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Know Thyself to Know Others: The Importance of Self Knowledge

If you want to be able to really understand others, then you must start by understanding yourself, says Prof. VGT.

If you find that you are struggling to understand other’s behaviours, then you may just have problems understanding your own internal processes. Learning to see these processes’ outward expressions will allow you to start really understanding yourself. You will have to be able to come to terms with some of your own fears, insecurities, and prejudices if you really want to understand others.

If you don’t try to see your own actions, then anything you see about other people’s will come through the lens of your fears, insecurities, and prejudices without any conscious thought on your part. This will be a false image and will make understanding others even more difficult. Being able to understand yourself will also allow you to see the effect (direct or indirect) you have on those around you. Understanding what kind of effect you are having will depend on how well you can see yourself. It will also depend on your significance to that person, how you communicate, and how you present yourself. All these things will change how the people you interact will behave.

For example, if you act stern, formal and in a disciplined manner, then those around you will adjust their communication style to suit how you act. If you behave happily and with a lot of laughter, this will change how everyone else acts in a different way.

You will become self-aware.

An analytical person (we’ll abbreviate this to “AP” for the rest of the article) doesn’t mean that you only take the time to analyze other people. In the beginning, you will be analyzing yourself. This self-analysis will allow you to be more aware of your own emotions and less confused about the way you feel. This may make some of your actions more explicable to you. Those that are self-aware find that it’s less of a challenge to turn negative thoughts into positive ones, to adjust how they view themselves, to accept themselves, and to live honestly. Getting to know yourself will allow you to truly live genuinely and happily with others.

You will appear more considerate.

An AP will use a lot of time and energy in understanding the people around them. Most APs are motivated by a desire to be at peace with those around them, which is acknowledged and appreciated in turn. Because an AP will be taking the time to understand what others are feeling, and responding in an appropriate way, they’ll look even more considerate. The AP could be a boss that is understanding when an employee needs a mental health day. The AP could also be a friend that will sit on the phone for a long time to work through a tough situation. An AP will be someone that others will know they can rely on.

You will become more empathetic.

During your analysis of emotions and personality, you will probably start considering why people are feeling and behaving in a particular way. An AP will look at all the reasons why someone is upset or withdrawn or uncomfortable. Understanding the motivations behind the mood changes is the key to empathy. An AP will be able to put themselves in other people’s shoes to really understand why people are feeling what they feel. Empathy is an extremely important personality trait. It’s especially useful in professional and personal settings.

You will appear more intelligent.

Typically, the more analytical a person, the smarter they are. An AP is observant and remembers many of the people and things that they see in their environment. This observant nature makes them appear intelligent during a conversation, even if it’s not necessarily an intellectual one. An AP will be able to recall information from previous conversations and ask questions that will make them appear as if they are educated about the profession. Analytical students remember lectures and conversations with teachers easily. This observance is often met with better grades and better impressions.

You will always be prepared.

APs are the kind of people that hate being unprepared. If they are late or miss deadlines, they might feel anxious because they know how these things will affect others. APs are typically early to meetings, finish their work ahead of schedule, and they take the time to plan fun dates out in advance. Being prepared for what the world might hand them makes an AP feel like life is slightly less stressful.

You will find more success, wherever you look.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of being an AP is how you will succeed when it comes to things like work and relationships. The ability to analyze makes you more empathetic, considerate, and dependable. Those traits are great for every relationship. You’ll be easy to like for people that just run into you on the street. Being able to remember so much and being prepared for so much will help you keep a handle on things in work and school. You will be viewed as a reliable and intelligent member of the team. People will want you to be working with them.

Analyzing Yourself

Before you even try analyzing other people, you will find it helpful to analyze yourself. Trying to analyze yourself will be much easier than trying to analyze others in the beginning.  You won’t have to guess your thoughts and feelings. Those are readily available to you. The biggest stumbling block when it comes to analyzing yourself is being able to understand and figure out why you are feeling and thinking the way that you are. The honesty that it will take to get you to really analyze yourself might even be painful. However, once you are able to analyze yourself, you’ll be able to see your strengths, your weaknesses, and the roots of your emotions.

Finding your strengths and weaknesses

Beginning self-analysis may seem daunting, but it will be simplest to start with thinking about your strengths and weaknesses. Your strengths are anything you’re ‘good’ at, anything that comes naturally, anything you like about yourself, and anything others like about you. The corporate world, in particular, fell in love with strengths. It’s quite easy now to find quizzes and other methods for discovering what your strengths might be. Among these traits are things like ‘adaptability,’ being able to easily accept change and live in the moment, and ‘harmony,’ trying to keep the peace by finding common ground or compromising.

These kinds of terms will not fully describe a person, but if you’re beginning, then they’re a perfect place to start.

When it comes to weaknesses, you might actually find this easier to figure out. There are almost always things about ourselves that we dislike. A weakness is something that we struggle with. It could be that you’re not the best listener or that you often talk over people or offer advice that isn’t needed. It could be that you’re forgetful and disorganized. Regardless of what your weaknesses actually are, you need to make sure that you aren’t too hard on yourself. Reflecting on your weaknesses is a very tough and vulnerable experience. Your weaknesses don’t have to stop you from living the life that you want. In this part of self analysis, you need to be open and honest with yourself but remain hopeful about the future.

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