Self-knowledge: A Difficult Path Filled With Satisfaction

On the pronaus of the temple of Apollo at Delphi, the inscription Gnothi Senitor was read, which literally means “know thyself”. A profound message about self-knowledge that has survived over time and that we can find in a large number of works by Greek authors, although it is true that its greatest diffusion belongs to Plato, who included it in his dialogues.

Self-knowledge is the basis and the door that leads us to the path of self-realization. It is a reflective process through which we know ourselves over time and which allows us to be aware of our inherent range of defects, virtues, and all the qualities present in each of these extremes.

What is the use of knowing yourself?

Knowing yourself is the starting point for making decisions aimed at improving our well-being and overcoming us day after day. Because those who know each other know what makes them happy, what their needs are and how far they can go. All of this influences self-esteem and the capacity for self-control.

Self-knowledge also influences knowledge of one’s rights, duties and responsibilities. In some ways, it provides a broader and more sincere view of yourself, which implies the opportunity to strengthen your self-love if it is weakened.

However, one of the most important aspects is that knowing yourself involves less impulsiveness and greater awareness of feelings, thoughts and actions. In some way, it influences because it leads us to consider the consequences of our actions, as well as everything we experience.

How do you get to self-knowledge?

People, in general, tend to think that they know themselves well, that they really know who they are, but the truth is, that’s not always the case.

Getting to know yourself is not a simple task and it may take years or even we may never get to know each other completely. In fact, experiences change us. We are not the same now compared to those people a few years ago, just as we will not be the same in the future.

So the first requirement for getting to know each other is being honest with ourselves. To do this, we have to free ourselves from the traps of self-deception and the mechanisms we use to protect ourselves from time to time. It is about developing a deep analytical capacity and trying to question our essence, which goes far beyond what we believe we are.

Phases of the self-knowledge process

• Self-awareness: means the passive, albeit realistic and intimate, observation of our being.
• Self-observation: it is about analyzing our actions and our behavior in order to understand the reason for our behavior.
• Autobiographical memory: it is about reviewing the set of memories and experiences lived throughout our life. That way, it will be easier to remember what happened in our past, at specific times and places.

• Self-esteem: this phase coincides with the analysis of self-esteem, with the way we value ourselves and how we despise ourselves. Somehow, knowing yourself gives us a map of how much we like ourselves, which may indicate whether it’s necessary to have more love for ourselves.
• Self-concept: is the set of characteristics that form the image of oneself, which was generated through value judgments.
• Self-acceptance: after the previous phases, in which reflection on one’s existence and feelings takes place, it is time to accept oneself, to look in the mirror and recognize oneself as oneself. Only in this way will the cycle of maturation and self-knowledge come to an end.

On the other hand, asking yourself about important and significant questions can help us to walk the path of self-knowledge. For example, “who am I?” or “what are my goals and objectives?”. These are important questions that give us information about ourselves.

Practicing mindfulness is also a good tool, as through this exercise we can reach states of calm and serenity in which we can go deeper into ourselves.

As we see, knowing yourself is not easy. Questioning ourselves in our depths and accepting everything we are takes time, effort and, above all, sincerity. Aspects that not all people are willing to take on, but if they do, they will undertake one of the most fascinating journeys.