How Well Do You Know Yourself?

It’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately. A year ago I would have said ‘ Hello, my name is Emily and I’m a nurse.’ Now, I’ve been asking the question more deeply – what do I like to do, what annoys me, what gets me going and what are my goals!

I feel I’m at the very beginning of a journey to becoming more self aware.

Self awareness is described as conscious knowledge of one’s own feelings and character. I never really contemplated this before I heard the wonderful Greta Westwood speak about leadership and how it is important to know yourself.

So, how do you get to know yourself?

Some people ask others, some reflect and there are also formal tools such as the Myer Briggs test designed to figure out what kind of a person you are. I completed this test and for anyone who is interested – I’m an ENTJ. You can read  about the Myer and Briggs personality test here.

After receiving the results, it made me realise how little I knew myself.  Am I extroverted? I feel like an introvert. I love nothing more than reflecting and my mind often has a million thoughts going at once. Sure I’ve always known I’m a bit quirky and I love people but I’ve always felt introverted. I read this 6 page report about myself and felt somewhat confused.

I decided to reflect day to day on how I reacted to certain situations. For example, recognising when I felt stressed and understanding what it was about that situation that made me stressed. Unfairness and people being unkind upsets me. I get frustrated when people don’t listen and treat people with a lack of respect.

What makes me happy? I love to learn. I know I’m happy in the bath. I love a good bath, bubbles and music that I sing my heart out to. I love long walks on sunny days with my dog. I love to be out in the garden and watch the plants grow and eating products from my veg patch. I also love a pub quiz!

So that’s a little snippet about me and my journey to understanding who I am and my journey to becoming more self aware.

My question to you is… How well do you know yourself?