I Think Therefore I Am... ...What Am I Again?

Self Awareness Begins the Discovery of Who You Really Are.

The journey of self awareness and knowledge of self, of 'Myself', is one of the greater, more enjoyable, aspects of life. Insights into ones own soul or personality are for me a great comfort. I enjoy knowing where my beliefs come from and how I came to believe them. Knowing myself has lead me to a deeper understanding of where I fit in the 'Puzzle', and it has lead me to a belief that I am an acceptable person/entity. Knowledge of yourself and self-love (not in the masturbation sense) is a crucial step in the development of interpersonal relationships, i.e. friends, acquaintances, professional and romantic relationships. The more self aware you are, the greater the chances that you will have fulfilling, rich, and meaningful, lasting relationships.

Honesty is the single greatest hurdle to self awareness/knowledge, without honesty you will find it very hard or impossible to obtain insights into any true self knowledge. Psychologists and Psychiatrists have come up with many tools in an attempt to get people past the emotional hurdle that honesty or actually the lack of honesty creates.

Get a piece of paper and write down three descriptive words of the following:

-Your Favorite Animal

-Your second Favorite Animal

-The Ocean

-A Wall

-Your Favorite Drink

Here are mine:

-Free, Swift, Intelligent

-Loyal, Strong, Endearing

-Majestically-everchanging, Mighty, Magical

-Stable, Shield, Traver-sable

-Cold, Invigorating, Bubbly / -Steamy, Invigorating, Rich (because I have two favorite drinks)

After you have them written down we'll continue, don't read anymore until you have your responses written or it will ruin the game...

The following is the conversation I had with seanorjohn about his/their interpretation of my answers.

seanorjohn, "mikel yes a very good description of yourself. Free . have you recently broke free from a job or profession you outgrew? Highly intelligent but tend to live on your wits. This matches well with swift because you are a highly physical guy but do not rely on brute force.

Your ideal partner is someone who will stand by you come what may. This person needs to be strong in an emotional sense. I wonder if you mean,t enduring rather than endearing because you are someone who is seeking your ideal partner. When you find this person you will give your love unconditionally.

Wow, I never would have guessed you had such a deep faith or spiritual dimension. Majestically mighty and magical. you live your life well but believe strongly in a higher power. Still searching for the truth in this ever changing world.

You have no fear of death . Sometimes I suspect that this stable shield could offer you the ultimate protection and blessed relief . The thought of the afterlife is comforting to you.

I replied, "Thank You for your interpretation, I did mean endearing, by that I mean ones essence causes them to be loved and are lovable.

I am curious about your opinion of what cold means in the beverage selection...

seanorjohn wrote: "Mikel endearing shows that you are really serious in your search for your ideal partner and will cherish that love. This does not necessarily suggest a lifelong commitment but a real passion and connection. Whereas enduring is more of a longing for a life long partner. So it is as well you corrected me.
My interpretation of cold is that you are left deeply unsatisfied "Cold" in fact by casual loveless sexual encounters"

I replied, "Yes that is true(both replies), but I felt that cold might be implying the relief that a cold drink gives you on a hot day...(Hot coffee being my favorite drink on cold days)"

seanorjohn wrote: "True and it fits in nicely with invigorating and bubbly.why don't you see if the hot drink adjectives match up with this view.I would say switching drinks like this shows a little reluctance to commit though."    (??Or I love the changes and inconsistencies of the drinks/drink??...)

I replied, "Steamy, Invigorating, Rich..."

seanorjohn wrote: "Mikel too much information! Insatiable appetite"

I replied, " Thank You for this seanorjohn, it was a lot of fun."

That last comment of his/thiers really made me laugh!

The interpreting of your answers is a somewhat subjective science, because the person doing the interpreting brings their preconceptions of you and their meanings of the words you used with them. A highly trained mental health professional will probably give you a more accurate and objective reading than we are able to do. The more highly trained generally will mean the more accurate.

Not knowing what it is that you were describing when you started this 'game' allows for a more honest look at how you truly see yourself and others. Now it is time for you to know what it was in actuality that you described, if you haven't already figured that out. They are:

1 Yourself

2 Your Ideal Partner

3 Your Outlook on Life

4 Your View of Mortality

5 Your Take on Love and Sex

Knowing that would have changed or influenced your answers. Proof of this is easy, simply write 3 adjectives describing yourself, your ideal partner, and so on and see if your answers are different from the original ones.

*for the record, my two animals were/are a wolf and a dog

Another tool I have been introduced to is a Journal. The way it is used isn't exactly like a diary but it is similar. What you do is get your journal and just start writing what you feel. Don't think about it and don't worry about neatness or spelling, just write:

What am I feeling? and let it flow...

Once you get to a point where nothing is coming out anymore read what you wrote, if while reading your desire to write returns then by all means do so.

For me this tool is most effective and has led me to some very profound insights. We are all different so what works best for me probably won't be what works best for you. A qualified Mental Health Professional is your best resource for other tools that will help you to unlock your innermost thoughts and feelings. If you have someone you trust and are willing to allow them to read what you wrote they may be able to shed some light for you, again a highly trained professional will probably be able to give you a more accurate reading.

One of the most popular ways is the verbal interplay with a qualified therapist, which is why, I imagine, there are so many of them. As opposed to the belief that there are so many of them because there are so many of us, 'messed up' people (grinning).