Why Am I here on this earth? What is my life’s purpose? Will I be remembered after I die? Why life is centered around me only? These are some of the thought-provoking and fundamental questions that I ask essentially ask myself, and they ask the same thing – Why am I here?
When I look into the mirror and see my face then I also ask what am I worth or should I be happy with what I have achieved in my life thus far?
In varied forms, this may seem to be the important question that troubles everyone’s life.
But, the bottom line is that we exist, and we’re alive here on this earth. And, the challenge is how do we choose to live and how do we avoid our life becoming meaningless.
Also, whenever I get up early morning, I ask this question to myself – How shall I do meaningful things and make my life exciting.
There are no scientific answers to all of these questions though there is a lot of evidence about our existence on this earth but none provides proof that why do I really exist here and what is my purpose. The answer to this question lies within ourselves only and it’s only we who’ve to find the answer. We’ve to look down deep inside us and we’ll find the answer.
More importantly, our human body comprises of essential things:
- the supernatural body or the ego that separates us from God,
- the casual body or the intellect that provides us with the decision-making process and the reasoning ability
- the soul
- the mind that consists of the feelings, emotions, and desires
- and finally the vital body organs like hand and legs and the five senses like smell, touch, etc that make up our physical body
We intend to live in the present moment, for it is what we have now at the moment as what happened yesterday is history and we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. We want to conscious about how we feel, what we think, and how we act in the present moment – this makes our life vital.
There is also a belief in ourselves that there is something greater than ourselves and that is even greater than our ego or personality that is essential to look down upon.
We desire to be open-hearted and love each human being for everything about who they are—all of their struggles and successes and all of their joys and sorrow. In fact, we aspire to love ourselves in a similar manner.
We’re here on this earth for a reason and we’ll need to find it and act upon it in the best interests of self.
Who am I equals what is my identity?
The answer to the question, “Who am I” is our identity that comprises a system of memories, experience, feelings, thoughts, relationships, and values that define each one of us. It’s something that makes up a ‘self’.
Identity is a critical component to understand who we are and why. All of the components of our identity i.e. values, experience, and relationships make up for what we are and once we understand all of these then we can get a big picture of who we really are.
In a nutshell, we’re a lot more than just one thing—in fact, we’re an entire system of ideas and experience filled inside us. We need to find those ideas amongst us and utilize the experience that we hold to create a better tomorrow for ourselves and for the people that surround us.
Identity relates to our basic values that dictate the choices we make (e.g., relationships, career). These choices reflect who we are and what we value.
Shahram Heshmat Ph.D., author of Science of Choice
So with this in mind, here are five ways that can help you to find the answer to the question, “who am I?”
1. Reflect upon yourself
First and foremost, you need to reflect on yourself while engaging in the path of self-discovery. And, by this, what I mean is that you need to carefully examine yourself—including your strengths, weaknesses, and any impressions you give to others.
You should act your own inspector and look at your entire self. Also, you need to ask yourself who’re you right now and do you like the person whom you see in the mirror.
How does this feel when you ask these questions to yourself?
Do you feel happy or sad? You need to identify the areas in your life that you’re unhappy the most. And, look what you think could have been better either mentally or emotionally.
2. Decide who and what you want to be or do
Next, you need to identify whom you to become on the path of self-discovery.
And, you should be honest with yourself while choosing whom or what to become. Lets admit that no one is born perfect.
In fact, there no such thing as a perfect person and you’re bound to make mistakes.
You can also improve upon yourself. But, you need to be honest with yourself about what’s possible and what is NOT.
3. Make better choices
Once you thought about yourself and decided what or whom you want to become, the next thing you need to do is to make choices… for yourself!
Many times, we make choices out of fear like taking up a job to support out family. We make a choice either based on anxiety or desire to please someone, or because we don’t want to put extra efforts. If we choose something that doesn’t make us happy then there’s no point and the choices do nothing to help you.
A person is identified because if the choices he/she makes. So, you can choose better for yourself by making some active decisions keeping in mind the risks involved.
Once you make a choice or a decision that is in line with your goals or values, you’ll start to feel empowered to find out your true identity.
4. Know what you’re passionate about
Do you know what is the best part of finding the answer to the question – “who am I”?
That is, to figure out parts of yourself you never knew about. That is the most interesting thing to know your interests.
After you’ve thought about yourself and whom or what you want to become, when you look in the mirror, there will be something that will be missing or there will be some parts of yourself that will be hidden away.
And, you need to find that “hidden” items in your path of self-discovery. But how to do it?
You can do this by exploring your passions. When you do something what you’re passionate about, you automatically stimulate creative energies.
While discovering about “who am I”, think about the one thing that you’re passionate about. Once you’re able to do that – you just need to put all your efforts to fulfill your dreams and become one you wanted to be.
If you want a fulfilling life, then I would highly recommend to find your passions and do it to make a living. It may not be as easy as it sounds since it involves a lot of hard work and patience. But, nothing comes so easy and its worth every effort.
5. Develop your social well-being
Human beings are social by nature, and we like to be around our family or friends. So, when you figure out who or what you want to become and also chosen your passions, the next step is to create a network.
And, what this means is that you need to choose whom you want to be with. You need to choose your network very meticulously and I would recommend creating a network of like-minded people. Also, you need to find people who’re aligned with your goals and values. Often, it is said that you’re judged by the company you keep. If you want to develop yourself or improve upon yourself, look closely at your network and ask yourself – are they pushing you forward beyond your limits to help you grow or holding you back?
Final thoughts
Its not an easy task to find the answer to the question – “who am I”. In fact, it’s probably the most difficult things you’ll ever take on.
However, its unnecessary to put immense pressure upon yourself to figure out who you are right away.
We need to constantly be mindful of the fact that our entire life is a journey and discovering our identity is also a part of that journey. We need to constantly remind us about the value of the growth process, and that the identity isn’t static. Instead, we’re constantly growing, evolving, and changing.
We’re dynamic as our body transforms daily so our identity should be dynamic too.
Thus, discovering “who am I” seems like a never-ending journey. So, in your journey of self-discovery, remember to take a step back and ask yourself – “Am I making the right decisions based on my own values or am I who I want to be?”
Once you’re able to do this and discover who you want to be, you can then engage yourself in the process of pushing yourself forward via active choosing and exploration. This will make yourself the person you’d wished to become.
And, in this process, you’ll in turn find the answer to the question, “who am I?”
That is, “I am myself”
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