December 7th, 2024

The Journey to Knowing Myself

Good day friends,

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.”
– Lao Tzu

At first, I thought, “Sure, I get it. Know yourself. Sounds easy enough.” But, wow, the more I’ve reflected on it, the more I’ve realized how much of my life has been spent trying to know others—and how often I’ve avoided the hard work of really knowing me.

Here’s the thing: I’ve always been pretty good at reading people. It’s like a superpower of mine—seeing what they need, how they feel, and figuring out how to connect with them. But when it comes to myself? That’s a whole different story.

Because knowing yourself means sitting with the uncomfortable stuff. It means being honest about what you want, what you fear, and what you’re still learning to love about yourself. And let’s be real—that’s not easy.

For me, this journey to self-knowledge has been full of ups and downs. There are days when I feel like I’ve got it all figured out—when I feel confident in who I am and where I’m going. And then there are days when I’m like, “Who even am I? What am I doing?”

But you know what? That’s part of it. Knowing yourself isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about being willing to ask the questions.

Like, what do I really want? Not what people expect of me, not what I think I “should” want, but what actually lights me up inside?

What am I afraid of? And is that fear holding me back from something amazing?

How am I showing up for myself? Am I being kind, or am I pushing myself too hard in the name of “progress”?

One thing I’ve learned is that knowing yourself doesn’t mean you have to love every part of yourself right away. It just means being honest—saying, “This is where I’m at right now, and that’s okay.”

And here’s the magic: the more you know yourself, the easier it becomes to navigate everything else. Decisions get clearer. Relationships feel more authentic. Even the hard days feel a little less heavy because you know who you are at your core.

So, here’s where I’m at. I’m still learning. I’m still figuring out what makes me tick, what makes me feel alive, and how to live in a way that feels true to me. But every time I take a step toward knowing myself better, I feel a little closer to the wisdom Lao Tzu is talking about.

What about you? What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself recently? Maybe it’s something big, like discovering a new dream, or something small, like realizing you actually enjoy quiet mornings (who knew?). - hehehe’

I’d love to hear about it. Let’s share stories, because the more we talk about these things, the more we realize we’re all in this together.

Thanks for being here with me today, for showing up for this conversation. Knowing yourself is a journey, not a destination—and I’m so grateful we get to walk this path together.

Until next time,
Marjoly 🌿