4 steps to finding yourself

"Finding yourself is the most fundamental endeavour of your life." - Friedrich Nietzsche 

Many of us submit to the comfort of living in our herd, but this doesn't have to be you. Through personal transformation, you can find what you value personally and break free from imposed beliefs by creating your own.

I got to a point in my life where I went on a journey to find myself. I took time out to think about what I really wanted, what my life would look like if I knew I couldn't fail.

My herd would have kept me in a legal career; what about all my other interests and passions? I decided to pluck up the courage and follow my aspirations of being a therapist. My herd thought that I was strange; I just wanted to explore how I could help people in a more emotional way as well as a practical way through law.

On my journey, I met phenomenal people. I realised that this 'self-awareness' is the foundation of being a great leader.

This article describes four simple steps based on Nietzsche's philosophy that will get you started on finding yourself. 

1. Please don't follow the herd mentality 

The herd mentality promotes sameness, comfort and the preservation of its population by limiting individuality and creativity. It's based on the attitude of the majority, that doesn't want to stand out from a group in fear of being rejected. Any individual that stands out too much is seen as terrifying and dangerous because the herd is afraid of change and feels threatened by the unknown.

Do not let yourself be fooled by the herd and silence those negative voices that you internalised earlier in your life. Whoever told you that you couldn't or shouldn't was afraid your own success would expose them, so they wanted to put you back into the herd. Instead find the courage to go your own way, leave the herd behind and shine a light so bright that it can't be ignored.

2. Embrace the difficulty of self-discovery 

To keep yourself from being overwhelmed by the herd, you need to distance yourself from it and strive to be free. This often means changing your lifestyle and relationships, looking deep into your fears, analysing your emotions and challenging your demons so you can rise above them to find your inner genius.

No price is too high for the privilege of knowing yourself, so you should refuse to take an easy path and embark on the quest to be yourself, no matter how frightening.

To get in touch with your inner genius, you must walk a path no one has walked before and earn self-ownership to avoid going through life in a meaningless way. No-one can walk that path on your behalf. Finding yourself is finding your uniqueness and that set of values and qualities you genuinely love, and that represents you.

3. Say yes to what gives you meaning 

"He who has a why can bear almost any how". This means saying 'yes' to the things you find value in. This means creating your own meaning and values without reference to outside influences and going for what you value rather than what the herd tells you to.

Creating yourself leads to some failures, and embracing them along with your successes helps. You understand that every experience contributes to who you are and what you are doing at this very moment. Loving your life no matter what enables you to see the meaning of it in the worst moments.  

4. Find your true values

If you had to live your life once more and once more and once more, would you do it? The goal is to ask yourself if what you're doing is truly meaningful to you or if you are doing it because the herd thinks it's right. If you feel that the way you are living is worth repeating because you feel like an individual, chances are you've dared to create your own set of values and standards.

If you find yourself repeating the same mistakes you always have and are left feeling crushed, chances are you haven't reevaluated the morals imposed on you and are still a slave to your herd and worse, to yourself. This means you are not yet a fully developed individual.

So ask yourself: would you live this same life over and over again? If the answer is no then I'm here to help you break out from the prison that we all build and decide to live inside.

If you'd like to know more, contact me via my profile and let me help you chase the dreams that give meaning to your life.