Gaining insight into yourself is one of the most valuable lessons you can learn

Realising who you truly are can be one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself. We traditionally refer to this as self-awareness. A lot of people learn these lessons through hard experiences, but you don’t want to wait until things have gone awry to start learning. If you’re looking for a clear purpose in life, gaining insight into yourself is the key. Let’s take it one step further.

Even if I’m discussing self-awareness, you are learning information which could assist you to understand how one can become conscious of themselves. However, it is not something that translates to another person being able to do it for you, since the notion itself is self-awareness. Let’s dive in.

Exploring the concept of self-actualisation and its impact on the life of an individual

Discovering who you are is an ongoing process of self-reflection. It doesn’t come from a book or in a few days; it builds up gradually, step-by-step, when you start inquiring “Who am I?” This is the beginning of understanding yourself, as the curiosity to discover yourself invites you to delve glimmeringly into your essence. If you’re wondering about self-awareness, the best place to start is by asking yourself “Who am I?”

No matter what the outcome, it’s important to continue asking yourself questions and striving for self-actualization. This is a key component of having a fulfilling life, not only in regards to relationships, but also in other aspects such as career and finding internal peace.

Let’s discover further!

What do I mean when I talk about taking the time to really get to know yourself through self-actualisation?

Let’s take a moment to pause and inhale deeply before we continue.

No two people are the same. We come from different nationalities, cultures, beliefs, origins, ideologies, and family backgrounds. We are who we are because of these different factors. That doesn’t mean I’m talking about a single homogenous group with a specific outlook. Each person in any given group is still distinct from the others. All I’m saying is that each person is different, with their own individual likes, dislikes and interests.

That’s why it is important to take some time to explore ourselves and discover what makes us who we are.

Embracing a growth mentality and achieving self-fulfilment go hand in hand

Have you ever been caught up in your own head? You can tell when someone says something nice to us and it makes us feel good, but when they say something mean, we don’t handle it very well, right? Have you ever taken a moment to ponder why we experience such strong emotions like sadness, joy, fear, and anger? Do they arise from within us or from external factors? Despite all our attempts to escape these states of mind, they can remain omnipresent until we look inwards to gain insight into our identity.

According to, a world renowned storyteller, podcaster and former monk, Jay Shetty’s book, ‘How to Think Like a Monk’, we have two ways of perceiving information: the ‘Monkey Mindset’ and the ‘Monk Mindset’. Our five senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing) tend to continually loop with the Monkey Mindset. For instance, think of your favorite cake. The second you spot it, you can almost smell its deliciousness even before taking a bite. You become so captivated by it that you quickly forget all about your diet! This is all due to the ‘Monkey Mind’ that takes charge, guiding us to follow our desires, no matter the outcome. The Monkey Mind is a jumbled way of thinking that can take us far from where we want to be.

Now, what is the Monk Mindset? It’s all about self-actualization, learning to use your intelligence to navigate between the “monkey mind” and your senses. For instance, when the urge to eat the cake arises, don’t just let it slip into your monkey mindset; instead, use your mindful monk mindset to think critically if you should really eat it. Remind yourself that you promised to avoid anything sugary for a month. That way, you can make a more informed decision with your intelligent monk mindset before your instinctive monkey mindset takes over.

If you want to gain a quick insight into how “Monkey Mindset” and “Monk Mindset” actually work, please watch the topic “DO THIS To Never Be LAZY AGAIN! (Master Self-Discipline)” on Jay Shetty’s YouTube channel.

We can refer to it as exercising self-control, a kind of patience that results from possessing an intelligent, wise mindset, often referred to as a ‘monk mind’. All decisions that we make in life, such as strengthening relationships, managing our anger, falling in love, preparing for an exam, or exploring career choices, require this tranquil, intelligent, monk-like mentality. It is only through practicing self-reflection that we can tap into the monk mindset.

If you’d like to gain a deeper understanding of the way monkey mindset and monk mindset work, I’d highly recommend checking out Jay Shetty’s book, “Think Like a Monk”. 

Realising one’s own potential is the cornerstone of one’s development

I’d like to just quickly remind everyone that, if you want to feel self-awareness, it’s important to suppress emotions like ego, fear, jealous, compare, criticise, and complaint.

In, one of the holy scriptures for Hinduism, The Bhagavad Geeta, Lord Krishna has talked about “KARMAYOGA”, where he Cleary mentioned, “be free from ego and greed. As one heart becomes purer, one takes less interest in outside activities and pays more head to meditation and contemplation. Their attention is diverted from the outer life to the inner life. Through such intense spiritual practice, one heart becomes entirely pure, and the purity and of heart is instantaneously followed by the attainment of knowledge”.

Thus “KARMAYOGA” plays a vital part in the realisation of self-knowledge.

How to achieve true self-awareness

I can share my personal insight with you. However, before I proceed, allow me to explain the concept of self-awareness. It’s unquestionable, it’s settled in your mind, no arguments allowed. Of course, you take it for granted, based on the circumstances you’ve been through, while another person, who hasn’t lived the same situations, may declare it’s unlikely. Interestingly enough, despite the doubts, when you know what you know, trust is just unshakeable.

I am happy to provide an example – I have experienced the “sound of silence” personally. Perhaps you are curious as to what this means? I recommend you visit, a renowned well-known Indian entrepreneur, photographer, and motivational speaker, Sandeep Maheshwari‘s YouTube channel and investigate further by searching ‘self-actualisation’ and ‘basic meditation’. Watching the videos will leave you with an understanding of how self-realisation works and the power of meditation. For those who do not understand Hindi as their first language, I will offer a little more insight.

We may think that when doing meditation, we have to sit in one place and make an intense effort to give our full attention to one point. We put a lot of strain on ourselves and it’s no wonder if we end up finding it boring. But actually, meditation is not about paying attention, it is about feeling awareness – of ourselves, of all that surrounds us, and of our innermost thoughts and feelings.

Find a spot to sit where you feel comfy – it can be on a chair, bed, or the floor. Then, sit up straight, with your neck and chin held up. Shut your eyes, and focus on your breaths. Start to whisper the numbers 10 to 0 to yourself in your mind. 

Spend some quality time with yourself and allow your thoughts to drift. Don’t censor yourself or limit yourself in any way. Just be there and keep practicing. Soon enough, you’ll be able to hear a sharper sound in your ears if you continue this routine. The mind becomes tranquil and the sound comes from within, it can be any sound at all. What I heard was a high-pitched sound similar to zzzzzz, and it diminished in intensity with a stronger focus and increased clarity in your thoughts. As I said, it will come from self-experience. Try this meditation and you will understand the deep meaning of self-actualisation. Besides, you will find yourself more collected than before. Best wishes.

Before I wrap it up, I’d just like to share a thought about self-actualisation: it’s an ongoing journey toward self-understanding that doesn’t end until we die. At its heart, it means being aware of and understanding the complexities of our own self. It’s a fluid process—as we experience life, we learn more, which leads us to further explore within. You have the power to keep growing, to connect with your core self.