Knowing who you are is one of the greatest and important things to do in this life. It is a personal and life long journey that every individual must take. It goes a long way in building you up and recognizing who we want to be ultimately. How well do we really know and understand ourselves?

Discovering yourself can be a herculean task. Here are some tips in how to kickstart your journey into discovering yourself;

1. Find out what you are passionate about. Think and reflect on what brings you excitement and joy in your life. Passions don't always have to be in relation to career interests. Taking the time to explore what you enjoy can give you more insight on how to enrich your life.

2. Know your personality style.Realize who you truly are, not who you want to be. When you do this, you will see where you fit into. You can find out more about your temperament in this article.

3. Set SMART Goals. The SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time- bound. Setting goals means that you are providing yourself with a target to aim for. On this self discovery journey, having clearly defined objectives based on your realities can help align your life. For example if you plan on trying a new hobby like reading, it implies that you have set a goal. Making it more specific is when you decide the kind of books you want to start reading I.e...African Literature, fiction etc. Give yourself a time duration to finish the book by so doing you can actually measure or assess your progress. At the end of the day, you can sit back and ask your self if the goal is achievable.

4.Ask for feedback. Hearing what others think of you is helpful. It doesn't mean their opinions are going to be perfect. It's your duty to filter those feedbacks and work with the ones your resonate with. You must also make sure to ask honest and trustworthy friends.

5.Assess your relationships. When you realize who you are, navigating through relationships becomes easy. For example, a leader who hasn't discovered himself will be lost as a leader. This applies to all relationships as well.

6.Start relying on yourself.Take the time to reflect on your unique abilities and how you use them. These values can tell you a lot about the kind of person you are. Exude confidence wherever you find yourself. Trust your own judgements and be patient with yourself.

7.You don't have to be loved by everyone. Accept that no matter what you do, people will still think poorly of you. Know this and experience peace!.Above all, be truly honest with yourself.

8.Serve others . " The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others'' - Mahatma Ghandi. By doing so, you can find a sense of purpose and focus on what matters most.

9. Try new things. Trying out new things can be really challenging......but then again, you won't know what you are good at or what you enjoy if you don't give it a shot. Aside from teaching you more about yourself, trying new things can boost your self- esteem.

10. Keep a journal to document your journey. Your future self will thank you. Keeping a journal will help with self- reflection. You can use your journal as a guide to ask yourself certain questions and answer them for self development.

These tips will enable you to live with authenticity and staying true to yourself.