Know Thyself: pocket guide to figuring yourself out
This introspection tool is inspired by Dr. Earl Reum, motivational speaker and author of A Place to Stand While Putting Yourself Together Workbook. I received Dr. Reum’s workbook in the 1980’s when I went to a state leadership conference in high school where he was the keynote speaker. The original workbook helped me understand what unique qualities I brought to the world. It helped me recognize the things in my life that formed me, both good and challenging and helped me define what I wanted out of life. I have been on that mission ever since.
I have included two versions for you. One becomes a 5.5″ x 8″ booklet once you print it out, double-sided and staple it down the spine. The other you can simply print out, single-sided and begin writing. The important thing is to fill it in with a pencil or pen.
The mind-body connection of writing in the answers is a key component in its effectiveness. Just sign up with your name and email and we will instantly get you to the download page. If this doesn’t happen seamlessly, leave a comment below or email me at becky@beckyprater.com and I will send the guide to you immediately.
We Have the Greeks To Thank
Know thyself and Nothing in excess are two magnificent things we learned from the Greeks, mostly from the philosopher Socrates (the orator) and Plato (the recorder of Socrates words.) I have lived by these two adages most of my life, short of a few too many beers in college.
“The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living.” —Socrates
What does it mean to “know thyself?” It means to look deep within yourself for your answers. You have heard, “You know your answer.” Well, this is entirely true. You know deep down the answer to everything. If everyone asked themselves a question and then, sat quietly to internally hear the answer (or possibly feel the answer,) we would be happier people. This is what meditation is all about. It can be a simple 5-minute meditation listening for the answer or an hour plus. Meditation is all about listening—to the still small voice inside who has something important to say and is patiently waiting to be heard.
Sadly, we do not do this. We spend very little time sitting quietly and thinking about ourselves and what we want out of life. I am here today to help you change this. I have put together a small tool to help you stop a moment and ask yourself some questions about what makes you special, where have you been, where are you, and where do you want to go in your life. This takes about one hour without interruptions. It is essential that you make the time to COMPLETELY focus on yourself when you do this. Don’t try to do it while watching TV or hanging out with friends.
This is all about YOU. No one will see the answers. You can answer as many questions as you’d like—all, some, only a few. It is your experience. If something is stopping your progress, skip it and come back later.
After completing the Know Thyself: pocket guide to figuring yourself out you should have a better understanding of who you are and where you want to go in your life.
We Don’t Focus Too Much on the Past
In life coaching, we do not spend much time mulling over the past. It is my theory that you are the unique human being you are today because of your past however harried it may be. You also have the incredible opportunity to move away from all the toxic people, negative tapes and experiences, hurts, and challenges to craft a new future for yourself with no limitations.
A Plug for Professional Counseling
You might not be ready to trudge forward with great joy without spending some time healing yourself from the past. Professional counseling may be the best place to start. Let me tell you, if you go to a counselor, having completed this pocket guide to figuring yourself out, you may save yourself a session or two just because you have already done a great deal of work toward your healing. Do this first and then, make an appointment.
Three Step Process
I believe there are three important steps in the process of creating the best future for yourself. Personal assessment is the first step in the process of setting yourself up for AWESOME! Second, we make a plan for our future, like setting the GPS on our phones. And third, we identify action steps, short term and long term goals, all of which help us move toward the AWESOME future with determination and a plan. When you start taking action, the Universe sweeps in and meets you half way or right away. You will quickly see the magic unfold.
This is What I Do
My greatest joy is to help people in this process: Know Thyself, Define Future, and Action Steps. It is way more fun to do this together. I have a unique way of vision boarding where we use feng shui techniques to give it extra power and intention. I have tons of other tools to help us define the future and set up action steps and goals.
I am here to help. When we work together, I ask you to complete this guide to knowing yourself first. We go through it together and then use the information to build a plan for your future. It is a six-week process and requires you to do some super fun homework. When you are ready to do the work, call me up and we can get started.
In the meantime, grab your Know Thyself: pocket guide to figuring yourself out, plop down on a grassy knoll, in your favorite coffee shop, or next to the pool/fireplace and go within. Figure yourself out! And then, let’s talk.
Yours Truly,
Becky Prater