There is a quote by Auguste Comte that says,

“Know yourself to improve yourself.”

Socrates said it this way,

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Great advice.

But something we don’t always do.  Especially in our hectic life.

Besides, it can be a bit messy and inconvenient.  After all, maybe we will find something we don’t like.  Maybe we will be faced with a character trait that we would rather not acknowledge.  Or maybe we just don’t have the time to really delve into the deepest part of us:  our hopes, ours fears, our dreams.

Maybe we don’t want to take the time to know ourselves because then we will be forced to speak up and perhaps rock the boat.  Maybe we will have to confront or challenge the status quo.

That may be the down-side, but there is an up-side to knowing yourself and it is this:

Knowing yourself gives you direction and clarity.  It acts as a compass, pointing you in the direction that you should go.  Knowing yourself also makes life easier in that it eliminates options and makes your choices clearer.  And that is a good thing. 

In living with peace, whether that be with food, finances, relationships, or whatever it may be. . . you need to know yourself.  What are your preferences?  Your likes?  Dislikes?  What gives you peace?  What leaves you with that pit in your stomach?  What do you value most?

How well do you know yourself?

In this blog we will be discussing peace in the many different aspects of your life such as food, exercise, the scale, habits, finance, parenting, and relationships.  To have direction in each of these areas, self-knowledge will be not only helpful, but necessary.

Here’s a list of questions to help you “know yourself” in these areas.  They may not all be appropriate for each scenario, but consider using them to learn more about yourself in an area you are wanting to improve. (Sample answers are in italics)

1. What is your greatest heart’s desire regarding _(ex. Your Career)   ? A job that allows me to use my artistic talents.
2. What makes your heart sing regarding ___________?
3. What is your greatest fear regarding __(ex. Relationships)____? My lack of trust.
4. What discourages you or defeats you regarding ___________?
5. What one thing would you change about ___(ex. Your Attitude)_? Being able to “reset” after having a bad morning.
6. What do you value most in the area of  ___(Relationship) __?
7. What are your gifts and talents regarding ________________?
8. What comes easy for you, but not necessarily for others in the area of ___________?
9. What is difficult for you, but not necessarily for others in the area of ____________?
10. What motivates you regarding __(ex. Eating Right)__? An accountability partner.
11. What do you like in regards to ________________?
12. What do you dislike in regards to ______________?
13. What would you do if you knew you were guaranteed success in regards to ________?
14. What would life look like if it were perfect in regards to _____________?

These questions got us started, but we didn’t stop there.  We’re still asking ourselves questions and searching for ways we can be better and do better.

But there is one question we want to leave you with today.  It is a question we think may be the most powerful question you can ask yourself when pursuing peace.  And it is this:

What one habit, if you had it, would give you a quantum leap (giant boost) in achieving your goals?

Once you answer that question, begin focusing on developing that one habit.  It may even mean letting go of all other goals and pursuing exclusively the development of that one habit.

Here’s an example of this from Robynn’s life:  For years she would place on her list of New Year’s Resolutions things like drinking 8 glasses of water, eating a certain amount of fruits and vegetables, not eating sweets, etc.  However, these were not the root of her eating and weight problem.  Focusing on them only delayed her dealing with the heart of the matter: her all-or-nothing mindset which prevented her from resetting after a mess-up.  Once she identified the problem (being able to “reset”), and put all her focus and energy on getting better at that one habit, it eventually resulted in huge gains.

Do you see how Robynn’s list went from being long (8 glasses of water, eating fruits/veggies, etc, etc.) to focusing on 1 thing, every day, and being committed to doing it well? Once she got the hang of it, she was seeing substantial results in her weight-loss and it never required her doing all the other little things that once filled her list. It is easy to write out a bunch of busy-work items, but they aren’t fixing the root of the problem. Consider utilizing the “edit” button and make some changes to your New Year’s Resolution by minimizing your goals and learning how to do them well.

Now it’s your turn…

Posse Discussion: What one habit it, if you had it, would give you a quantum (giant) leap in achieving your weight-loss goals? 

Click here for Day 3!