Self-Introspection, Nothing Without it!

Am I taking anything for granted? Am I taking my relationships seriously? Am I respecting the time I have? What matters most in my life? Why do I matter? What do I need to change about myself? Who all are continuously having an impact in my life? What do I have to fall back to? Have I considered what enough for me is? Who am I?…

Above are some of the questions that are so easy at the surface… but ask sages, philosophers, people, in general, who’ve made something of themselves, and you’ll know that these questions are life itself! Solving them, solves the mystery of life, gives the power in your hands and makes you the ultimate human that the sacred transcripts all over the world describe. Though the simple literal meaning of the word as per Wiki is the examination of one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings, the results of the same are prodigious. The task, though, is not as easy as it seems… The first problem is isolation, it is very difficult for some of us to manage this, or take time out. Some aren’t independent enough while some just don’t have the time. The other issue is memory, the problem is, it is really different to recollect all the events, happenings that were worthy of some reflection. Perspective is an inherent issue, as the whole process is just you. Figuring out how to analyse different events and what to take from them is difficult, specially, with no one to teach you! Moreover, the process is mostly based on subjective feelings and the progress is difficult to scale.

Now each process has sort of a perfect way about it… Following are some steps that might help set you on your own ideal path:

• Create your ‘quite space’ For some it might be a simple walk in the park, some might need a desk and sheets of paper… find your own way.
• Ask deep, open-ended questions What do you really want in life? Do you really love that person? What are the values you’ll never forego?
• Don’t take sides While recalling an event, an argument or a situation, see it as none of it matters to you at all, a complete third party!
• Repeat Do it time and again, revisit the answers, re-revisit the reflections.

The above points, along with a little ‘self reflection’ (see, how important it is :P) will lead to a perfect model for your personal growth, making you a better human with a better chance of accomplishing his goals.

Alongside constant improvement, the process has a lot of benefits if performed regularly and honestly…

• Strengthening emotional intelligence: the self introspection builds two of the very important aspects of emotional intelligence, self-awareness and self-regulation, these go a long way in helping you understand your strengths, weaknesses, values and goals.
• Integrity development: thinking about your core values, setting limits that you won’t cross, setting properties, sets your integrity as a person.
• Confidence: we all know how important this is, but when you have such a great person to discuss things(you), argue, counter argue, discuss and set things according to the discussion, it will boost your confidence.