Marcus Garvey says that a people without knowledge of their “history,
origin and culture is like a tree without roots” and I say that a person
without knowledge of self is like a car without an engine….
Yes you said it correct – a person without self-knowledge is missing out
a lot, just like a car without an engine cannot realize its true potential
and purpose I believe that a person without self-knowledge is missing
out on his/her true purpose and potential!
When you take the timeout to know who you really are – your strengths,
aptitude, abilities, values, worth, personality, temperament, talents etc.
you become powerful! Self-knowledge helps you to make daily
decisions about your relationships, career choices, educational choices,
entertainment choices, vacation choices among others.
Self-knowledge can enhance the choices you make as it relates to the
relationships you choose. For example, if you know that you are more of
a conventional person and you prefer things orderly and organized then
it may not be a wise decision to enter into an intimate relationship with
someone who is of a more artistic nature and prefers spontaneity. This
could certainly cause many conflicts between you two!
Self-knowledge can also help to make wise decisions about the courses
you choose to study in college or university. You want to choose
something that you enjoy; something that is like a leisure activity to you.
This knowledge can save you valuable time and money. I am almost
sure that you have heard about many cases where people change their
majors over and over again trying to find something they really like or
enjoy.
Another crucial benefit of self-knowledge is the ability to make the right
career choice. You want a career that you enjoy; you want something
that feels like a leisure activity, you want something that doesn’t stress
you when you think about work; you want something that fits you! Self-
knowledge can help you realize this vision!
So basically, self-knowledge can lead to a great deal of happiness and
contentment. If you are not happy and contented, I recommend that you
check your self-knowledge scale to see how much you really know
about the most important person in the world – YOU!!!!!!!!!
Anisa Wilson-Smith is a Senior Youth Empowerment Officer in the Ministry of Education,
Youth and Information and also the author of the following series of text and workbooks:
“Students Success Series” and “Empowerment Series”.
