Why self-discovery is important

The only relationship that is guaranteed to last a lifetime is the one you build with yourself. Like in any relationship, you will need to get to know who you are and understand yourself. The process of self-discovery is not something that get done once, but rather, is an ongoing process. Nevertheless, it is a commitment that you definitely want to make - here is why.

The more we get to know someone, the closer we become. When we see the good and the bad, the emotions and the experiences of another person, we can truly form a connection with them - this is true of ourselves as well.

The better we know who we are and what we want, the stronger our connection. We can do this by spending time on our own. Pay attention to what goes on inside you in different situations and stay in touch with your inner self.

We often let ourselves be swayed by what others say our wants and necessities are in life. Our friends, family, commercials and celebrities can push us in certain directions. But when we know ourselves and our needs, we are less likely to be tricked into pursuing something we don't actually need and instead, focus on our genuine needs.

Ask yourself what truly makes you proud and happy. Listen to yourself first and pursue goals that suit you.

You might also want to see why you want certain things and what your goals are. For instance, many may think they want a fancy car - but going deeper, they will see that what they truly want is a sense of financial security or something different.

We need to learn to ask ourselves why we want something and what it is exactly that we want. When we find ourselves desiring something that another person has, it's time to ask why.

Knowing ourselves better can help us to resist and reduce negative influences from within and from our environment. When we know ourselves, we are less likely to do something we are going to regret.

Self-discovery helps us to recognise who we are and what truly matters, so we are more likely to be resilient when we feel down or discouraged, and not give up our plans.

Throughout the day, we might get very stressed over a lot of small and ultimately, inconsequential details such as traffic and bad coffee. Understanding ourselves better can help us to reduce this stress in 2 ways:

• It helps us pay less attention to the irritating elements around us - it is much easier to focus inwards when we have a connection with ourselves

• It helps us to control our anger