Invest in self-discovery. It will help you envision a better tomorrow and blaze a path to achieve what you truly desire.
How much time do you invest in yourself? Do you actually make it a priority to evaluate:
- What makes you happy?
- What could change to help you achieve that goal?
- What are the obstacles that are getting in the way?
- What’s missing from your life and your career?
- How has your past influenced this?
- Do you regret any past decisions that you’ve made? If yes, what have you learned from them?
- Have any past decisions helped you move closer to your goal? How and why?
- What makes you anxious?
- What makes you relax and feel content and comfortable?
- What inspires you to do more and expand your comfort zone?
- What makes you feel valued?
- What’s needed to grow your career?
- What actions need to occur to address development opportunities?
The Collins Dictionary defines self-discovery as:
becoming aware of one’s true potential, character, motives, etc.
The Merriman-Webster Dictionary defines it as:
the act or process of achieving self-knowledge.
Growing self-knowledge requires energy, courage, honesty, and commitment. It also requires addressing the “why” behind our thoughts, words, actions, behaviors, and emotions. This can be difficult and challenging for many of us but is essential if we want to realize our full potential.
Musician Kevin Abstract says that “self-discovery is an ongoing thing”. We agree! It’s not a point in time situation, but a particular event may be what gets us started. We always say learning is to be continual and that leadership (like learning) is a process, not an event. That’s why we call many of our programs “Journeys” – they are roadmaps that have no end!
As leaders we generally help others with self-discovery but don’t do the same for us. Why is that? It’s time we “blaze a path to achieve what we truly desire”. In the words of Nike: “Just Do It”!
And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?
― Rumi