What is Self-Discovery?

Self-discovery is an ongoing journey of getting to know yourself better and more deeply. You are discovering new things about yourself everyday, perhaps sometimes so small you may not even notice these little things you uncover. In this blog I’m going to share more about what self-discovery means and how to make space to bring awareness to yourself to help you uncover more about who you are.

What is Self-Discovery All About?

Let’s begin with the idea that self-discovery is an ongoing and arguably never-ending journey which may sound daunting or exciting however you choose to look at it. To clarify it’s not something you do once and you know yourself forever, the reason it’s ongoing is because we are always evolving and so this journey is about continuing to check in with yourself and what you need during different seasons of your life. 

When we talk about getting to know ourselves more deeply it’s things about us that perhaps we’ve lost touch with, have hidden away or are unaware of. Some of these may be reconnecting with your values and what’s important to you, understanding and questioning your views of the world, challenging the beliefs you may hold, rediscovering what brings you joy, identifying what your boundaries are. These are parts of us that when we are connected to them and know what they are can guide us and bring more fulfilment and satisfaction in our days. An example, if you’ve got into the habit of shopping online with big fashion brands but you spend some time reconnecting with your values and sustainability is important to you, you may start making small shifts in how you buy clothes more sustainably, this brings a deeper sense of satisfaction as you’ve listened to yourself and are aware of your values.

Two words that I feel really reflect what happens during your journey of discovering more about yourself is awareness and understanding. Being aware is the first step, it’s very hard to learn and discover more about who you are without having that awareness of yourself to begin with. When you are aware that’s when you start to notice things and from this awareness and noticing, you can start to reflect and question, which overtime leads to understanding.

How to Become More Self-Aware?

So, how do you become more self-aware? You can become more self-aware in this moment, it’s not something you have to wait for or learn before you can be, you can start to be from now. But the aim is to be self-aware more often than not and that’s something that will build the more you practice self-awareness. Being self-aware is just noticing yourself in that moment, paying attention to how you’re feeling, what thoughts are going through your mind, what you need. Some well known practices that really support self-awareness are yoga, meditation, breath work - but if that’s not something you do or don’t find very easy, start by slowing yourself down. Find somewhere quiet to sit in a comfortable spot, putting any distractions or noise away and either close your eyes or let your eyes gently soften and turn your focus to yourself, instead of looking out bring your attention to you and see what you notice. This is creating space to be more self-aware, that’s it.

The Role of Self-Discovery Coaching

The purpose of self-discovery coaching is to provide that intentional space. Having a space to share those thoughts, feelings and be asked questions to find that understanding and steps from there. Perhaps you’ve not really taken the time to learn more about yourself and so coaching is that gentle support or you’re feeling you’re living your life based more off other people’s opinions and expectations than your own and you want to tune back into who you are, where self-discovery coaching can be a space to support that.

When we hear the words self-discovery it can sound profound and life-changing which can be the case but it isn’t something that happens suddenly and has a defining moment, more often it’s a gentler, slower journey. There may be moments that do stand out within your journey but often this has come after gentle steps and micro-shifts that come from continually connecting with yourself, what you need, and bringing these shifts into your everyday, that overtime take you to that memorable moment.

Spending the time getting to really know more about who you are is such a special gift you can give yourself, what happens is instead of turning to others for advice or validation, you ask yourself and you listen to how you feel about something. What this then builds is your confidence in your decisions, in how you navigate your days. There are so many other wonderful shifts that happen from self-discovery that I’ve shared in other blogs, you can have a read of them here.

Interested in Self-Discovery Coaching?

Wherever you are in your self-discovery journey I am so thrilled for you. Taking the time to pause and listen to yourself can be so empowering and create wonderful shifts in how you show up in this world. I would love to hold space for you and join your journey of discovery. My coaching is Pay What You Can, you can read all about how it works when you click through to book.

Thanks for reading, and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes you.