Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom
Think once, in this age of digitalisation and social media, where we all want to know about other’s life and pass judgements to others act, how often do you evaluate ourself? Here the question arises, which one would make our lives better and happier: Judging others or judging and improving ourselves?
Centuries ago, Aristotle coined the phrase ‘Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom, which seems to be absolutely correct in today’s world too. We are so busy in evaluating everybody else that we sometimes forget to peep into our own self. The fact is happiest person are those who are evaluating and improving their own self and the unhappy people are those who usually indulged in evaluating and judging others.
Everything starts from within. To make any change or even an improvement, one must know themselves. However, here self-evaluation does not mean comparing ourselves to others. Never be afraid to accept that everyone is different, everyone has their own unique abilities, and each person is unique in their own way.
The idea of self-evaluation is to find out what can be improved in order to make improvements or changes. However, be cautious when judging yourself; use the same criteria that you would use when judging others. Being honest with yourself is one of the greatest virtues, which opens up the possibility of further refinement and development of true wisdom in you.
Every success starts with a look inside. We all travel a path of self-awareness. At some point, each of us faces the mirror of our soul. We find clues in our thoughts and feelings. This journey is the seed of true wisdom and growth.
Knowing yourself brings clarity. It clears the fog that clouds your decisions. In every challenge, self-awareness becomes your anchor. It inspires you to move forward with clear intent. It turns confusion into purpose and doubt into strong will. The more you understand your inner self, the more you can help others. This is more than a personal task it is a seed for community success and deeper connections. Each insight shapes your path forward. The journey of self-knowing makes you a better leader, friend, and professional. It can also imply a journey towards connecting with a higher power or a deeper sense of purpose.
Once Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Everything starts with yourself, with you making up your mind about what you are going to do with your life.” The quote emphasizes our mind is what drives us to think about something or to act on it. Our own actions are largely influenced by what we feed it and turn directly impacts our end results. It will help you to be productive if you train it to drive positive results, and it will serve the opposite purpose when used towards negativity or distraction.
Our action is a powerful reminder of our individual responsibility and agency. It encourages us to be mindful of our choices, to focus our attention on what matters most, and to live in a way that is consistent with our values and the needs of the world. In it’s true manner, we are not mere puppets of fate, but rather active participants in our own lives, with the power to influence our outcomes.
Knowledge is power and self-knowledge is the supreme power that leads to successful emotional management. Sardar Patel, first Home Minister of independent India is recognized for his emotional intelligence, which allowed him to effectively lead and integrate Indian states. His quote about facing facts underscores the importance of emotional self – awareness in decision-making. Emotional self-awareness is crucial to success in every area of life because if we don’t know how we feel and why we feel that way, we are not in control of our lives.
Each person’s consciousness reacts emotionally according to its own perception of what happened. People make assumptions about the behaviour and intentions of others all the time. Then they react emotionally to what they think is true, which almost always reflects their own life experiences.
When you become aware of the internal dialogue that guides your choices, you can learn to challenge assumptions and check the evidence for what you believe. Awareness of what you are thinking and feeling brings clarity and focus. For example, imagine a boss who fails to notice that employees are under stress, his ability to manage people is diminished. Even though he is intellectually brilliant and has vast knowledge and expertise, he still lacks sensitivity. Colleagues find it impossible to work with him.
Your true potential lies within a seed that has all the qualities to become brilliant. Your beliefs nurture or restrict its growth. Beliefs can encourage you to develop your true potential or sabotage your efforts with negativity. What you believe to be true about yourself becomes true and establishes the power of knowledge.
Self-knowledge is about understanding your real (and true) needs, desires, goals, weaknesses, and everything else that makes you tick. It requires a deep understanding of your past and current self.
There is strong scientific evidence that people who know themselves and how others see them are happier. They make smarter decisions. They have better personal and professional relationships. They raise more mature children. They are smarter, superior students who choose better careers. They are more creative, more confident, and better communicators. They are less aggressive and less likely to lie, cheat, and steal. They are better performers at work who get more promotions. They are more effective leaders with more enthusiastic employees. They even lead more profitable companies. In the words of former American President Barak Obama, “self-awareness is the single greatest predictor of leadership success.” It pays to embark on one of the most exciting journeys: into our deepest, most elusive selves. Your success depends on it. You owe it to yourself to find the real you. The path to your success starts with a critical look in the mirror.
The sum total of who you are as a person is not determined by who you are as a son, daughter, brother, sister, husband or wife, but by who you really are. It is determined by a foundational step toward a life of wholeness, resilience and genuine connection with the world around us. In the words of Socrates, it is through knowing ourselves, for the purpose of recognizing our own reality, that we open the door to a good life, a life filled with true wisdom and purpose.
The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu also said it this way, “He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”