Our journey through life presents us with many different experiences. Some are more enjoyable than others, whereas others can be hard for us to understand why they have occurred. However, it is a combination of these highs and lows that ultimately shapes who we are as individuals. By acknowledging what has happened to us, good and bad, we gain a deeper understanding of our self-worth, which enables us to grow.

Make self-care a priority

Make self-care a daily priority. Each day allow yourself some time to practice self-care. This is an important aspect of learning about yourself. Through giving yourself some time to relax, recharge and rejuvenate, you are allowing yourself time to gain inner strength and learn about yourself. This is an important part of self development as mentioned at www.coaching-online.org. When you take time to provide yourself with self-care, you are telling yourself that you mean something and that you are important. This is true. You are.

Self-care does not have to cost anything. It can be something as simple as sitting in silence, relaxing, gardening, going for a walk or having a bubble bath. It’s whatever allows you to focus on you.

Be aware of your emotions

An important part of self-development is listening to your emotions, so you understand why they occur when they do. Every emotion has a message and when you understand what they are trying to convey you will be better able to deal with the circumstances that caused you to feel them.

As humans, emotions are our natural reactions to the situation we find ourselves in. By learning about them, we can better handle them, so we do not make mistakes borne out of anger that could affect us or others.

It’s ok to tell someone if they have upset or offended you, but it’s how you convey the message that is important. Confrontation often leads to confrontation, which could then lead to anger and a whole host of negative feelings about yourself as well as your interlocutor. By remaining in control of your emotions, you are better able to navigate the situation.

Listen to your inner voice

Trust yourself. Listen to that little voice that tells you to go ahead and take that risk or advises you to hold back from doing something. Your inner voice comes from within, it knows you very well, so allow it to make decisions for you. By trusting your instinct, you will feel more confident in making decisions for yourself. This will empower you and give you the strength to continue making decisions for yourself, without needing other people to make decisions about your life for you. Remember, no one knows you better than you know yourself, so trust in what you decide for yourself. Learn from your conscious self-work to develop your self-worth.

Have healthy boundaries

Throughout life, there will be things that we feel uncomfortable with and just don’t want to do. When  these situations arise, it’s ok to refuse to do them and simply say, “No, thanks.” You should not feel guilty or bad for not doing something you don’t want to, nor should you be made to feel guilty for making such a decision.

You are also entitled to alter how strong your boundaries are. For instance, you may feel that you need to have strong boundaries with an individual who may take advantage of you, whereas you may feel you can be more flexible to someone else if they are more respectful.

Having healthy boundaries is a process. It is something that takes time to achieve and have courage in maintaining, especially when people attempt to break them down knowingly or unknowingly. When this happens, it is ok to assert control to withdraw from the situation or change it.

The more experience you have, the more strength you have to deal with challenges to your boundaries. It’s a learning curve that you will learn to embrace.

Have daily affirmations

When you get up in the morning, look yourself in the mirror and say several affirmations to set the tone for your day. Focus on every word you say. The more attention you pay to the words, the more they will mean and the more they will impact upon you.

Your affirmations could be to give you assurance, courage or to have compassion – whatever is necessary to get you through the day. These can change daily and are personal to you.

To help your personal development, you must practice self-awareness. This is the only way in which you can understand its importance and take control of your own journey to self-discovery. It’s by committing to better tending to yourself that you learn to grow, otherwise you are just stuck where you are in terms of discovering who you are and your capabilities. So take ownership of your self-discovery from today.