self discovery: what it is + why it is important…
About five years ago, I came to the realization that I wasn’t sure what made me happy, what I wanted, or who I truly was. I was just going through my days being who I thought other people wanted me to be and doing things that others expected of me. I was completely ignoring what I wanted + needed and was living for others, completely neglecting myself in the process.
Living in this mindset of people pleasing and self neglect was so depleting and unhealthy for me. I was feeling run down, resentful, and just plain mad at the world. After 30 years of self neglect that led to severe anxiety, multiple episodes of burnout, extremely low self worth, and two auto immune diagnosis’s. I started to learn the power of self connection that helped me step into my power and find a deep inner knowing that helps me show up for myself in the best way possible. Once I started to learn what I was needing and giving that to myself, I felt like a whole new version of myself was born and in all honesty that is probably very true.
Finding the right ways to support, nurture, and show up for myself has truly changed my life in so many positive and impactful ways. I now live my life from a place of deep inner connection, trust, and knowing that has led to a more fulfilled and joyful life and would love nothing more than to help you do the same.
Let’s dive into what self discovery is and how it can benefit you.
What is self discovery?
Self discovery is when you start to gain insight into who you truly are, understand and develop your core values + strengths, and envelope your true essence.
what does self discovery + stepping into who you truly are look like?
Becoming completely self aware- Learning who you truly are will involve taking a look at what you have been through, how it has affected you, and what you may want to change in your life.
Accepting who you are- Self acceptance is the cornerstone to truly understanding yourself and vital to your self discovery journey. In order to become the person you want to be, you have to accept and acknowledge who you already are.
Trusting yourself to make + execute decisions - listening to your gut and what your best judgment is telling you is paramount to being empowered and knowing who you are. Listening to YOURSELF and trusting that you can properly execute your decisions is extremely important.
Leaning into your strengths + improving on your weaknesses - when you can recognize your strengths, you are more likely to succeed in those areas thus feeling more powerful. On the flip side, when you can spot areas you need to improve in, you are more likely to develop them. When you are improving any area of your life, it can really improve your self esteem.
Being motivated to learn - learning new things can be a super empowering practice. The saying “knowledge is power” is true, especially when it comes to self-love, discovery, and empowerment.
Putting up boundaries + protecting your peace - the most important thing you can do when stepping into your power and nurturing self development is developing boundaries that protect the life that you have and the on you are trying to create. You do not want to give your energy to places, people, or commitments that do not support you and what you are trying to achieve.
Understanding what works for YOU- it is important to understand what practices, advice, and strategies work for YOU. Starting to know who you are, what you need, and what you desire will help you better understand what will work for YOU. You are your own unique person and only YOU will truly know what is beneficial for you.
Finding activities that make you feel strong + powerful- leaning into activities that bring you a sense of power and strength can propel you to a new level of inner power. When you gain confidence in an activity that makes you feel unbelievably strong, you gain the self-assuredness to believe you can do anything!
Making decisions that benefit your best interests- a lot of the time, if you are not fully empowered you may be making decisions that benefit others more so than yourself. People pleasing is the opposite of empowerment. Looking within and trusting yourself to make decisions that benefit YOU is extremely vital to self empowerment.
Benefits of discovering your truest self:
The ability to change the course of your life
Have the belief in yourself to fully take control of your life
Boosts confidence + self esteem
Make the best decisions for yourself
Allows you to be open to develop personally and professionally
Increases positivity
Goals are easier to achieve
You realize what you have capacity and space for in your life.
how to start your self discovery journey:
I believe that there are 6 foundational stages to truly step into your truest self and know who you truly are.
Self-Awareness + Inventory - Taking an inventory of your life and self is essential to becoming empowered. You become aware of what has been holding you back in life and work through fear, self-criticism, and fears.
Self-Acceptance + Release - Accepting yourself and learning how to forgive yourself is such a freeing and necessary step in your empowerment journey.
Self-Vision + Identity - Becoming empowered means stepping into the best version of yourself. In order to do this, you need to anchor in to what that version of yourself looks like.
Self-Confidence + Trust - In order to show up as your best-self, you need to develop the confidence and trust within yourself to do so by creating the habits and routines of your best self.
Self-Love + Boundaries - Developing an unshakable self-love and strong boundaries are extremely essential to become truly empowered.
Self-Accountability + Care - Setting up accountability practices and routines to continuously show up for your self and help you achieve your goals.
Where to go from here:
Taking control of your life and being your biggest advocate is what I believe to be the whole reason for self discovery. Embracing your inner power to advocate for yourself is the biggest gift you can give yourself. My goal here is to help you do the work and build the habits/practices to step into your truest and most authentic version of yourself.
I have developed the Self Acceptance Pathway to help you do just that. The pathway is a collection of 6 self paced workbooks that will walk you through each of step of becoming unshakably secure within yourself. You can check it out HERE.
I have also developed several FREE resources for you to start your journey, feel free to check them out HERE.
XO,
Megan
