caution, in mastering anything, a balance is necessary – overdoing harms more than helps.
By: Ronald Kumar
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Filed under Improvement by on Sep 5th, 2010. 