Self-evaluation is a very necessary part of life. One’s own opinion of themselves matters more than what other people might think. Swami Vivekananda has said that if we don’t talk to ourselves, then we lose out on having the best conversations in our life. The first stage in improving our lives and solving everyday problems is to talk to ourselves. Through self-evaluation, one is able to ascertain where they stand and who they are. This is a powerful tool in life and here’s how.
Power of honest self-reflection:
By reflecting on one’s self in an honest manner he/she is able to understand their flaws and where they go wrong. The people around us have a warped view of who we are, as like all individuals we have a mask we wear when we interact socially. This hinders a third person’s judgment about us. Removing that mask and talking to ourselves makes it possible to create the most accurate picture of ourselves. This allows people to find their flaws and strong points better. This is far more accurate than listening to other people telling you what to do and what not to do. It is good to take other people’s views into consideration but solely relying on them could lead to you making decisions that really don’t help you out.
For example, if we feel we are not in the right physical shape we want to be and if other people tell us we are just fine and by hearing other people tell you are alright, you abstain from working out/hitting the gym. You are in effect making a decision that isn’t helping you make a positive impact in your life. Such decisions when they add up, leave you in a state that you don’t want to be in. By honestly telling yourself you need to bring your weight down and not listening to the opinions of others you can make that positive impact in your life. Honest self-reflection makes sure that you don’t deviate from your core decisions unnecessarily and it also makes sure that you don’t let false confidence get in the way of what you do.
Providing one’s self with the means to turn their life around:
Through self-reflection one can make sure where they go wrong or where they are doing things right. A lot of times what we think we do and what we actually do are two different things. If we pass for a moment and evaluate the decisions we make, we can avoid the decisions that might lead us in the wrong path. Self-reflection also teaches you to love ourselves more and it provides you with the confidence that you need to do things the things you want to do in life.
When you know that you are right about certain things and that you are strong in certain areas of life and work on those positives, you feel better, this allows you to form a confidence and rely more on yourself to make better decisions. When you do that you form a good opinion of yourself and this makes you like yourself better. Even when others might tell you that you are being foolish and not taking the right decisions, if you know through talking to yourself that the decision you are about to make is right, you can be more confident about making that decision and going through with it.
No matter how much other people might love you there is no substitute for the love you have for yourself. If you don’t love yourself, over time other people won’t love you either. When you evaluate who you are, you are able to form the truest image of yourself. When you do this you also come to accepting your flaws and positives and love yourself better. Through self-reflection one comes to understand their place and knowing about themselves without any form of bias or prejudice that could hinder your judgement.
Also read: Importance of kindness
People are always biased in their opinions. They might put you down or discourage you just because of them not liking who you are as a person, this might be due to no fault of yours and there are also people around us that suck up to us and give us a false sense of appreciation for even the things we do wrong. Upon self-evaluation of yourself you know that both these kinds of views or opinions are warped and that you cannot base your judgement on these appreciatory or derogatory views of you from those around you. All this leaves you with the means to turn your life around and be a better person.