YOU Are The Key to Unlocking Your Real Potential

Self-Understanding and Making Life-Changing Decisions

Going on a journey of self-understanding is not just beneficial; it's transformative. It involves reflecting into the depths of who we are, why we make the decisions we do, and how we can align our lives with our truest selves.

As an extreme introvert, I’ve always been very observant of other people and how they experience life. I try to learn through others just as much as I do in my own life. The barbershop space really opened my eyes to that even more. I used to see and talk to roughly 200-300 clients a month about a wide variety of topics. A small group had it together, while many others suffered the mundane cycle of life that really it seemed liked they chose in many ways. As a barber, I quickly experienced the biggest sense of gratitude that I had chosen a career path that whether people I knew supported it or not, I was happy to do it. Happy to be building upon it day by day and never really thinking about where it might take me, I know I was blessed to have found it as early as I did at 20 years old.

This was a choice I made after so many failed attempts working at random entry level jobs. I was nearly a college dropout after trying to appease my family and do the school thing to get a degree and make them proud. As early as high school, I felt like a robot following directions from my family on what it would mean to be successful by making my way through the school route. Breaking away from my family and their path was the first true pivotal moment in my life where I felt independent and in control of my future. I’ve been on a self-discovery journey ever since 2006 when I got out of high school and I truly believe it is the main reason I have been able to find the success I have today from ideally learning more about who I am and what I want.

Why Deep Self-Knowledge Matters

Understanding yourself goes beyond the basic likes and dislikes about who you are. It is about uncovering the motivation behind your actions, recognizing your emotional triggers, and identifying the values that guide your life. This deep knowledge empowers you to make decisions that are not just good, but great—for you. It's the difference between living a life by default and living a life by design.

Idk why this happened to me, but I love Personality Tests. I used to go to parties and by the end of the night, be giving people tests and learn about strangers before I actually got to know them. Sometimes they were just fun for the time passing and other times I would be shocked to hear they were true once I got to know people.

Tests are not the tell-all about people because it also depends on the current state of mind of peoples awareness when they are taking these things so I like to remind people to be extremely quick and honest while taking these. Some tests are for fun but some are just staples that I believe everyone should take at some point. This takes my back to my early college days where I took interpersonal communications and we did take tests to see how well we knew ourselves. If we were open about ourselves, do we hide away from knowing our true-selves, or do we fake what we think about ourselves?

Here is a good one to start! I’ve taken these over the years and they have changed every time little by little. As you experience life and are open to new things, you change and evolve into new versions.

A little briefing on what this test is - The 16Personalities test is a personality assessment that provides insights into an individual's character based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It categorizes personalities into 16 distinct types, identified through a combination of four key dichotomies: Introversion (I) vs. Extraversion (E), Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N), Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F), and Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P). These types are further grouped into four roles: Analysts, Diplomats, Sentinels, and Explorers, each with unique characteristics and approaches to life, work, and relationships. The test aims to help individuals understand their own behaviors, preferences, and compatibility with others, offering insights for personal growth, career path, and social interactions.

Take it here: https://www.16personalities.com/

I came across an amazing podcast recently about this other test about how your brain works that I find useful to know about myself and in team settings. The Kwik Brain Quiz is designed to assess and provide insights into your current brain performance. Created by Jim Kwik, a renowned expert in brain performance and memory improvement, this quiz aims to identify areas where you can enhance your mental capabilities, including memory, focus, processing speed, and comprehension. After completing the quiz, participants receive personalized recommendations and strategies to improve their cognitive functions, tailored to their specific results. The goal is to help individuals unlock their brain's full potential for learning faster, retaining more information, and improving overall mental productivity.

Take test here: https://start.kwikbrain.com/quiz

The Journey of Personal Work

The path to self-discovery is paved with personal work. This means setting aside time for self-reflection, challenging your existing beliefs, and being honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. You have to confront the parts of yourself that you may have been avoiding and embracing the opportunity to grow. When we grow up, we are layered with energies and experiences that were placed upon by friends and family. Growing up and maturing is undoing some of those things that are NOT really us. It’s not an easy task, but it’s not an impossible one especially if we want to get to a place in life we want to live in the highest level of gratitude and appreciation.

Areas for Personal Insights

There’s many lessons that weren’t given to me growing up that I needed to find elsewhere and these areas below helped me discover more:

Classes at my local colleges (I took 3 from different schools): Interpersonal Communications

Books like: The Power of Now, Unfuck Yourself, Mindfulness in Plain English, The Practicing Mind

Podcasts from: Aaron Doughty, Ed Mylett, Andy Frisella, Gary Vee

Meditation: Guided meditation you can find plenty of options on Youtube

Online Education in Spirituality: Courses from Aaron Doughty

Taking Action Towards a Better You

Here are some steps to foster self-understanding:

1. Journaling/Reflection: A personal diary can be a mirror to your soul, reflecting your thoughts, feelings, and growth over time.

2. Seeking Feedback: Open yourself to feedback from people you trust. They can offer perspectives you might not have considered.

3. Experimenting with New Interests: Discover hidden facets of your personality by trying things you’ve never done before. How will you know what you like or don’t like unless you try. You never lose or “waste time” because it forms a better decision for your future of things you want to spend your time on MORE than not. It’s the same when I was cutting all styles in the barbershop. One reason was to learn the craft and the other was to understand what my style interests were. Like super traditional barbering styles vs modern styles. I enjoyed the challenge but as far as environment goes as I got further into my craft, I preferred a more open and modern environment where I can dress the way I want that I felt good in vs a traditional shop where people were suited up or wearing traditional smocks.

Self-Discovery is a life long journey

Getting to know ourselves is forever evolving. If there’s anything you shouldn’t stop, it’s the research and reflecting of who you are and what you’re growing into. I thought I was a barber who would be in the barbershop forever and the more I explored and kept following my interests and internal guide, it led to me being a DP on set (more recently a new position for me as a creator) which I’m grateful for because the position is very intimidating for someone like myself who was self-taught in video production. I didn’t go to film school. I learned through trial and error and have probably spent a LOT of money on equipment so I can further my knowledge in it. I regret nothing! I’m so glad i did it because I wouldn’t be here today without that curiosity and willingness to learn at any cost.

The further I go down this road, the more DMs i get with - “You are where I want to be” “I want to reach your level” “How do I get to do what you’re doing?” While I love the way my world is shifting, it’s not the easiest route. I’ve had to fail a ton to get to this place the hard way with no guidance. Just the will to keep trying.

Whatever it is your GOAL is, you have to really ask yourself some of these questions and really remember why do you care about it? Why do you want to do it? What part of it makes you excited? And what sacrifices are you willing to take to achieve it?

Clarity leads to better and faster results. Not knowing keeps you looping around the same things you aren’t sure about. That’s why understanding yourself is the key in all of this.

Going on the journey of self-understanding is arguably one of the most rewarding and challenge things you can do . It’s about discovering the essence of who you are and shaping your life in a way that brings true happiness and fulfillment. I encourage you to keep digging deeper into the process of self-discovery, stay curious and with an open heart. The path may not always be easy, but the destination—a life lived with purpose and passion—is well worth the journey.

Keep this image in your head because we all know someone who seems lost or fell into the stress of unexpected life events they didn’t plan for or choose. Don’t let it be you. Stay connected to the things you are truly passionate about, be curious and resilient and get so good at your craft, your life changes to take the shape you want and above all, your lifes’ work impacts the someone in a positive way.

Another day, another chance to self-reflect and take the next right step forward. 

Sending you all the positivity and motivation you need!

Sof!