When you look at yourself in the mirror each morning, who is that you are looking at? Think about how people describe you, are you a mother, father, brother, sister or best friend? Are you a colleague, a sportsman, a cricketer, a traveler? What do you do each day? Do you cook and clean? All of these things add to your identity. Your identity enables people to label you and together each label along with your feelings, emotions and the journey you have been on make you who you are today.

So firstly, if you want to know yourself better, write down who you are in relation to other people. Then write down what you do each day, this list will then enable you to expand on who you are. For example you may not think of yourself as a typist but if you type all day you are. Now,if you have done this right you will have a huge list of titles or names about who you are. Now write down all the good things you have done and all the things you like. You may not think of yourself as a chocoholic but if you like chocolate and eat it a lot then perhaps you are! OK, so now you have a list of who you are, what you like and all the good things you have done. You are looking pretty good aren't you!

Now that you know part of who you are you can do more to really know yourself better. Start thinking about how you react in different situations, think of your good and bad qualities. Have you ever asked yourself why you react that way? Think about your life and family, think of the situations you have been in and how you have learnt from those experiences and become who you are today. Perhaps your mother was shy or your father abusive, how did that feel, what did you learn from it. What about your religion or culture? What have you learned through your various education and employment?

Each of us travel on our own personal journey and along that journey we gain identities. Together your journey, your look, your feelings and experiences make you who you are today. Have you ever written something and read it years later? I have and had forgotten I was that person but reading it reminded me why I am this person. If you want to know yourself better, keep a diary and write down your experiences and feelings, after a month or so read it again. Sometimes we forget what we have done or who we are to people but if you look back on your life you will understand why you are the person you are today and you will get to know yourself better. Be aware of your good and bad qualities, we all have them just know that our perceptions of good and bad are different.

Our lives are like a living story book, if someone was to read it they would know you better.

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