Understanding ourselves isn’t just about defining a lengthy paragraph from a college textbook, it’s understanding our beliefs, morals and what makes us happy. When we have knowledge of who we are as people, we can begin to figure out where we belong, what we want to do for a career, and explore our different interests.

Here are some reasons as to how understanding ourselves leads to valuing ourselves:

Reason #1: When we know all about ourselves, it becomes harder for us to change in order to please other people. For instance, let’s say that you are spiritual and don’t believe in any religion. Someone may come along and tell you interesting points about their religion, and try to convince you that what you believe in should change. But it doesn’t have to!

Reason #2: When we can understand ourselves, we can understand others! If you are a musician just starting out and trying to learn all about the guitar, it’s good to understand all genres of music because they bring value to our playing. If all we play the same music constantly, we will never learn new techniques that could prove to be helpful in our playing.

Reason #3: When we understand ourselves, we can explain ourselves if needed. For instance, I am asked on a daily basis “What do you want to do with your degree…?” Or something to do with music, like explaining the circle of fifths. When we understand ourselves and our interests, we are able to explain ourselves is when we truly recognize our value and that what we do and believe are what we really want.

Holding value to yourself isn’t about thinking you are better than everyone else, it’s learning that understanding yourself and understanding others is what gives value.