“Who am I?”
Well! That’s an age-old question creating buzz on the internet. Not just that, at any certain point in your life to understand ourselves, at least once we question our existence.
Unconsciously the question may seem as simple as it appears on the surface. And many answers can be reasoned with multiple perspectives. But there is more in-depth meaning in itself that wants to be understood.
Which is why, in order to understand ourselves better – often, we begin to seek; and curious to learn and ready to evolve into the consciousness. This process continues forever with each unexpected experience by revealing new dimensions to our very core “Being.”
That said, If you take a deep breath, reconsider and feel every tone of the word – “Who Am I?” Perhaps you will realize, there is an intellectual genetics and an emotional connection inherited to it. And especially there is an entire spiritual world entangled with it.
So, let’s move further and see what scientists, authors and spiritual teachers have to say about personal discovery, including my personal perspectives for better knowledge.
When someone asks you “Who are you?” Most probably, they want to know how you perceive yourself and at what level of self-awareness you possess to proceed with your life.
However, When you reflect and ask yourself:
Who AM I?
The core objectivity of who you are deals with your “Identity.”
And,
your Identity greatly associated with 3 different aspects:
- Physical Identity.
- Psychological Identity.
- Social Identity.
Physical identity related with your genetics. Which you are naturally inherited from your ancestors and the environmental conditions when you are in the womb. You can’t do anything much about it to change other than accepting the physical flaws and the beautiful perfections.
For example: Species, gender.
Psychological Identity related with your mental, emotional and spiritual energies. Which are inherited and as well as always have the scope to adapt to the circumstances and create firm ideas and ready to change them when it matters the most.
For example: Thoughts, feelings, uncertainty, Values, beliefs, experiences, aspirations, interests, talents, skills.
We will discuss more about psychological identity in-depth below. Because this is where our life mostly revolves and stuck and become complex to understand ourselves.
Social identity related with how people perceive you based on individual judgements and how you reflect yourself to them.
For example: Behaviour – Job, status, appearance and many other factors.
As per my understanding these are the basic principles one has to acknowledge and respond with absolute clarity about oneself.
Next time when anyone asks the same question who are you? And You do not know what to say and doubt yourself. Just make yourself comfortable to sync with your instincts and ask: “Who am I?”
Indeed, considering all your physical, psychological and social identities covers all the weight. Because the combination of all that which we connect to, is truly who we are. And the life continuously evolves for better when there is a balance. With balance, we all create a unique “personality” that touches every aspect of life. And that’s the beauty of our existence.
Nonetheless, that’s not the end of our curiosity. Our questions are endless and desire to know more and ask If I am who I am, then:
Am I Unique?
In one word “Yes.” Everyone is different. As often it’s said that every individual is unique, University of zurich did a scientific research and concluded that every person has unique brain anatomy: Like fingerprints, no two individuals have the same brain anatomy. Therefore, by evidence you are unique, we are all unique beings. However, let’s go further and dig deep into it. These scientific facts may surprise you.
So, here you may wonder If Am I unique then the question further goes,
How Unique Am I?
To answer that question, Neuropsychologist and a cognitive neuroscientist named Lutz Jäncke, quotes “Every person is unique and such uniqueness is the result of a mix of genetic factors and individual life experiences. According to their study they confirmed that the structure of people’s brains is very individual. The combination of genetic and non-genetic influences clearly affects not only the functioning of the brain, but also its anatomy.” So, there you go and embrace your uniqueness.
Let’s discuss more about the Psychology as I mentioned earlier to understand ourselves in deep.
Many of you might have the question, whether psychology and spirituality: one path or two?
From the book “Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path” “Spiritual understanding comes from a direct perception of a greater intelligence, force or power. Some people call it non-duality; others call it Christ, Allah, spirit or God. Spiritual technologies help us access an experience of consciousness itself, and sustained spiritual practice supports us in learning to anchor ourselves in a more abiding sense of that greater reality.
Meanwhile, psychological work helps unravel the complex strands that constitute our personal psyche patterns and wounds that, if not tended to, can impede our growth and block our perception of spiritual realities.” (Source)
In psychological terms, the key to understand yourself is to become extremely self-aware.
So,
How to become self-aware?
1 Best way to improve self-awareness is, by asking the right questions about oneself, experiencing the life with detailed observation and realizing everything the way it is. Let’s see what kind of questions you need to ask yourself for your self-discovery.
Top 4 Questions to ask yourself to find out who you are
- What are my values?
- What are my goals?
- What are my Skills?
- What are my interests?
Here are the,
5 questions to know what are your values
- What is my fundamental core that I can’t live without?
- What do I believe in the most?
- What is most important to me?
- What inspires me to move on?
- What is my purpose?
These all questions are really works to find out your real worth and make more self-aware than before and leads you with much clarity and focus. Further if you want to know the examples of values, here you go.
List of personal values:
- Loyalty
- Honesty
- Truth
- Optimism
- Passion
- Commitment
- Open-mindedness
5 Questions to ask to identify your goals
- What fulfils me?
- What is my passion and how to find it?
- Which lifestyle I want to pursue?
- What is my why?
- What Do I want from my life?
List of personal goals
- Develop a healthy body, mind and spirit.
- Practise kindness, compassion and empathy.
- Make efforts to earn financial freedom.
- Work on a relationship and be responsibly committed to family.
- Invest time on Education and keep focused on learning and evolving.
- Help others who are in need of me.
5 Questions to ask about life skills
- What am I naturally good at?
- What sort of problems I love to solve?
- What is my experience and what sort of expertise I can lead?
- What others appreciate and admire me for?
- What job I can do all alone without anyone’s help?
List of example of skills
- Possessing extreme level of empathy towards others.
- Leading a team
- Writing, communication and creativity.
- Advising and inspire others to get successful.
- observation, listening and spirit to finish any given task.
5 Questions to ask to figure out your interests.
- What is that one I can do forever without getting bored?
- What are my preferences and priorities?
- What is that makes me happy and bring joy in my life?
- What is that I love to craft?
- What I could do for fun?
List of personal interests
- Writing, play music and read educational material.
- Spend time with the loved ones.
- Caring, loving and contributing to make someone feel better.
- creating art.
- Horse riding and travelling.
- Talk hours about psychology, films, business and innovative ideas.
Related post: change your life in 2021.
