Know Thyself

To know one self is to be aware of one’s personal preferences, behaviors, and passions. Every decision we make in our lives is based off of these characteristics, which ultimately define who we are and what we accomplish. We choose what we want to do in life based off our likes and dislikes, as well as our strengths and weaknesses, thus making it extremely important that we as human beings truly know ourselves in order to make wise and successful decisions.

            I feel I know myself pretty well.  All my life I have always been very opinionated and strong willed. I am the perfect example of a “stubborn Aries.” I know what I like and I know what I don’t like. For example, I know that I don’t like staying in one place for too long. I constantly need to be doing something.  My restlessness is one of my biggest weaknesses.  I get bored far too easily. This causes me to have trouble focusing on the present and dealing with the task at hand. I’m always thinking ahead. Sometimes I find myself becoming so preoccupied with the future, that I miss out on the beauty and uncertainty of the present. A big part of this problem is my impatience.  For example, as I experience these last few months of high school, I find myself wishing to fast forward. I can’t wait to begin a new chapter of my life, meet new people, study abroad…yet I can’t help but remind myself to savor these last few months of just being in high school. The last thing I want to do is wish my life away. So whenever I feel myself wanting to jump ahead, I remind myself to be grateful for the present and the exciting experiences that await me.

            My strength would have to be my optimism. I try to keep an open mind about every new experience. I find something positive in everyone I meet and in everything I do. When something doesn’t go my way, I’m proud to say I usually accept it and move on fairly quickly. In my acting class at ECA, there is a rule which everyone must abide by: “accept and build.” This means you must never limit yourself or doubt your capabilities. From this I have learned to stretch myself as an actress and a person. I think I do a pretty good job at accepting challenges and approaching new experiences with curiosity and confidence.  I take great pride in my ability to take risks and I know I am able to do so because of my optimistic and hopeful outlook on life.

I find writing about my strengths and weaknesses to be a very interesting experience. I think it is easier for most people (including myself) to write about their weaknesses. I think this is mainly because of our tendency as humans to doubt ourselves. I think our flaws and shortcomings seem much more important in the grand scheme of life. They overshadow our successes and point out what we are doing wrong, therefore they are easier to identify. I find it difficult to write about my strengths.  I don’t want to brag about what I am good at, but I know it is important to self reflect and recognize the good qualities I possess too. Overtime I hope to discover different strengths within myself and build upon my own foundation of ever growing self knowledge.