Take A Good Look At Yourself

Self-analysis is probably one of the traits I view as the most admirable and respectable in other people. I’ve always tried to develop and foster it in myself, with some moderate success. I want to talk about why I think it’s so valuable and give some reasons you might want to spend more time actively focusing on it.

It helps you take responsibility.

Conflict is a mandatory part of life, unfortunately. People are bound to clash and find reasons to disagree. Some of the worst parts of conflict are the aggressive remarks shared between two people that are both entirely convinced they are correct. This is where hurt feelings fly and people dig down into their viewpoints. In these sorts of situations, often two sides of a story appear. The only way to sort through two conflicting versions of reality is being genuinely, brutally honest with yourself about what actually happened. If anything you hear from another person seems to strike a chord and remind you of a pattern you know you have, then maybe it’s worth considering they might be partially right.

Taking responsibility for your life is incredibly empowering, but the only way to do it is through a genuine understanding of how you’re impacting your life and the people around you. Self-analysis is a tool to realise the impact you’re having on others. It’s different from anxiety in that it’s based in reality, it’s honest, and it’s not judgemental. To be truly upfront with yourself about your strengths and your flaws is a big deal, and that’s why it’s such an admirable quality.

It helps you to improve.

Whether it’s a career, relationships, fitness, finances or any other aspect of life, we all want to improve ourselves. Developing strengths and skills over time enhances your life tremendously, but those roads to mastery are often fraught with self-doubt. My weight loss journey was one of body dysmorphia and constantly telling myself that it wasn’t working. I wanted to quit more than I wanted to stay the course. The only reason I ever had a chance of succeeding was to take a good long look at myself and recognise why I wanted to quit. I wanted to be comfortable, to dive back into binge eating, to resolve other stresses in my life. It had nothing to do with my weight or my diet, it was simply my emotions lashing out and trying to get me to do something I’d regret.

I was honest with myself, saw what I was doing and why, and that realisation let me shake off the temptations and make firm progress towards what I truly wanted in life.

It boosts your confidence.

When you know yourself, and I mean really know yourself, it’s downright life-changing. Other people can no longer affect you in the same way. Anxiety starts to have less of an effect. Self-doubt flees in the face of your unshakeable knowledge about who you are, what you can do, and the reality of your situation. This can only be developed over time through knowledge, through understanding yourself, and through applying a critical eye to your habits, your flaws and your strengths.

While it might sound like a bit of a pipe dream to feel that way about yourself, it truly is worth pursuing. The barrier to entry is just being able to be honest with yourself. Learn to accept genuine self-criticism without judgement, find the balance between positive and negative reinforcement, and I promise, you’ll find yourself in a state of confident equilibrium

Self analysis isn’t a magic bullet. It’s not painfree, it’s not easy, and it isn’t comfortable. But it is the solution to a lot of common problems that we today face. Get through the struggle, accept yourself for who you actually are, and be shocked at the things you find along the way.

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