WHO AM I?
Something I have learned this year is the importance of self-discovery – learning who you are, who you are made to become, and loving yourself through that. By learning who I am, I have learned some other valuable lessons as well.
I have grown to believe that this is not only a good practice in our daily lives but also a spiritual discipline. Learning about myself has allowed me to learn how the Lord has created me and to be able to connect with Him on a deeper level.
A few things have helped me to learn who I am. These include:
- Knowing valuable women who love me to pieces and are there to support me is vital. The Lord has introduced several beautiful women in my life over the last several months. These women know my strengths and my weaknesses and help me to work through them. They challenge me to be a better me, and I am forever grateful for them.
- The Enneagram is more than a personality test – it’s about who you are and how you see the world. If you don’t know anything about it, please research. It has given me such comfort to know that I am okay the way I am, that I am not strange for feeling like I do, that I am the way I am because God made me that way. I have also taken time to look at the Myers-Briggs test and how that influences me.
- Journaling is something I have only taken up recently, but I am already seeing the benefits of it. In this loud world that seems to constantly be going, it has been nice to take a few minutes out of my day, put on some soft tunes that make me happy, and write about different topics. I am a very analytical person who likes to think through things, often to the point I over-think them. Journaling has helped me analyze my thoughts about different topics. It has helped me slow down and take the time to be with myself.
Through these things, I have learned that I am a Perfectionist with Helper tendencies (Enneagram Type 1 wing 2). I like things how I like them. I put too much pressure on myself and others to be “perfect.” This affects pretty much all areas of my life, especially relationships – with myself, friends, family, Jesus. I have also learned I am an ISFJ or ISTJ (depends on the day, to be honest), which means I am an outgoing introvert. I like being around people but certainly need my alone time to recharge. Journaling has allowed me to spend time alone in a healthy way, thinking through my thoughts from the day or something that has been pressing on my mind/heart lately.
Knowing these things about myself has allowed me to understand that I am the way I am, and that is okay. For so long, I had beaten myself up about how I needed to be like other people or have certain qualities that others had. The truth is I am simply not made to be like other people. I am made to be me, and that is beautiful.
I have learned to practice self-compassion. This is a topic my mom has helped to teach me over the last several months. Trying to practice self-compassion instead of self-confidence has given me such peace. It has allowed me to put less pressure on myself and just love me for me. It has helped me to begin to accept the things I cannot change and aim to be more of who the Lord is making me to be.
I cannot stress the importance of knowing yourself enough. Go for it. Take some of these tests and learn about yourself. You may discover, as I have, that you are worthy, beautiful, unique, special, and loved.
Below are some links to things to aid you in your self-discovery.
Enneagram Test (be sure to take the “Classic” Test)
The Road Back to You by Cron and Stabile (a fantastic book that describes each Enneagram type in great detail)
One Comment
Laurel Burton
Love your words! Love you more!