How to get to know yourself? (10 steps, 10 ways, 50 tips to understand yourself)

There are a lot of people who are comfortable in their own skin, but many people just don’t know what it takes to have a positive body image. One way we can achieve this is to get to know ourselves better.

When you fully know how your mind works, why you think the way you do and how you perceive things then you will easily understand your nature and be able to control your emotions.

The more you get to know yourself the more you will understand yourself. You will also be able to understand other people better and be able to deal with life’s challenges.

Get to know yourself and seek God on a deeper level by learning His word from front to back. You might be surprised at what you find out about yourself and God when the time comes for his judgment

Here is a step by step guide to know yourself including practical ways and tips to understand yourself completely.

What does it mean to know yourself?

Knowing yourself means you know your strengths, weaknesses, limits, and habits. You know how you naturally react when you are put in certain situations. You know what your tendencies are and how they affect your thoughts and actions. It’s all about self-awareness.

In philosophy: To know yourself is to understand who you are, deep down—your essence, which does not change over time. It’s quite distinct from what we call the ego, your personality or the role you play in the world.

The ego changes over time; it’s a social mask, and an adaptive one at that: a way to protect yourself and get needs met. However, it often warps into unhealthy patterns that cause pain and suffering (and even physical disease).

In psychology: Knowing yourself means learning how your mind works—both its conscious and subconscious aspects. It means understanding your thoughts and feelings—and also understanding why you have them.

There are many different modalities for this kind of exploration (psychotherapy is one), but they all lead to the same destination: a healthy sense of self-awareness that allows you to make better choices in life.

In Spirituality: To know oneself is fundamental to any spiritual path because only through self-knowing can we understand our true nature—that which lies beyond ego, beyond form, beyond separation from all things in the universe.

When we answer the age-old question “Who am I?” we’re embarking on a journey toward enlightenment, or awakening to our true potential as human beings on earth.

Related: How to be happy: A wellness guide that makes you think about life from new perspectives.

People Also Read: How to be happy: A wellness guide that makes you think about life.

Who are you really?

Who are you really? This is one of the most fundamental yet difficult questions to answer. Many ancient sages and philosophers have struggled with the meaning of human existence and how to find your true self.

A quote by Buddha illustrates this succinctly:

“You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”

Gautama Buddha

This powerful question may seem easy at first glance but is not so simple. You are a complex mix of emotions, thoughts, interactions with other people and social norms that shape your behaviors and actions.

The journey to discover “who you really are” can be a long path with many unexpected twists and turns along the way. Do not be discouraged if you cannot get on the road immediately or lose your way from time to time – everybody does!

How to get to know yourself?

How to know yourself? The first step to knowing yourself is to know your personality. Understanding who you are and how you interact with the world will help you better define your individual qualities, roles and behaviors.

There are different ways to know yourself: You can understand yourself by

1. Journaling
2. Solitude
3. Meditation
4. Self-reflection
5. Introspection
6. Self-awareness
7. Self-observation
8. Writing
9. self-inquiry
10. personal development

There are a number of personality tests that can help you determine your traits, such as the Big 5 Assessment (which measures openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism), or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (which assesses function preferences).

The second step is to understand your talents and interests. Think about what makes you happy — what activities do you find yourself doing most often?

What topics interest you the most?

What have other people told you that they think is one of your best qualities or skillsets?

By figuring out what things come naturally to you, it’s easier to gain confidence in being true to yourself in various situations (and still feeling comfortable).

Figure out what matters most to you in life by reflecting on both personal and professional experiences as well as recalling memories from childhood.

What were some of the biggest moments in life for which strong emotions were evoked? How did those events make us feel?

And more importantly — how does that make us feel now when we reflect on them? The answers will help determine our values for ourselves and others around us.

Related Article: How to stop overthinking?

10 Steps to get to know yourself

Here are 10 practical and effective steps to get to know yourself:

Step 1: Get quiet

The first step in getting to know yourself is to get quiet.

It’s a simple, yet powerful tool for getting in tune with your own inner voice. You see, we have three different parts to our brain: the reptilian brain at the base of our skull; the mammalian brain in the middle; and the frontal lobe, which is where our conscious, higher-level thinking takes place.

When you quiet down, you allow your parasympathetic nervous system to kick in and reboot your stress-fighting power, allowing you to get out of fight-or-flight mode.

In other words, when you make time for quiet contemplation on a regular basis—I recommend meditating at least 10 minutes every day—you connect more readily with your true self by getting out of your headspace and into a more intuitive state that allows you to tap into what it means to be YOU; an incredible human being who was born with incredible gifts just waiting to be revealed!

• Take a few minutes to focus on your breath. You can do this sitting or lying down, in meditation or in bed at night.

• Whenever you notice your mind wandering, bring it back to the task of just being aware of your breath.

• Don’t worry if you find yourself thinking! That’s not a problem—it’s just what happens naturally to everyone—the key is not to get caught up in the train of thought but to gently and kindly bring the mind back to focusing on the breath.

• Meditation is an awesome way for us to get quiet, but we don’t have to sit still with our eyes closed for ten minutes every day before we can truly be quiet or know ourselves.

We can find quiet anywhere: when we’re walking, exercising, driving alone in the car, or sitting out on our porch watching the world go by. The point is that when we make an effort to get quiet, we allow ourselves the space and time that is needed for us to hear our own voice amidst all of the others that clutter our lives

Step 2: Start a daily routine

The best step is to start a daily routine and be disciplined about it. The most important thing about this routine is that you have one at all. And more importantly, it should be your own routine, not something you’ve read online or in a book or been told by someone else to do.

We know routines might sound boring and dull. But they actually help you to get to know yourself better, and they can make your life more productive and enjoyable.

It’s good to try out different routines at first, until you find one that feels right for you. There are no rules here – it’s all about what suits you best. If a part of your routine isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to change it.

If you do adopt a routine, it is important to note that these are not rules that need rigidly following (although if this works for you then go ahead). Your routine should be flexible – one day your gym training might take longer than planned so use the extra time on an activity from another time of the week or in another day off!

People Also Read: How to build resilience, strength and be more resilient in life? (Complete Guide)

Step 3: Don’t get attached to the things around you

You are not your belongings. Things come and go, but who you truly are is what matters. If you want to get to know yourself on a deep level, get rid of the things that distract you from know who you really are.

When I say get rid of the things, I am talking about all those materialistic items that add no value to your life, but only cause clutter and stress in your life. Once we start becoming conscious of this fact, we stop being attached to our possessions or the people in our lives.

There are so many things in our daily lives that don’t define us but still affect us emotionally and mentally. When we allow ourselves to be affected by the things around us, we lose our identity.

Stop holding onto the unnecessary items or people in your life because they will make it incredibly hard for you to discover who you really are at the core of your being without any kind of attachments trapping your true self inside.

Step 4: Be grateful for what you have

Another thing that will help you know yourself is to be grateful for what you have. Being grateful is not just when you say, “Thank you,” after your friend gives you a gift and then put it in the closet. It is also about being thankful for what you have at this very moment.

Gratitude helps turn our attention toward all of the positive things in our life that we might otherwise overlook or take for granted. It leads us away from focusing on the negative aspects of our lives and allows us to see the bigger picture of how much we really do have.

Being humble can help your gratitude grow because humility means not feeling better than someone else, but accepting who we are and all of our limitations, imperfections, and faults. This can help us realize that others may struggle with more than us, which makes us more appreciative of what we have.

Love also helps with gratitude because when we love ourselves, others, and/or something else (like painting or music), then it helps us appreciate those things more as well as find enjoyment in them and make them part of who we are.

Step 5: Accept that nothing lasts, everything changes

Now that you’ve begun to get to know yourself, accept that nothing lasts and everything changes.

To be happy, we must also accept things as they are. We can’t control everything; in fact, we can only control what we do personally, not what others do or how others treat us. And even then there are many things we don’t have complete power over. Accepting this is the first step to accepting life’s many twists and turns.

Maybe you were late for work because of a traffic jam—something well beyond your control—and now you’re worried about getting fired because of it.

Or perhaps you’re waiting on a promotion at work but find out someone else got it instead. In these situations and countless more like them, it’s beneficial to practice saying “that’s life.”

There are so many things outside of our control that happen every day! Accepting this will help you stay calm and live a more peaceful life.

Suggested Reading: Healthy Habits: A simple lifestyle guide for successful, good, and healthy living

Step 6: Believe in the process to know yourself

Believe in the process to get to know yourself. The most important thing you can do for yourself during this process is to believe in it. Sure, knowing yourself is a long-term journey – but it’s one that’s worth taking. Knowing and understanding everything about yourself will open up new doors of opportunities. 

You’ll be able to make better decisions, live life more fully and authentically, and yes – even make friends more easily just by being your true self around others.

Being aware of all the possibilities and benefits of knowing yourself will help you want to stay committed to the process – as opposed to giving up on it out of frustration at not seeing results right away (which will happen if you don’t believe in the process).

Step 7: Endure pain and suffering; don’t run away from it

Suffering and pain are the most important things for self-knowledge. It helps you to realize the true nature of life. So, don’t run away from suffering and pain.

In fact, it is better if you endure suffering. So that you can achieve a great understanding of yourself.

• Endure pain and suffering; don’t run away from it

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Friedrich Nietzsche

You might have heard of this quote before, but do you really know what it means? It means that no matter how painful the experience is, if you don’t die from it, you will survive and your character will rise higher than ever. 

Every single person on this earth experiences pain at one point or another in their lives, but the most valuable life lessons we learn come from pain and suffering. You must learn to endure them and understand that they are temporary. 

About 80% of all feelings are negative because our brains are wired that way to keep us alert to danger. The other 20% is a mix of positive and neutral feelings so we can relax every now and then. 

So remember that when you feel sad or in pain, it’s natural for your brain to think negatively about it at first, but when you try enduring the feeling without running away form it (like by eating a whole chocolate cake), only then will you grow as an individual.

Step 8: Make peace with yourself

Now that you’ve learned about yourself, it’s time to make peace with what you know. This can be a tricky step if you find that who you are isn’t matching up with who you want to be. 

You may have to change some of your habits and beliefs if you want to achieve lasting growth and happiness. The key is to stay focused on the future and remember that growth is slow and steady.

This final stage of self-knowledge also requires spiritual awareness. It’s important to know what makes us feel whole, happy, fulfilled, and complete as human beings in order to make true peace with ourselves.

Step 9: Keep your body healthy, but don’t obsess over it

As much as you might like to think of your body and mind as separate entities, they are one in the same. Your physical body is an extension of your mental state, and so improves with good habits.

So what are these good habits? Well, anything that makes you feel healthy and invigorated contributes to getting to know yourself better. 

This could mean anything from yoga to a brisk walk around the block, or even something you enjoy doing more than exercise (like baking or playing with dogs). If you want someone else’s advice on how to work out, look no further than our guide on how to start exercising when you hate it.

Your body can also be a tool for self-discovery, as well as health itself: try a new kind of sport that requires coordination or strength; eat foods from different cultures and see which ones agree with your belly.

Learn about the strange things your body does and why by reading about sleep cycles or circadian rhythms. The more you know about yourself physically, the closer you’ll get towards knowing yourself mentally—and vice versa!

Step 10. Look inside yourself, not outside of you

We’ve all been guilty of searching for answers in the wrong places. We look outside of ourselves, to others and to the world, for validation, approval and clarity.

The truth is that you already have everything you need within yourself. You are the only one who can give yourself permission to be happy.

To find out who you are, what you want and how to achieve your dreams, look inside yourself and listen to your heart’s desire. Your inner wisdom will tell you what is true for your life.

Once you’ve taken the time to explore your inner world, and you have a clearer sense of what you want and what makes your soul sing, it’s time to look within for the answers.

The world outside is beautiful but distracting. How many times can you scroll through pictures on Instagram before suddenly feeling empty? Or like before you know it, hours have flown by? If there’s anything that 2020 has taught us all, it’s that the true beauty lies within ourselves.

I used to spend my days looking outside of myself for everything—for validation, for happiness, for peace—when I should have been looking inside all along. Only when we turn our attention inward can we find what we really need.

10 Ways to get to know yourself:

Here are 10 Best ways to get to know yourself:

1. Journaling

Journaling is one of the most popular ways to get to know yourself. It’s easy, inexpensive and can be done almost anywhere. There are many benefits to journaling, from self-discovery and emotional health, to improvement in memory and retention of information.

Starting a journal is simple—all you need is a pen or pencil and some paper. But there are plenty of niche journals that can help you dive deeper into your introspective journey as well. Whether it’s through prompts and questions or a specific format for tracking certain goals, find what works best for you! Here are some tips on how to start journaling:

• From apps like Day One, Journey and Penzu, to blank books like The Journal Shop Journals or Five Star notebooks at your local office supply store, there are plenty of options out there. Find something that will motivate you to keep writing!
• Start small with 10 minutes a day until writing becomes a part of your routine (or just dive right in!). If you have trouble getting started, try using prompts or picking up where you left off the last time you wrote in your journal.

2. Solitude

In order to know yourself, you need to spend time alone. That doesn’t mean sitting at home with your door slammed shut, or turning down invitations to social gatherings. Solitude is a healthy state of mind that allows you to learn more about yourself.

Solitude can help you understand your thoughts and feelings better. It gives you a chance to reflect on who you are and what you want in life. It also teaches self-love and self-compassion through the awareness of your own needs. In solitude, we turn inward, listen deeply, and nurture our souls.

3. Meditation

Meditation is the practice of mindfulness and concentration. It involves focusing on a particular object, thought, or activity to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. Meditation has been practiced in many cultures across the world for thousands of years.

You can practice meditation by finding a comfortable position where you will not be disturbed. Then, you focus your attention on an object or movement that helps steady your mind and to prevent it from wandering. When your thoughts begin to drift away, gently return your attention back to the object of focus.

This is easier said than done! Our minds are used to being busy all day long with thoughts that pop up and take us away from our present moment experiences. Meditation requires time and patience to calm down our busy minds. Start by meditating for 5 minutes at a time and gradually increase it as you get more comfortable with the practice.

Related: 25 Steps to become successful without getting lucky

4. Self-reflection

Self-reflection is the ability to take a step back and look at our lives, ourselves and our experiences from a higher perspective. It’s about looking back on what we’ve done and thought in order to decide how we want to improve ourselves.

Self-reflection is an important part of the personal development process, because we don’t learn or grow unless we reflect on our lives. 

When something happens to us, it affects how we think, feel and what behaviors we exhibit as a result. But it’s only through self reflection that we can truly understand the effect so that we can learn from it.

5. Introspection

Introspection means to think about yourself, your feelings and thoughts. When you do this, you can discover who you are and what makes you tick, which will lead to self-improvement and a better understanding of how to live a meaningful life.

The key is to understand your emotions, thoughts, behaviors and personality as they relate to your relationships with friends/family/co-workers, the decision-making process and your overall quality of life. 

This should always be done with an open mind that accepts new information without judgment or self criticism so that there is no pressure on yourself when looking at any aspect of who you are as an individual.

6. Self-awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to see yourself clearly, objectively and without bias. It’s a simple concept, yet one that everyone struggles with. Self-awareness is the act of knowing:

• What you are feeling at this moment
• How others perceive you
• How your actions impact others

Why is self-awareness so important? It helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses so you can build on these skills for personal growth. It can also help reduce stress and anxiety, which are common obstacles to mastering self-awareness.

Related Reading: How to calm down: A guide to calm anxiety and tips to relax your mind

7. Self-observation

The key to self-observation is to be able to catch yourself in the act of being. You have to stay awake, so you can observe your thoughts, feelings, and mental activities while they are happening. You must do this without judging or reacting.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you just had a conversation with someone and you feel a twinge of annoyance erupt in your chest. 

That slight tingling sensation of irritation may only last for a few seconds but that feeling may also linger for longer than it needs to if you aren’t careful—and in fact it probably will.

Self-observation involves using all your senses as well as stepping outside yourself regularly (and simultaneously) so that you can observe from different perspectives.

8. Writing

Writing is a powerful tool to get to know yourself better. It can be as simple as informal journalling or writing letters to yourself, or as organized and detailed as one of the journaling methods I wrote about in this post.

However you choose to do it, writing has many benefits. Writing can be a form of meditation. When you take some time out of your day for quiet reflection and simply write about what’s on your mind, it encourages you to slow down, relax and clear your thoughts – allowing you the space to think more clearly and deeply.

Writing can also help you process your emotions because when we write our thoughts down they tend to come out clearer than when we think them inside our heads. 

Thoughts often feel a lot more complicated in our heads because we don’t yet know how they fit together with each other yet – but when we articulate them on paper (or screen) then we can see what does and doesn’t make sense – which helps us understand ourselves and our emotions better.

By getting everything out onto paper (or screen) where it is visible and easier for us to digest, writing gives us clarity about ourselves. We begin seeing patterns in the way we think about things (and what those things are). 

This enables us not only understand ourselves better but also helps change perspectives that aren’t serving us well anymore, such as negative thinking patterns that are blocking our happiness & success in life

9. Self-inquiry

Self-inquiry is a very powerful way to get to know yourself. It’s not just about knowing facts about yourself, but also realizing who you are deep inside and what you really want from life. Self-inquiry can take many forms. For example:

Questions to get to know yourself:

• What am I feeling right now?

• What does this person/situation make me feel?

• How do my thoughts serve me in this situation? Do they help or hurt me?

• Am I being true to myself in the way I act, think and feel in this situation?

• What makes me angry/happy/proud of myself/etc.? As another example, ask yourself: “What do I want from my life partner (or career)?” A few minutes of self-inquiry might reveal that you want someone with a strong personality or someone who loves music as much as you do. When you’re clear on what you want, it’s much easier to find it.

10. personal development and self-care

When you’re focused on self-improvement and self-care, your life can get better in many different ways. You may find yourself with a more positive outlook and more motivation to do things that bring you pleasure. The process of discovering who you are can motivate further personal growth.

You have to know where you are before you can start working on making changes. Self-awareness is all about taking the time to go within and find out what’s going on in your head, in your heart and with how you’re living your life at the moment. 

Make sure that as an important part of getting to know yourself, you take the time to reflect on these questions and write down your answers so that they become real for yourself:

What makes me happy? What makes me sad? Who am I now? What do I want my life to look like? Where am I headed?

Also read: How to forgive yourself for something terrible and unforgivable? (5 Steps)

10 Best tips to on how to know yourself

The following are Best tips to get to know yourself:

1. Make a list of your traits

Most people do not realize how important values are in their life. We spend most of our lives chasing after things that our society has told us we need to chase and this process significantly takes away from our lives.

Values are the deepest emotional desires that you have. Values are inborn and unconditional, which means, you cannot change them. 

Goals on the other hand, can be changed because they are external determinants, which means you cannot control them fully. The first step towards understanding your values is to identify what your values are.

The second step is to analyze whether your actions align with your core values. If there is a mismatch between what you value and what you do, then it’s time for an adjustment of your current lifestyle so that it aligns with what you value most in life!

2. Learn to be mindful

Living in a world where we are used to having control of everything, it’s no wonder overthinking has become a common problem. 

The more you try to control things, the more likely you are to find yourself overthinking. You may think that planning and preparing for all possible outcomes will give you peace of mind or help prevent something bad from happening, but it can actually end up causing you more stress than necessary.

The good news is that there are lots of ways to reduce your risk of overthinking and gain better control over your thoughts:

• Overcome negative thinking patterns
• Practice mindfulness
• Stop worrying about things you can’t control
• Accept the uncertainty of life
• Spend time with others who have similar interests as yours

3. Listen to your intuition

• Listen to your intuition.

Intuition is a message sent from your higher self to guide you in the right direction, help you make the best choices in life, and keep you safe. It helps you avoid making bad decisions that might harm your mental, emotional and physical health.

The problem is that many people mistake their intuition for fear, which can lead them to do things they regret later on in life.

For example, when it comes to love relationships, people who have been hurt too many time often mistake their intuition for fear of getting hurt again and they push away someone who genuinely loves them because of it. 

Others may mistake their intuition as a warning sign telling them that there’s something wrong with the relationship when nothing could be further from the truth.

4. Quiet the negative thoughts

This involves changing the way you think about things. There’s no way to completely eliminate negative thoughts, because that’s a natural part of being human. But, you can learn to differentiate between your thoughts and reality.

• 1 Identify underlying negative thoughts

It’s important for you to identify the source of your negative thoughts so it can be challenged effectively. 

For example, if one of your goals is to lose weight, but you’re also telling yourself that “I’ll never be able to lose weight”, then this goal will probably not be achieved due to the lack of motivation caused by these types of statements. 

It’s important that you challenge these negative statements by asking yourself “is this helpful?” or “what is my evidence for this?” or even “why am I thinking this?” These questions help bring awareness in challenging assumptions and unhelpful thoughts.

• 2 Replace with positive ones

A positive self-image and confidence depend on what you say to yourself on a regular basis. By replacing unhelpful and irrational beliefs with helpful ones, your self-esteem will increase as your sense of worth becomes based on more realistic and less demanding standards for yourself and others

5. Embrace your uniqueness

The most important thing to do is be yourself, and this will come with confidence. You are a unique and wonderful person, so focus on your positive traits and have confidence in yourself. Don’t try to copy other people or be influenced by their opinions. 

The best way to know yourself is to not let others dictate who you are or who you should be. Be fine with being imperfect. Have the courage to follow your instincts even if it means making mistakes along the way!

6. Ask yourself one question every day and reflect on it.

Every morning when you wake up, set aside a few minutes and ask yourself the same question: “How to make today great?”

Answering this question will give you greater clarity on what your life is really about. It’s an opportunity to think about who you are and what’s important to you. 

You can use it as a compass to help guide your actions throughout the day. If something comes up that doesn’t align with your answer, ask yourself if it’s worth shifting or delaying your plans.

Asking this question every morning helps make room for meaningful changes in behavior over time, too. It may feel awkward at first, but once a habit has been formed, it will become second nature—and those little moments of reflection will have a big impact on how fulfilled you feel.

7. Talk to yourself as you would to a friend

Sometimes the mental dialogue we have with ourselves can be harsh and judgmental. We can be our own worst critic. This is a very unhelpful approach to take when it comes to getting to know yourself. You wouldn’t say such mean things to a friend, so why would you say them to yourself?

The key here is to talk to your inner self as if talking to a friend—with compassion, support and encouragement. Here are some examples of what you might say:

• “I believe in you and I know you can do this!”
• “It’s OK if you don’t always get it right. We all make mistakes sometimes—that’s how we learn!”

8. Do what you are passionate about

When you are doing what you love and being true to yourself, you are automatically happy. Do things that fulfill your life and your inner self. If you are a musician, go play at an open mic night. If you like writing, write articles that you hope people will read! If you like helping others, find ways to volunteer or do so professionally.

Being passionate about something is one of the best feelings in the world. It helps clarify who we are as unique individuals with unique interests and hobbies. But, not only is it important to recognize our passions but also put them into action. That’s right: do more of what makes us happy because it will only bring good things into our lives!

9. Recognize your values and live by them

Values are the standards and ideals you believe in and want to live by. They are what drive your actions and decisions, and they help to shape who you are. 

They can be defined as things you consider important, things that dictate how you want to live your life, or even just qualities that describe who you want to be. Values might include love, happiness, honesty, loyalty, hard work, integrity etc.

When you know your values, you have a compass that helps you navigate life. You’re less likely to be controlled by your emotions or by other people. And when you know what’s important to you, you can make better decisions and prioritize what’s right for you.

How do I know my values?

You can identify your values in many ways, but one of the most effective is simply to ask yourself questions like:

What do I stand for? What do I believe in? When I think about my life and what makes me happy, what matters to me most?

What are the things that truly inspire me? What are the things that make me feel alive and excited, the things that make me want to get out of bed in the morning?

If I were writing down my personal philosophy for living life, what would it look like?

• Ask yourself:
• What is really important to me? What do I stand for?
• What would I like my legacy to be?
• How do I envision my life in the future?
• Are there any values that I can think of that have influenced my decisions and choices a lot so far?

Recognizing your values will help you set goals for your future, decide on which direction is best for you to take in life, and prevent future disappointments.

10. Identify your priorities and focus on them until you know yourself completely

When you know your priorities, it becomes easier to say no to things that are attractive but not actually important. It also helps you stay focused on what really matters so you don’t end up wasting time and energy on things that just aren’t that important.

To start with, why not make a list of your top 5 priorities in life? 

What are the 5 things that matter most to you? They can be anything from spending time with family and friends to getting fit. Make sure they’re specific enough so they’re easily recognisable when they pop up in your day-to-day life.

Then make a note of how much time you spend working on these priorities each week. If one of them is a priority, then ideally it should be something you do every single day – time spent is irrelevant here because ultimately the more you practice something, the better at it you will become and at this point it will become much easier for you to prioritise this activity over other less important tasks or activities.

Pro Tip: It’s okay not to know everything about yourself right away, but try your best to learn more about you every day

Online tools to know yourself

“To get to know yourself, you’ll need a few key tools. The first is a personality test. There are plenty of free ones out there, like the one 

Here are some free online MBTI tests for you to try:

Jung personality test by 123Test

Typefinder personality test by Truity

16personalities

“Another great tool is an online quiz that measures your emotional intelligence:

Emotional intelligence quiz by the Institute for Health and Human Potential

Emotional intelligence test by psychology today

Test your emotional intelligence by greater good magazine

32 Tips on how to get to know yourself better

Here is a best list of tips on how to get to know yourself better:

1. Stop being judgmental.

2. Stand in front of a mirror and ask, who is that person?

3. Ask your family and friends what they think of you as a person.

4. Evaluate yourself by asking if you are happy with this person in the mirror?

5. Re-imagine your life by seeing yourself separate from the roles and responsibilities of your life.

6. Identify and monitor the changes that take place within you during different situations and at different times of the day.

7. Practice Yoga

8. Do Meditation

9. Absorb the nature, art and existence around you

10. Understand the human condition and view things from a god’s perception.

11. Overcome your ego.

12. Attain dispassion and self-control.

13. Realize your true nature.

14. Learn to listen to yourself.

15. Look at yourself without bias.

16. Determinate what is really important to you.

17. Learn how to think deeply.

18. Improve your concentration and starve distraction

19. Listen to the wisdom of others.

20. Realize that time passes away very fast and enjoy every minute of it.

21. You can know yourself better by getting in touch with the deepest part of your soul

22. You can learn about who you are by looking at other people, but only if you’re truly ready for it.

23. Begin with prayer, belief, hope and faith

24. Know that you are more than your body

25. Acknowledge the influence of your environment: Discover how others see you

26. Create a quiet space for self-examination.

27. Create happiness around you

28. Ask yourself some really hard questions.

29. Make a list of all your skills, talents, and strengths. And work on them

30. Becoming more aware of ourselves and others.

31. Work on your intellect and feelings.

32. Commit to yourself and the truth you believe in

Final thoughts:

Hopefully, you feel at least a little more confident in your self-knowledge and feel like you have tools to continue the process of self-discovery and understanding. Remember: knowing yourself is a lifelong process. 

However, the more you know yourself, the more you can be yourself! And being yourself is the key to happiness. 

So keep looking inside for answers instead of outside for praise or validation. The more you know about yourself, the easier it will be to act with intention from a place of integrity and in accordance with your own values.