Developing Insight: Do You Know Who You Are?

What does it really mean to “know yourself”? In a world full of distractions, pressures, and expectations, an honest understanding of yourself can be a game-changer for how you navigate life, learning, and work. Whether you're choosing a career, school subjects, or making a major life decision, insight acts as your internal compass.

Self-Awareness & Insight

To know yourself involves noticing your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. This awareness develops insight into how your values and motivations influence your life choices, personal development, wellbeing, and relationships. Insight is the "aha!" moment when you notice a pattern, clarify a value, or understand why certain choices or situations have (or haven’t) worked for you.

Deepening Your Insight

(A research-backed perspective)

Recent research highlights that happiness and meaning involve connecting with yourself. This concept, called self-connection, builds on self-awareness and insight by adding two additional perspectives:

1. Acceptance of Yourself – fully acknowledging your thoughts, feelings, and values without judgment.

2. Behavioural Alignment – acting in ways that reflect your values.

   
   

When awareness, acceptance, and behavioural alignment come together, life feels more coherent, authentic, and purposeful. Practices such as mindfulness deepen self-connection by increasing awareness, acceptance, and alignment with your goals and values. Self-connection also supports persistence and positive relationships without the stress or overthinking that is sometimes associated with focusing on yourself.

The Power of Knowing Yourself

Self-awareness and insight help you make career and life decisions that align with what is most important to you. By discovering and clarifying your values, goals, motivations, strengths, and blind spots, you are better able to act and shape your trajectory and life outcomes. The research-backed lens of self-connection reinforces this: knowing yourself deeply, accepting who you are, and acting accordingly not only guides decisions but also enhances mental health, meaning, and overall life satisfaction.

3 Easy Ways to Build Insight

1. Notice What Sparks Your Interest

What makes you feel energised and engaged? These moments hold clues to your interests, values, and inner motivations.

• Try this: Think of a time at school, work, or in your personal life when you felt focused, curious, excited, or when you simply lost track of time while doing something. Write down and describe what you were doing, where you were, who you were with, and what felt fulfilling. 

• Can't think of anything? Try this instead: Look for small clues, whether you prefer group work or solo tasks, reading or hands-on activities. To discover your interests, it’s important to try things out. This week, find something new to try, fix something, volunteer, help someone, research a topic, or write.

• Bonus tip: Noticing what you dislike also helps. It can point to things that may suit you better. 

2. Clarify What Matters Most

Your values guide your decisions and keep you focused on the big picture even when you face challenges.

• Try this: Identify which values from the following list stand out to you and why: adventure, contribution, creativity, freedom, fairness, growth, stability, kindness, achievement, family, helping others. What do they say about the life you want to live?

• Still unsure? Look at it from another angle and consider what frustrates you. For example, if unfair treatment makes you upset, maybe fairness is a value. If feeling stuck drains your energy, you might value growth. 

3. Act on Strengths and Growth Areas

Confidence grows as you practice both your strengths and areas you want to improve.

• Try this: Write down 3 things you do well and 3 things you would like to improve. Beside each point, describe small steps you can take to practice them—highlight when, where, and how you’ll take action and how you will track your progress.

• If you’re stuck: Ask a teacher, coach, or friend what strengths they see in you. Or try something new and reflect on what you did well and what you would like to practice and improve upon.

What If You Feel Unsure?

Insight develops over time, so feeling unsure is completely normal. It takes practice and is supported by trying things out and being curious.

Here’s what you can do:

• Notice areas that are difficult to reflect on—they highlight growth opportunities (reflect on Trajectories' career choice readiness quiz questions)

• Talk with someone who can reflect things back to you.

• Find something new to try. Experience builds understanding.

• Seek help from Trajectories.

  
  

In Summary 

Being self-aware, developing insight, and cultivating self-connection is about curiosity, reflection, and accepting and acting in alignment with who you are. Insight grows when you notice patterns, ask questions, problem-solve, and give yourself time and space to connect the dots. By understanding who you are and engaging in self-development, you can boost meaning, wellbeing, and the ability to navigate life with clarity and confidence.