What has helped for me is getting to know myself, how I affect others and how I operate in the world, my preferences for learning, for relationships, for communicating, for dealing (or not dealing -- a favorite of mine) with conflict, for doing and for not doing.....in fact my preferences for just about anything.

Getting to know myself has been enlightening as I unravel both my strengths and those areas requiring attention if I was to live the life I wanted. It hasn't always been easy particularly as I shone the light on my "dark side" so to speak. This awareness of how I operate has helped me take at look at how I played the inner game of life. I think the following quote by St Augustine of Hippo sums up how many of us operate until something happens to direct our attention inward: "People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and they pass themselves by without wondering."

A core belief here at http://www.nursesselfcare.com/ is that managing our life the best that we can starts from the inside out. Acting from such a belief means we need to strengthen our skills at becoming and being aware. Awareness of how you operate in the world will assist you in every aspect of your life. Start the rediscovery process today. To assist you on this journey :

* check out your personality profile. The Myers Briggs Personality Inventory is probably a fairly non threatening place to start and will help you understand your preferred method of operating in the world. Once you have digested this you can move onto further assessments that will support you in uncovering both positive and not so positive aspects of yourself

* Get feedback, yes maybe a scary option to begin with but it will offer loads of learning opportunities and ideas of how you impact others

* Keep a journal this will help you identify patterns in how you respond, strengths and opportunities for improvement. It will also provide information that will assist you identify and where appropriate, challenge your beliefs about yourself.

* Find a mentor you trust and respect

* Ask why? rather than simply acting out of habit