Article by Marty Nemco, Ph.D., from Psychology Today Magazine
Many people would like to know themselves better, perhaps so they can make wiser moves. My clients have found the following 12 questions helpful. For each, ask yourself, “Are there any implications for what you want to do now?”
Let’s start directly: What has a person(s) said is special about you?
What do people misunderstand about you?
List your life’s memorable moments, from early childhood through today. What was an especially happy, sad, contented, and angry moment?
What’s something audacious that you’ve done?
When were you quite reticent? Usually, people wish they had been less reticent, but sometimes restraint is wise.
Who have you gotten along best with? Choose a person(s) who you very much enjoy or enjoyed interacting with and a person who very much enjoy or enjoyed interacting with you.
What are your life’s best and worst serendipitous events? Sometimes those apparently serendipitous events weren’t random and could offer lessons for today.
When have you been most generous with your time or money?
Imagine that the people who know you best were asked anonymously, “What makes (insert your name) special?” What would be the most common answer(s)?
If you had 30 seconds to say whatever you’d like on a broadcast heard around the world, what would be your main point or two? Would you say something different if your face and voice were disguised?
If you didn’t care what anyone thought, what would you do?
The takeaway
Care to answer one or more of the above? Or just in reading them, has anything come clear about what makes you special, and even what you’d like to do as a result?
Article by Marty Nemco, Ph.D., from Psychology Today Magazine