Why examine life

But what exactly is an examined life? Will mine be the same as yours? And if it is not, which one of ours is off the mark? Or could they possibly both be on the proper path? I must first point out that immediately upon beginning my research, I found a pointed observation and definition that warned against pinpointing detailed specifics on defining an examined life:.

The allure of those who offer to provide clear answers, simple directions, precise instructions, so that you may set aside examination and merely comply or unthinkingly follow custom and practice — perhaps living a conventionally moral life rather than an examined and ethical life [is to be avoided]. So, let me be clear, the goal today in sharing the 5 key components to living an examined life is not to parse out instructions to be blindly followed, but to share general over-arching ideas that regularly prompt you to live mindfully each and every day.

As you travel through life, proceed consciously, understanding your reasons for pursuing a certain career, marrying a particular person, taking or not taking a risk that others believe is a no-brainer, deciding whether or not to have kids, moving to a new destination or refusing to travel at all.

Ask yourself: Is is fear or courage that motivates me? Certainty or doubt that comforts me? I decided early on it was not going to be my looks. Humorist Amy Poehler has a point. Deep Dive Into Cryptocurrency. ET Markets Conclave — Cryptocurrency. Reshape Tomorrow Tomorrow is different. Let's reshape it today. Corning Gorilla Glass TougherTogether.

ET India Inc. ET Engage. ET Secure IT. ET Editorial. ET Commentary. ET View. Just in Jest. Speaking Tree. When we see something that matches or violates our beliefs, we are motivated to do something. This leads to action. Or, going backwards, our actions depend on our motivations, which rely on our beliefs or values. They usually are walls we erect between motivation and action, designed to prevent anyone from probing any deeper.

If someone sees you do something and asks why you did that, do you usually respond with your actual motivation, or do you give a reason or an excuse? I think that most of us will give a reason or an excuse, rather than get into a discussion of motivations. One answer leads to two more questions. Not a conversation most of us are comfortable having, is it? That, in my opinion, is exactly what this quote is all about.

Why did you cross the road? Was it to get to the other side? Why was that? Did you have someplace to go, or were you trying to avoid someone who looked scary? This is something that could take hours, so I would recommend you pick one thing each day to examine. How does one pick an action?

If you do something that feels a little weird, something of which you are a little ashamed, or something you feel you might not be doing for the right reasons, that might be something to examine.

Anything you think is probably wrong would also be a candidate, right? How does one do an examination? The trick is to keep digging. We all need to study ourselves because it is by far the most effective way to facilitate personal development. Personal development is the movement toward our holistic potential. It is striving to better ourselves across many dimensions of human life and capability.

Humanity needs more people functioning at their optimal potential. To begin addressing our enormous issues we need people who are physically and energetically healthy.

We need people who are sensitive and emotionally intelligent. We need people who are smart and creative. We need people who are socially responsible and compassionate. The list goes on…. But we absolutely need people who are growing. Our species needs you and I to strive toward growth. Studying yourself helps you grow by providing you with the knowledge you need to effectively enact change in your life.

When you study yourself you expand your self-knowledge. You learn about yourself. You widen your self-awareness.

I mean, that just makes sense. Not that hard to figure out…. What you may not have considered, though, is the benefit of applying that self-knowledge. If you want to change yourself for the better the best possible knowledge to have is self-knowledge. The more you learn about yourself the better you will be at growing on purpose. With excellent self-awareness you will know how to approach your endeavors of self-development.

Through self-study you will come to know your strengths and weaknesses more intimately. This will help you prepare to take advantage of those strengths and set up supports for those weaknesses.

I discovered my extra motivation early in the morning was a strength and took advantage of that. I discovered that I do poorly keeping up with habits without enough structure, so I had to do yoga at the same time each morning.

Go learn about yourself! Mindfulness meditation practice is the best way I know to study yourself. In my life it laid the most important foundations for self-study, and is still my most powerful tool for self-study. Mindfulness meditation is about non-judgmentally paying attention to your experience in the present moment. This practice teaches you the art of watching your breath, body, thoughts, emotions, senses, and whatever else as they pass through consciousness without judging them according to your normal criteria.

When you are less judgmental of yourself, you can be more objective about yourself.