"How much do you know yourself?"

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

I remember this famous quotation of Aristotle as I read the fourth Chapter of the book True North Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George and Peter Sims, entitled ‘Knowing Your Authentic Self’. Indeed, it is true that if you have the full understanding of who you are, you can make good decisions in life. Also, you should be able to understand yourself so that you can understand others.[1]

Inside the Academy, we have been constantly reminded not just to memorize but to internalize the 11 leadership principles. The first principle among these is ‘Know yourself and seek self-improvement’. It is important to know oneself because you will be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses. If you are aware of the things you are good at and the things you are bad at, then you will be able to know what is the best thing that you can do in a certain situation.

Truly, self-awareness brings positivity within ourselves. When we are aware of our own feelings, we are able to understand why we behave in a particular way. Also, it helps us become better decision-makers and it develops our self-control over the things that happen in our lives.

Moreover, knowing oneself is indeed a vital key for a good leadership. By doing this, we are able to find our purpose and motivation to continue doing so. It is enumerated in the book the reasons why self-awareness is important. It includes the following: finding the right role, increasing self-confidence, being consistent, connecting with others, and complementary skills. All of these are needed when we build our leadership skills. Hence, we must start by having self-awareness.

Indeed, it will never be an easy process. Discovering ourselves does not just happen in a blink of an eye. It takes time. Sometimes, you have to go through many challenges to know your authentic self. There will come a time that problems you encounter will test your ego. Sometimes, you just really need to accept it to know yourself more. Sometimes, you need to be hurt first before you realize what you are capable of- physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. As they say, to grow yourself, you must know yourself.

Now, let me ask you a question, how much do you know yourself?

Reference:

[1]True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership - Bill George - Google Books