To know one’s self is to be self-aware. To be self-aware is the realization of your needs as an individual. Self-awareness is something we gain as we grow older and become accustomed to our behaviors and feelings. To know one’s self is to be comfortable in your own skin, and to know who you are as an individual. There is never going to be anyone else just like you or me. We’re one of a kind; priceless. This knowledge and overall feeling is what one needs to know in order to truly know one’s self. Having this knowledge is valuable because it allows you to be totally connected to your inner self. Being completely connected to who you are as a person, both mentally and spiritually, gives you the freedom to explore everything the world has to offer but to still be totally confident in who you are. Everything you will experience in the world, either good or bad, may have little influence over you because you are completely aware of who you are. You are you and nothing and no one can change that.
My worst quality as a person is my anxiety and my pessimism. I believe my pessimism is a direct result of my anxiety. If I were more able to stay calm then I would have no reason to always think so negatively. I always tend to think the worst out of every situation no matter what it is. It could be something as trivial as gas prices going up. If gas prices go up, then in my mind I always think the worst. I’ll think that because the price has gone up, then gas will be too expensive and then my family won’t be able to afford to heat our house, and then we’ll all freeze to death and die. This is obviously extremely overdramatic, and I know it will never happen; however, I can’t help but think that. Most of the time, it’s school related. For example, if I get a bad grade on a test and it makes my average go down then I automatically think that I’ll be rescinded from college and be forced to go to community college. I know in the back of my head that these things won’t happen, but I can’t help but stress out about them. To help combat these weaknesses I’ve sought the help of one of the school psychiatrists and we now have weekly meetings where we talk about coping strategies. These meetings have really helped me. Being taught ways to better cope with situations has done wonders for my anxiety, and overall has made me less pessimistic.
I believe that my greatest strength is my ability to get along with just about anyone. Having excellent social skills is imperative in every aspect of life from business, to social, to family. You will always have to interact with people and this is one skill that I believe I excel at. Being around people is something I’ve always enjoyed. I find it very soothing to be around the hum of other people’s voices and the sound of laughter. When I was younger, I would often get really depressed if I didn’t have a friend constantly around. I felt empty if there wasn’t someone there that I could make happy and laugh. Now I just find joy in being around those I love and care about, but I also find joy in making new friends. I think of making a new friend like finding a pearl in a mountain full of clams. I’ve always thought of it as a kind of accomplishment where both parties gain something: a friend.
It’s so hard to write about one’s strengths and weaknesses, because we’re not used to talking about them in such an upfront fashion. We’re used to keeping them to ourselves to either not seem pompous, or to not seem weak. It is also hard to think about what our strengths and weaknesses are for basically the same reasons. We are all so image conscious that we don’t want to appear too overzealous or too feeble. I like that I was made to write about these things because it helped me figure out what they were in the first place. Writing about them made me learn a little bit more about myself then I knew before. I think that it is good for others to do this too so that they too can learn more about themselves and ultimately become more self-aware. Knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses is imperative in order to know one’s self inside and out.
