“Know yourself and you will win all battles.”
To know yourself is a task that many people consider to be the meaning of life. Whether or not this is true isn’t my place to say, but regardless of that, knowing yourself is the key to being successful in your endeavors.
The thing is though, it’s not as simple as just getting to know yourself. The reason for this is that people tend to search for things they like and only think about those things. This is a flaw, because it doesn’t allow for us to see our weaknesses. When we can’t see those, our downfall follows shortly after. Would the Spartans have lost if they didn’t have a traitor among them? Most likely not.
The same logic applies to your mind and body. Both are shockingly intricate, and because of this they have quite a few chances to improve. This is why it’s important to exercise and learn things. This is why we go to school. This is why it’s important to have a job that isn’t the same thing all day every day — doing otherwise results in less brain plasticity and a lowered potential.
To know yourself is to love and accept yourself. ALL parts of yourself, not just the parts you like. Truthfully, you don’t have to love your flaws, but it’s still important to acknowledge them, accept them, and respect them. Chances are, a history buff and a math whiz will never trade professions. To expect that would be ridiculous, and to assume that ignoring your weakness is going to fix it would be a poor decision for you to make. When you’re training of course, this is a little different, because the whole point is to push your potential further and make yourself more resilient (see Ross Edgley’s The Art of Resilience for more information on this).
To summarize — acceptance of the whole is crucial for success.
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What do you think? How do you push yourself and accept yourself? I’d love to hear what you have to say in the comment section. Feel free to leave a like and share this on your social media as well! Your friends and family can use this information to improve their lives, and they might thank you for helping them! Other than that, stay tuned for future blog posts every Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, and try to be the reason someone smiles today 🙂