Self Understanding (Part One)

Self awareness is like putting your foot into a lake to see how cold the water is. 

Self understanding is diving into the lake to see how deep it is.

The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu placed great emphasis on self understanding. He wrote, "He who knows others is learned; He who knows himself is wise."

Self understanding enables you to plumb the depths of your own inner spirit, and to seek out amazing discoveries about yourself. You will likely learn a lot more than you bargained for, including lessons about life, spirituality, other people, love, faith, and many other topics.

Paul Coelho wrote, "The more you understand yourself, the more you will understand the world." And centuries earlier, Aristotle told his followers, "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." 

It is extremely sad that more people do not understand the linkages between self understanding and universal wisdom. Please do not let you be one of these people.

The past three decades have seen a litany of self-help books, tapes, videos, CDs, DVDs, webinars, and live programs produced. In fact, the entire self-help industry went from start-up phase to maturity in less than 40 years. 

The foundation the self-help movement in the latter years of the 20th Century were these words from the 19th Century American psychologist William James: "The most important discovery of my generation is people can change their lives by changing their minds."  

What are you doing today to change your perspectives, your thoughts?

What are you doing today to increase your own personal self understanding? 

Please share your thoughts or actions in the comments box below.

The next 3-4 Project You Life blog posts will delve deeper into the topic of Self Understanding. We look forward to your active contribution and participation in discussing this important subject. 

This article is partially excerpted from the book Project You: Living A Determined Life which is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.