A journey of self-discovery is necessary to get to know the wonderful person that is you. Too many people live their lives without taking the time to look deeper and get to know who they really are. Instead, they rely on society to tell them who they are and how to live their lives, showing them pre-traced paths to get them to pre-assigned goals. This is a passive approach to life, and I don’t think it’s the way we’re meant to live.

I believe everyone would benefit from going on a self-discovery journey. As we go throughout our lives, we develop habits and adopt beliefs that aren’t ours or that don’t serve us—or don’t serve us anymore. A journey of self-discovery can help us get clarity on what we believe now and what new habits we need to adopt to live in a way that’s more aligned with our true self.

Before I give you a few reasons why you might want to go on such a journey, though, let’s take a moment to consider what this journey really is.

What Is a Journey of Self-Discovery?

A journey of self-discovery is a journey inward. It’s a journey that you take in your mind, heart, and soul. Some people may want to include physical travel on their journey, which is fine. People should do whatever they feel is necessary to help them learn more about who they are. But physical travel isn’t necessary for this journey.

This kind of journey is more about asking yourself self-discovery questions—questions about who you are, what you believe, and what makes you happy. The idea is to go on this journey so you can discover your authentic self and live in a way that’s more aligned with that self.

So, if you were thinking that you don’t have time to travel to a faraway land to discover yourself, please know that that’s not required. You only need to be willing to travel deep inside your mind, heart, and soul and ask yourself some hard questions about yourself and your life.

You might also have to try some new things or consider some new ideas as you go about the self-discovery process. But if you’re willing to do that, you’re already where you need to be to go on this journey.

And now, to help you better understand why a self-discovery journey is so important, here are five reasons you might want to begin one.

5 Reasons to Go on a Journey of Self-Discovery

1. You don’t know who you are.

   Life has a funny way of trying to force us into molds. We adopt beliefs about who we should be or what we should be doing because we identify as a certain gender or because we practice a certain religion or any number of things.
   
   But sometimes life can shake things up. It can throw us so off balance that we begin to question everything, including who we are and what we believe. This may lead to an awakening of some kind, but in my experience what it really feels like is an identity crisis.
   
   If you ever find yourself in the midst of an identity crisis, that’s the time for a journey of self-discovery. When life shakes things up this way, it’s trying to get your attention. It’s trying to tell you that it’s time for you to change. Who you have been until now isn’t serving you anymore and isn’t who you are.
   
   A journey of self-discovery can help you find your true self and start living more authentically (see #5).

2. You don’t know what career to choose or your chosen career isn’t fulfilling you.

   Your career isn’t your entire life. But it is a part of your life, and usually a big one, so you deserve to be doing something that fulfills you or gives you a sense of purpose.
   
   If you’re not currently doing something like that, a journey of self-discovery can help you get a clearer picture of what you would actually like to be doing. And if you haven’t yet started a career, it can also help you get clarity on what you would like to do.
   
   On this journey, you can ask yourself questions about what you actually enjoy doing, how much autonomy you would like to have, what your ideal work-life balance looks like, and who you would most like to serve or work with. Answering these kinds of questions is exactly what a self-discovery journey is for.

3. Your life isn’t making you as happy as you thought it would.

   All of us tend to have expectations about things. When people get a new job, for instance, they may have expectations about how happy it will make them.
   
   And so, when they find that it doesn’t make them happy, they may feel confused. “It’s such a great job,” they may say. “I should be thrilled. So, why aren’t I happier?”
   
   I believe that true happiness is found inside, which means it’s not ideal to expect anything external to give you true, lasting happiness. But I also believe external things can make it easier for you to tap into that internal happiness. And I think it’s our job to seek those things out.
   
   If you find that your life isn’t making you as happy as you thought it would, now might be the time for a self-discovery journey. That can help you figure out what would really make you happy, or at least help you tap into your internal happiness more easily.

4. You don’t feel like you’re living up to your potential.

   You may come to a point in your life where you have an inner sense that you could be doing more. This isn’t more in the sense of being more productive and getting more things done. This is more in the sense that you have talents or abilities that you’re not using. And you may or may not even be aware of these talents or abilities.
   
   A journey of self-discovery can help you uncover those gifts and even help you better understand how you would most like to use them. And if you feel like you need more training or education to be able to use them effectively, that’s something else this kind of journey can help you discover.
   
   What you don’t want is to feel like you could do or be more and then never look into what that more looks like for you or how you can start using your untapped potential. Going on a self-discovery journey can help you avoid that.

5. You don’t feel like you’re living authentically.

   When you live authentically, you’re living in a way that makes you feel like you’re being true to who you really are. You feel like you’re not hiding valuable or essential parts of yourself from others. While you will still tend to behave differently around different people depending on your relationship to them, you feel like all of you is present in every interaction.
   
   The problem is, in our society it can be very hard to live authentically. As we get older, we start to learn that there are certain expectations that people have of us and what we’re supposed to do, again because of those molds I mentioned in #1. And we’re taught, both implicitly and explicitly, what some of the consequences of breaking out of those molds are.
   
   But if we truly want to live authentically, we can’t let society put us into a box and tell us how to live. We have to be willing to break with tradition and live in a way that feels aligned with our values and priorities, rather than someone else’s.
   
   Yes, it can be hard to do things differently than other people. It can be hard to go against the norm. But being authentic will require that the only standard you judge yourself by is the one you set for yourself. And when you go on a journey to discover who you truly are, you’ll come to understand what values and priorities make up that standard.
   
   Just remember that living authentically doesn’t mean you have to do everything differently than others do. But in the areas of your life where you feel like convention is clashing with your true self, you have to be willing to do the unconventional.

What to Take Away

A journey of self-discovery is a great way to discover your true self—your beliefs, your preferences, your passions. When you feel unfulfilled or confused about your identity, or when you feel you’re not using your gifts adequately or living authentically, this kind of journey can help you find the clarity you need to move forward. And you don’t even need a plane ticket to get started. Just be willing to go deep.

Now it’s your turn. Why do you think it’s important to go on a journey of self-discovery?

~ Ashley C.