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How do you go about ‘knowing yourself’? This article reveals six steps to explore. Aristotle famously said “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” But how do you go about the art of knowing who you are?

by Georgina El Morshdy The truth of who you are is one of the most beautiful things you can share with your friends, family, partner, and ultimately the world.  Often, we hold back our most authentic expression because we’re worried about being judged, rejected, or criticized. We hold our tongue, edit our words, or hide in the shadows.  The good news is that self-expression is an art and a practice. The more you do it, the more your confidence expands. The more you take risks, the braver you become. The more you let others see who’s behind the social mask, the more you see your unique beauty.  Discover how to cultivate the ability to express your true self with these five top tips.  1.Unleash your creative self  Self-expression is the art of taking what’s inside and putting it outside of yourself.  Elevating your creativity muscle can increase your ability to reveal yoru true self because creativity is self-expression.  Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Humans are inherently creative. It’s one of our greatest gifts. Unfortunately, our creativity gets shut down because of a need to fit in or look a certain way. We’ve all got stories of how our creativity was judged harshly. Because creativity is our essence, we CAN reactivate it. This 30-day Creativity Challenge can help. 2. Boost self-expression by writing out your thoughts first If you want to express your truth more authentically and frequently, your journal is your new best friend! Your journal is YOUR journal (I’m obsessed with the Scribe!) It’s a private place where you can explore your self-expression. No one needs to see what you’ve written, so you can dial up the bold and the brave and play around with ideas.  For example:  • Practice using different words. • Allow yourself to express difficult emotions without judging yourself. • Write poetry. • Reflect openly and honestly on experiences you’ve had. • Ask and answer deeper questions. • Take risks.  Turn to your journal when you want to be radically honest and experience the joy of seeing yourself -- minus the self-imposed censorship!  [If you want to dive deeper into the power of journaling as an activator of self-expression, check out this podcast episode.] 3. Give yourself permission.  Here’s a simple tip that’s often hard to implement because of the inner critic!  Fearless self-expression starts with a decision to show up as so.  Can you permit yourself to reveal more of your true self -- first to you, and then to the world?  It’s always your choice.  And, it’s a choice related to your relationship with fear.  In the words of Susan Jefferson, can you “feel the fear and do it anyway?” Can you experiment with your comfort zone and allow yourself to thrive in discomfort?  I bet you can :-)  4. Work on your emotional intelligence. We can elevate our ability to self-express when we expand our ability to identify and label the emotions we feel. Most of us feel comfortable expressing so-called ‘good’ emotions such as happiness, joy, and excitement. In comparison, we find it hard to express emotions such as anger, guilt, or sadness because these types of emotions make others feel uncomfortable! It’s why they get shut down and shut away. As you expand your language around the way you feel, you have a clearer understanding of who you are. For example, are you feeling sad? Or are really feeling empty, guilty, or inferior? Are you feeling happy? Or are you feeling proud, valued, or free? Learning to distinguish between the subtleties of different emotions elevates our creative expression. It expands who we are. It’s empowering. 5. Choose to heal the part of you that stays silent Many of us have experienced things that caused us to censor ourselves. We’ve all had experiences when we believed we didn’t matter. As a result, we shut down. We became shy. We grew more introverted. Maybe you were bullied, and you learned to survive by staying small. Maybe people said you talked too much, so you knew to hold your tongue. Perhaps people criticized you for being too bold with your opinions, so you learned to keep them to yourself. Experiences like these (many of which may have happened in childhood) helped create a belief system. For example: “People aren’t interested in what I have to say.” “It’s safer to suppress my true emotions.” “People expect me to put on a brave face.” Etc.  These beliefs then shape our thoughts, which influence our feelings, which determine our actions. In other words, the way we show up perpetuates a pattern that may have been formed decades ago.  Coaching, therapy, or even self-reflection in a journal can help you identify the old stories and limiting beliefs that suppress your self-expression. You can transform the beliefs that drive you, replacing them with ones that empower you.  It takes courage to do this work, but it can be life-changing for some people. Your self-expression is a gift The famous choreographer, Martha Graham said, ​​“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” Your authentic self-expression is a gift for you -- and a gift for the world.  Set it free, and it will set you free.  What can you do today to express the real you fully?

As a creative being, there’s an infinite well of ideas locked inside of you.
Keep reading to discover five powerful ways to free your mind and reconnect with your inner voice.

We’re the author of our own book of life. We hold the pen. While others can guide us, we always have a choice - to CHOOSE what we do next.

Your journal can be one of the best places to go to if you want to deepen your relationship with yourself.  Best of all, it’s such an accessible method!  All you need is pen and paper - and most importantly, the resilience and willingness to sit with yourself and whatever shows up long enough for you to extract what those blank pages are waiting to reveal.  Here’s why... #1. Know yourself  I believe this first point is THE most important point. After all, the relationship you have with yourself is the most important relationship in your life! Let’s unpack what that means… Building a successful relationship with someone implies a number of things, for example:  ● Showing love, care, and attention● Knowing who they are at deeper and deeper levels● Seeing who they are● Deepening the relationship so it can continue to evolve into its fullest potential To name just a few.  We know this stuff applies to our relationships with others.  But often, we don’t apply this same knowing to the way we interact with ourselves.  Imagine how your life could change if you could give yourself all the love you needed - rather than relying on external sources. Imagine the confidence that would evoke from inside of you. Imagine how you’d show up if you knew yourself deeply. If you knew your rough edges, your triggers, your values, your purpose - the multi-dimensions of you.  Imagine if you could see yourself for who you really are - instead of who you think you should be - and own that without fear of judgement or rejection.  Imagine if you remained ever-curious about what else is lurking under the surface.  Imagine the kind of life you could create if you took care of yourself… This is something your journal can help you do.  Inside your journal, you can explore your wants and needs.  You can work through your triggers in safety.  You can have the no-holds-barred conversations with yourself - so you can transform what’s waiting to shift.  In the process, you’ll know yourself at ever-deeper levels.  And of course, write your way to your best self 💕 #2. Make confident decisions This deeper knowing of who you are is just the tip of the iceberg.  So much more becomes possible when you can truly meet yourself.  For example, when you know yourself you not only make better decisions, but you make decisions that are aligned with what you really want and what’s most important to you.  In the absence of self-awareness, you risk making decisions based on what other people want of you or expect you to do. When you’re unsure of yourself, it’s easy to be swayed by other people’s logic or arguments.  And that’s dangerous… There’s a part of you that knows EXACTLY what you want.  There’s a part of you that knows what you don’t want too!  Sometimes, what we do want goes against the grain. It doesn’t make sense! It confuses the people closest to you - to the extent that you might be dissuaded to go in the direction your heart’s calling.  Journaling can help you get the clarity you need to choose what’s right for you.  In turn, you can continue walking along the path of your choice - which is also the path of your best self.  #3. Learn lessons faster ‘You’ are the essence you bring to every aspect of your life - in other words, how something turns out is deeply dependent on you.   This applies to everything… Your personal relationships  Your work Your impact Your confidence etc.  Through journaling, you get to shine the light on who you really are. You get to analyse the way you show up and the way you move through both challenges and triumphs. You get to question your instinctive responses and review the way you react when you’re triggered.  Instead of running on autopilot, journaling brings more and more of who you are to your conscious awareness… And that’s powerful.  Through analysing your behaviors, fears, feelings, conversations, life experiences etc. you get to see the lessons life wants to teach you - faster and in more detail. This awareness can help you compress time - because you’re ‘on it!’  In turn, it’s easier to get out of your own way AND uplevel yourself. #4. Inspire self-expression I believe one of our greatest desires is to be seen and heard for who we really are.  There’s something empowering about unapologetic, authentic, self-expression. I’m talking about the type of expression where you’re not hiding or playing down parts of your being. The type of self-expression where you’re grounded and confident in who you are.  Showing yourself is incredible for the presence and confidence. And your journal is a great place to explore and discover more and more things about yourself that you want to reveal to the outside world.  That’s the power of your journal… It’s a safe place to experiment with your words and actions before you step up to be seen.  #5. Track how you’re growing While drastic, overnight shifts do happen, most of us grow and evolve gradually.  This is the power of taking consistent daily action in your chosen direction.  You don’t notice the baby steps as you take them.  It’s only when you look back 3 months, 12, months, 5 years down the line that you realise how much things have changed for you…  And not just in the outside world… But your inside world too.  Journaling is a great way to monitor how things are shifting for you.  As you journal, you’ll notice how your mindset changes.  You’ll notice that certain fears don’t bother you anymore.  You’ll see that certain triggers are now a non-issue.  You’ll notice your confidence and self-esteem shift…  To name just a few…  Being able to track and even measure your own evolution is great inspiration on those days when you’re frustrated or demotivated.  Sometimes we forget that there are TWO gaps in life… The one in front of you  AND the one behind you.  Your journal helps you see just how far you’ve come - and as you bask in the pleasure of your success, progress, and growth, you’ll feel that little bit more inspired to keep going. 💕 It always amazes me just how powerful journaling can be! As you’ve read in this article,, there are some profound life-changing benefits to be had from committing to this simple practice.  All that growth is possible just by putting pen to paper in a blank notebook - and committing to evolving your relationship with yourself.  So go there!  Dive in.  And write your way to your best self. 

Did you know that questions help level up your life? How, you ask? Read on!

When you read a motivational quote, you get to borrow someone else’s wisdom. You get to step into a different mindset or perspective - even if the moment is fleeting. But sometimes it’s just enough to turn the wheels of change in your favor… because change can happen in a micro moment, fuelled by:   • A new choice. • An inspiring goal. • An empowering conversation… The smallest nudge can ignite something new and push open the door to a new chapter of life.  Which is why inspirational quotes are so powerful.  We curated this collection of 50 quotes to speak to your best self and spark something new inside of you.  See which one speaks to you today - and let the energy of success fuel you in the most beautiful of ways.  "The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same."  — Colin R. Davis "Opportunities don't happen. You create them."  — Chris Grosse “Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”  — Harriet Beecher Stowe "Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don't wish it were easier; wish you were better."  — Jim Rohn “Make your life a masterpiece; imagine no limitations on what you can be, have or do.”  — Brian Tracy "Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion."  — Tony Hsieh "Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that's where you will find success."  — Thomas J. Watson “We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.”  — Alan Watts "The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do."  — Steve Jobs "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."  — Thomas Edison "All progress takes place outside the comfort zone."  — Michael John Bobak "If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time."  — Steve Jobs "You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it."  — Oprah Winfrey "There is a powerful driving force inside every human being that, once unleashed, can make any vision, dream, or desire a reality."  — Anthony Robbins “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  — Maya Angelou "Success isn't just about what you accomplish in your life; it's about what you inspire others to do.”  — Unknown "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."  — Mark Twain “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”  — Mae West “Do one thing every day that scares you.”  — Eleanor Roosevelt  “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.”  — Sara Blakely  “A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.” — Madonna “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” — Amelia Earhart. “You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.” — Indira Gandhi “You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.” — Barbara De Angelis “Nothing is impossible; the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” — Audrey Hepburn “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” — Helen Keller “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” — Coco Chanel "If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”  — Roald Dahl  “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”  — Mahatma Gandhi "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."  — Jane Goodall "One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again."  — Abraham Maslow "The swiftest way to triple your success is to double your investment in personal development." -- Robin Sharma "Don't go through life, grow through life."  — Eric Butterworth "We can't become what we need to be by remaining what we are."  — Oprah Winfrey "Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are."  — Bernice Johnson Reagon "What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do."  — Ralph Waldo Emerson "Recognizing that you are not where you want to be is a starting point to begin changing your life."  — Deborah Day "Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure."  — Paulo Coelho "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."  — Maya Angelou "We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started." — Henry Ward Beecher "Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong."  — Ella Fitzgerald "You are the one that possesses the keys to your being. You carry the passport to your own happiness."  — Diane von Furstenberg "It is never too late to be who you might have been."  — George Eliot "When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful."  — Malala Yousafzai "The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential...these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."  — Confucius "We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it."  — Rick Warren "Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it's holy ground. There's no greater investment."  — Stephen Covey "Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else."  — Les Brown "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."  — Warren Buffett “The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.”  — Henry Ward Beecher We never know what circumstances we’ll face. We can’t know for sure what decisions we’ll be invited to make today. We don’t know what a chance meeting or unexpected experience can open up.  All we know for sure is that today holds the potential to change and transform things for the better - if you’re willing to bet on yourself and step out of your comfort zone.  Which of these quotes will inspire you to think bigger and achieve more while you enjoy today?  You’ve got this!    Other quote articles you might like… 15 Quotes About Forgiveness That Can Set You Free 40 Intimacy Quotes That Will Leave You Feeling More Connected 18 Entrepreneur Quotes To Keep You Motivated 10 Mindfulness Quotes To Improve Happiness & Eliminate Stress 52 Gratitude Quotes That Inspire An Attitude Of Gratitude

By Georgina El Morshdy Creativity is the art of producing something new through innovation and imagination. Through thinking, play, and connecting things in novel ways, something new is formed.  It’s a powerful experience…  And one that helps us grow and evolve as a species - as well as empowering us to make our unique mark on the world as we choose to be our best selves.   As Edward de Bono - a Maltese philosopher, psychologist, and author who coined the term lateral thinking - said “There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.”  This leads us to a critical question… How do you cultivate curiosity and use it to craft your best life?  Here are three ways that work… 1. Be expectant of incredible ideas How many times have you had a great idea, only to lose it again in the flurry of life?  The fact is, creativity isn’t always convenient! It doesn’t always show up when you crave it. You can’t force it, and it will surprise you.  Who else has had ideas in the shower, when you’re out on a walk, or when you’re sitting doing nothing!  You can unlock creativity when you see yourself as a creative person.  Allow yourself to own that label - and then intentionally create an environment that proves you’re right. For example, create space for ideas and innovation by scheduling time for uninterrupted thinking and exploration.  In addition, carry a notebook with you.   [Here are 20 different ways to use your notebook.] With a notebook in hand, you won’t lose thoughts when they show up. Instead, you can let your notebook be an external brain that keeps the ideas safe - for when they’re needed.  But that’s not all… When you write down an idea, you can explore it in detail. You get to unravel it - to see where it goes. You don’t get left with the surface level thought, but you can dig into the details and depths; then magic happens.  Maya Angelou said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”  Just because you’ve had one great idea doesn’t mean you won’t have another! In fact, the more you trust in your thoughts, the more you’ll have because the more confident you’ll be that something incredible will show up.  2. Get yourself inspired Creativity often follows inspiration.  This is why it’s powerful to surround and immerse yourself with things that light you up and fuel a line of thinking that has the potential to go somewhere.  With this in mind, get to know what switches you on - and make it a habit to give yourself this inspiration as often as you can. For example:  ● Spend more time in nature and learn from the natural world. ● Visit new places and explore new environments - let the adventure open something up.● Listen to podcasts that challenge you and elevate the way you feel. ● Watch TED talks and similar videos that leave you with fresh insights and new dots to connect. ● Read poetry, read books, listen to music that takes you into your body and changes the way you feel.  On the flipside, turn off external influences that make you feel bad. Be intentional about your choice of media diet. As much as possible, create a feeling of possibility - and see what difference that makes to your creative flow.  Finally, remember that inspired people have inspired thoughts.  And the power to inspire yourself is something you can access and switch on - whenever you choose.  Master this skill.  3. Listen to yourself We’re living in an age of information abundance. We’ve never had access to so much knowledge so effortlessly and quickly.  Virtually everything you could want to know is available with a few clicks.  Which makes these times incredibly powerful. And while you’ll find plenty of answers outside of yourself, don’t lose sight of the unique source of inspiration that only you can access.  YOU.  As an individual, you have a unique perspective on life.  You walk with a unique body of knowledge and wisdom because of the life you’ve lived - because of what your experiences and choices have taught you about life.  I like to call this the Lens of YOU.  And it’s through this lens that you can access, unlock, and unleash a style and flavor of creativity that’s uniquely yours.  This is where practices such as journaling and meaningful conversations can add so much value.  The more you cultivate self-awareness, the more you’ll capture and work with the wisdom that is yours.  And who knows what you’ll envision and create from this perspective.  Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul." What will you choose to create next?