Discover YOURSELF...... be strategic series.

The ultimate need of being human is self expression, but you cannot express what you do not know or understand.

Ultimately we all want to succeed in all that we do, it's just that success has to be planned. Being strategic about your life is the best move you can make, with this, you need to know who you are, what you want and what you need. All these fall into discovering yourself. Apart from the goal of having a strategic life, self awareness has so much more rewards.

Did you know?
1) There are things about you that you don't know and others know about you, example your abilities or certain characters.
And,
2) There are things about you that you know that others don't know example your inner motives.
And,
3) There are also things about you that you and other people know. Such as the your height.
Lastly,
4) There are things about you that neither you or other people know about you. Without question this is YOUR POTENTIAL.

There are many people who are bring passed by because others don't see what is in them, but God has shown me what is in me and I know it is in you too. Can you see what is in you? (Dr. Myles Munroe)

You are a broad being and there is so much to being you than you can imagine, making the journey to self discovery is an endless one. As for every journey you need a road map. And for self discovery I will introduce you to something called VITALS. It's like saying know your vital signs.

VITALS stands for
V - VALUES
I - INTERESTS
T - TEMPERAMENT
A - AROUND THE CLOCK
L - LIFE PURPOSE/ MISSION/ GOALS/ VISIONS
S - STRENGTHS AND SKILLS

As you learn about yourself it is important to know that you are an ever changing person. Who you were last year is not as much of who you are this year, taking into account that you are a collection of your past experiences, new experiences, the people around you, your genetics, upbringing and so much more. While the larger overarching aspects of our personality are likely to remain relatively stable throughout our lifetime, other traits tend to change in a largely predictable fashion as we age. 

So lets get back to VITALS, what are these and how can you find out what your vitals are.

1. VALUES
This word has some how been tricky, the best explanation is, basic standards that you hold dear that influences your decisions, behaviour and attitudes.
It is quite difficult to decide between wrong and right if you do not know your values.
Values also determine your priorities, example if family is one of your values then you will tend to spend more time with your family, and if you work more than 80 hours in a week, you might find yourself unhappy and even ready to change your career or work.
Life becomes much easier when you acknowledge your values and when you make plans and decisions that honour them. When your actions and decisions align with your values you portray integrity.
There is so much more on how to know your values, and here is how.

2. INTERESTS
Who can't fill a basket with gazillion interests, reading, going out, travelling, photography, dancing, hosting, painting and movies. The list can be endless for some people, or maybe not.
Interests includes passions and hobbies.

▪What would you like to do if money was not an issue?
▪If you were not afraid of failing, what would your life be like?
▪What activity helps you relax?
▪What is that which ignites your heart and pushes you into action?
▪What is that thing that irritates you and you will change in an instant (anything apart from the characters of humans)?

It is good to build a career around the things that interest you. It makes work fun and life meaningful.

3. TEMPERAMENTS
In psychology, temperament refers to those aspects of an individual's personality, such that are often regarded as biologically based rather than learned.
What you are inclined to. Temperament is different from character. The former is pre-disposition and the later is desposition. Example being introverted or being extroverted. Being intuitive over being sensing. Or making decisions based on your thinking or your feelings. As in the former post, I always advice to try personality test which are not 100% correct but they will get you as close to the answer as possible, the test is from the Myer Briggs 16 personalities. In these the temperaments are :

Introverted versus Extroverted
Feeling versus Thinking
Intuitive versus Sensing
Perceiving versus Judging

4. AROUND THE CLOCK
What time of the day are you most active?
It is important to know so you won't spend energy finding energy at those times your energy levels are the lowest. I have found out that I am a night person, maybe out of habit but I am yet to know.

Foods also affect our moods and there are foods for the type of metabolism that you are. It is important to know your body well, it will help you keep it healthy and full of energy successfully.

More so it will help you plan your work at the hours your brain is the most active.

5. LIFE's MISSION AND PURPOSE
Is life just an endless circle of sleeping, waking, working, spending then back to sleeping?
I have wondered about this for a long time.
Is there a purpose for my being alive?
Is there a meaning behind my waking up and going back to sleep?

If you believe in the big bang theory, I had suggest you come up with your own reason for existence. Give yourself a reason to wake up and work. Give your self a course to follow. Something that bothers you that needs changing. A course that makes you feel important. An action that will help you live a long lasting legacy.

And if you believe that there is after all the existence of God, that you were created, asking the one who created you why he created you will work amazingly. I personally believe in the existence of God and through his word and revelation though his Spirit, I have been able to find my purpose in life. There is so much to talk about in this particular topic right here.

6. STRENGTHS

"Strengths" can include not only abilities, skills, and talents, but also character strengths such as loyalty, respect for others, love of learning, emotional intelligence, fairness, and more. (See here for a list of “Character Strengths”).  Knowing your strengths is one of the foundations of self-confidence; not being able to acknowledge your own superpowers could put you on the path to low self-esteem.  Become a person who “takes in the good,” listening for compliments and noticing skills that could be clues to your strengths.

Knowing your strengths will also refrain you from comparing yourself to others.  It will also give you a confidence to look into your weaknesses as you work to improve yourself.

While this journey is a life time, it is also a very interesting one. If you know you, you will like you and you will embrace who you truly are.
You cannot be who you truly are if you don't know who you are.

There are ways you can discover your VITALS.
1) Self examination
2) Asking others and receiving constructive feedback
3) Asking the one who created you, (if you believe in one)

I hope you journey takes you to new places in yourself you never knew existed. I hope self discovery will lead to you being able to express yourself more and improve yourself daily.
Safe journey!