Self-Discovery Exercises

What does a cheap roll of tape have to do with a journey of self-discovery?
That is a very good question!

Have you ever had a roll of tape that just would not work? You find the end and pull, expecting to receive a piece of sticky plastic that will hold everything together. But that’s not always what happens. Sometimes, what you actually get is a piece of the tape. A sliver of varying widths. Quite annoying, am I right?

No problem though. With a sigh, you start pulling on the sliver, trying to locate the source of infliction where the sliver was last a whole piece of tape. Realistically expecting this process to be rather quick and easy.

Perhaps you get lucky and find it; or perhaps you give up on the skinny piece of sliver and start pulling from a different, thicker, section of the sliver. Hoping to find more traction, more strength, you pull the tape up and are rewarded with yet another sliver. The situation starts to become upsetting. Sound like a familiar situation?

The process continues until you finally sit back, take a breath, center yourself and look a bit more closely at the problems. Upon a closer, more focused, deeper look, you begin a more intentional peeling back of each layer. Carefully, mindfully, intentionally. You are rewarded with the sliver becoming wider. Suddenly it becomes a whole piece of tape! The magical, beautiful, translucent piece of adhesive is whole again.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could fix ourselves as easily as can fix a cheap roll of tape? Find the point where we started to sliver? The point where we pulled away from ourselves and track it back to when we last felt whole? All in the span of 20 minutes?

But then again, what’s the fun in a journey of self-discovery if it’s that simple? It’s called a ‘journey’ for a reason. Besides, none of us are as boring, or as simple, as a piece of tape.

This article is about exercises you can complete to examine where your slivers started and identify your points of infliction. These are incredibly important steps on your journey of self-discovery.

Deep & Meaningful Exercises for your Journey of Self-Discovery

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1. Look Backward to Look Forward

From the moment of our first breath in this magnificent world, we experience life. Values are instilled. Moral compasses are created. Guidance and words of wisdom are bestowed upon us by parents, teachers and friends. They help us to interpret life experiences. They teach us what is ‘right’, what is ‘wrong’, how to be a ‘good’ person, how to be ‘responsible’, how to ‘make something’ of ourselves.

Undoubtedly, at some point, life throws you a curve ball and you start rethinking everything you thought you knew. You find yourself questioning what you have always been told; questioning the way things have always been done; wondering if you actually believe anything that has been instilled in you.

These are good thoughts to ponder, and you should be very excited about the prospect! Finding the answers to these questions on your journey of self-discovery will reveal what is most YOUnique about you.

Everything that led you to this point in life now comes to a culmination. When you start questioning, it means you are ready to pull back the layers. Look closely and slowly at each sliver of that tape. Decide for yourself it that layer is useful to you. If so, keep it. If not, get rid of it.

Look backward to understand what molded you; move forward free of restriction

Suggested exercise:

Grab a journal or writing paper along with a pen/pencil.
Meditate and clear your mind. Center yourself, allowing your mind to be calm and open. If you are new to meditation, may I suggest ‘Become the Center of Your Universe Guided Meditation’, by Great Meditation.
Now that you are centered, grab that journal and write about the most prominent teachings from your childhood and explore how those childhood teachings match up to your values now. Here are some prompts to help you:
- What values were primary in your childhood? Are those values a true depiction of your beliefs now? Why or why not? What values do you feel are most unique to you? What is your plan for living into your unique values?
  “Values: the principles that help you to decide what is right and wrong, and how to act in various situations.”
- Are you proud of who you are today? Why or why not? What influenced you most in becoming who you are? Is who you are today an accurate depiction of who you know you uniquely are meant to be? Commit to 3 ways of shining your uniqueness with pride.
- Do you have rituals in your life that you feel detached from? What motions do you go through that are disingenuous? What do you do simply because you have always done it? How can you change these behaviors to better reflect your authenticity?

Mark your calendar for 30 days in the future. Come back and revisit what you have committed to. Adjust and recommit as needed to your journey of self-discovery.

2. Assess Relationships

The journey of self-discovery is enlightening; even more so when we take a look at those closest to us. Not everyone in our lives wish us well; despite their words and outward actions. Conversely, so many of the people in our lives genuinely care and want us to be happy.

So how do you know the difference?

To honor yourself in your journey, you will need to be honest about your relationships. This can be very difficult and at times upsetting; but it is an essential part of your journey of self-discovery.

The preservation of your most YOUnique self, the gift of who you are, is of up-most importance. It cannot be tarnished or torn down by those who do not wish you the best.

Take time to inspect the relationships with your family and friends.

Who are the most important family members to you, and why is that?
Who are your closest friends and confidants?
Are you reliant on them; are they reliant on you; or are you mutually supportive?
Is the love and support you receive genuine?
What friends and family members see and honor the YOUniqueness in you?

You may be surprised to realize some people you thought were genuine are not. Some that are genuine are manipulative. Perhaps you never really understood until now, how much love and support you receive from a friend who you never noticed much before.

As you ponder over your list of family and friends, consider tactics for spending less time with, or completely removing, the people from your life that do not serve you well on your journey. We can’t always cut family ties, but we can choose to use a longer rope.

The goal on your journey of self-discovery is to move closer to that which causes your inner light to shine brighter. Move closer to those that inspire you to be everything you wish to be. Those that lead you to greater things by their own words and actions; by shining their unique light onto you.

No one needs to tell you who these people are. You already know who they are. No one knows who fuels your inner light better than you.

Your soul shines brightest when fueled by the light of inspiration

Suggested exercise:

Here are a couple of articles about removing toxic people that I found to be very helpful. Allow yourself some quiet time to read and digest this information.
Make a list of those closest to you. Decide who raises you up and who does not.
Contemplate how you can best proceed on your journey of self-discovery without negative influence.

Toxic People: How to Recognize and Avoid Them | Psychology Today

5 Ways To Identify Toxic People (And Questions To Ask Yourself) (gentwenty.com)

3. Own Your Space

Your space is your space; regardless of how big or small; regardless of how many people are in your space.

Find yourself a spot. A spot that is uniquely you. If that spot can be your entire home, that is tremendously awesome. If that spot can only be a section of a room, then so be it. Find a spot to express yourself.

Do not be shy, do not apologize and do not let anyone influence your space.

This is a spot that expresses you, where your inner self takes a physical form. It should be a place where you feel a complete sense of belonging. A sense of peace and happiness. This spot is your visual representation of your journey of self-discovery.

This space embodies that which is you. This space reminds you on a bad day that you are beautiful. It gives you encouragement when you feel like giving up. It inspires you as you begin your day. This space is yours and yours alone.

Surround yourself with love for yourself

Suggested exercise:

Create an altar. Click here for a great article by Karson McGinley found on the Chopra.com website.
Simply have your own special chair with items special to you on a table next to it
Decorate a wall with your art or pictures that speak to you
Put your special treasures on a shelf, on display specially for you. Your favorite flowers, crystals, whatever speaks to your soul.

4. Be Kind to Yourself

How are you to proceed on your journey of self-discovery if you are not willing to treat yourself with kindness?

You’ve got something special in there! Let that YOUniqueness unfold as it needs to.

Feel all your emotions as they come to you. There is no right or wrong way to feel. There is only your way to feel. Your feelings are always what you should be feeling at the time you are feeling them. The important thing is to examine those feelings.

What prompted the emotion?
Is it something you need to spend time examining?

Don’t get upset with yourself for feeling something. If you feel something and push it away, if you don’t acknowledge it, if you bury it or pretend you didn’t feel it, you are not being kind to yourself.

The only way to move beyond something that is holding you back is to acknowledge it. Examine it and allow yourself to move forward in a way that will work for you, on your beautiful journey of self-discovery.

Give yourself permission to feel.

Suggested exercise:

Go for a walk. Sometimes we get caught in a spiral grip of feeling a very strong emotion. One way to work yourself out of the vortex is to go for a walk. Walk anywhere. Around the building you are in, around a block, through a park. Take yourself out of the situation and away from the energy surrounding you. Allow your mind some time to untangle.
As you are walking, allow your mind to relax. Take some deep breaths and gently allow our mind to begin untangling the situation. I will remind you to be kind to yourself. Love yourself. Spend time thinking about where you were in that situation and whether or not you were being true to your unique self. These situations are a great opportunity for self growth.
Journal. If you don’t have your journal handy, grab any piece of paper. Let those feelings loose. Save your writing. When you have time to reflect upon the situation, read what you wrote. Perhaps expand more on your feelings in your journal, or simply sit in a quiet setting and think introspectively about the words you wrote and the feelings you felt. Think about how you felt and what you may/may not want to do differently in the future.
Talk to a trusted friend. A friend that is open and loving, who never judges. Someone who will listen and help you walk through the emotions you are feeling to understand them better.
Find a Life Coach – call me! Authentic Directions Life Coach Services. One of the most beautiful gifts we can give ourselves is the gift of an amazing life coach. There are things about you that have been buried. Some of which you had no clue were even an issue. You owe it to yourself to open yourself up like a new book and read all your chapters through new and different eyes.
Meditate. Sit and allow yourself to settle. If you are new to meditation, may I suggest: ‘Become the Center of Your Universe Guided Meditation‘, by Great Meditation.com.

5. Live Your Authentic Life

Let’s talk about lifestyle. Are you being authentic? Are you living the life you want to live? Is there any time for you?

It’s easy to lose ourselves in the chaos of family, school, work, kids. Everyday life has a way of moving WAY too fast. Fast enough that we find ourselves much like a gerbil in a wheel. Just running through the motions step after step.

At some point, the wheel stops and you’re left thinking about where you lost yourself. How did you get to the place you are now, and why are you so unhappy? Why do you feel so unfulfilled?

It is imperative, on your journey of self-discovery, that you etch out time for yourself. I’m not talking about time to watch the next hot series on Netflix. I’m talking about real time for you.

What have you always wanted to try but never had the time? That one thing that has always called you? What do you ‘wish you could do’?

Take stock of your answers, for you need to give them attention. Within them lies the YOUnique you.

How will you fit these things into your already jam packed schedule? Trust me, you will, if you put your mind to it.

Take time for yourself. It’s imperative.

Suggested exercises:

Start small. Look for classes at your local library, community center or place of worship. These places in your community have many free or low cost classes. Try one of those things you’ve always wanted to do; or maybe something that just sounds like it would be fun.
Check out You-Tube! Self-teach yourself something new! Woodworking, crocheting, drawing, auto mechanics. Whatever strikes your fancy, I am convinced you can learn absolutely anything through You-Tube videos.
Set aside one hour a week, doing anything you have always had an interest in doing.

This article was about 5 deep & meaningful exercises you can follow on your journey of self-discovery. The suggested exercises that connect most authentically with you will have a deep and profound impact on your journey.

Below you will find a few of my favorite books that have helped me on my journey along with links to order from Amazon. Perhaps they will inspire you as well.

Peace and Love,

Lorraine

5 Deep & Meaningful Exercises for Your Journey of Self-Discovery