“Nobody is perfect” – a saying that many of us have probably been told multiple times in our lives. However, not many of us believe in this saying. We may not expect others in our lives to be perfect and can easily pinpoint other people’s faults, but when it comes to ourselves, we like to assume perfection. Sometimes we expect ourselves to be amazed at playing an instrument or amazing in a subject. In terms of qualities that we possess as humans, as we get older, we become more stubborn in our tendencies. We believe that we have found the perfect way to live and refuse to believe that there are habits that we need to change. Choosing to believe that we are perfect can cause us to miss out on important parts of life, such as building healthy relationships, excelling in work, and having better mental health. As much as it seems that ignoring our flaws provides us with confidence, it does not aid our growth.
Self-assessment is the tool needed to improve ourselves and to reflect on our decisions, actions and to think about what steps to take in the future. Below are four reasons as to why you should consider doing some self-assessment.
Self-assessment allows you to build a relationship with yourself.
Understand what habits of yours are harmful, and which ones are positive. It’s time to be honest with yourself because if you do not choose to accept your flaws then you are only distancing yourself from who you really are. Opening up to ourselves can help be more loving to ourselves but it is not easy to do. It may be scary at first to admit that you may have made bad decisions in the past but forgiving yourself and learning from your mistakes will make you more loving to yourself. As Ru Paul says, “If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”
Self-assessment gives us a clearer image of the situation.
Our judgment is clouded by many things: emotions, media, others’ opinions. Reflecting on our own actions and thinking about the root cause of your behaviour can point towards revealing whether our actions are rational or not. Sometimes this leads to overthinking and regret, creating more inner turmoil, but one should view this activity as an action that can help us make better decisions in the future.
Self-assessment is needed for growth.
When we realize our weaknesses and strengths, then only can we grow. If we choose to remain stuck to our old habits and tendencies, there is not much change that can occur. This can be applied to anyone, in any stage of life. For example, a student may self-reflect on their study habits in correlation to their academic success to figure out how they can improve their grades. If a student continues to keep up their poor study habits, he/she can never expect improvement. Or a worker in a corporation may do some self-assessment to figure out what skills he/she may be lacking in order to climb the corporate ladder. If the worker chose to believe that he/she was a perfect worker, then getting a promotion is not very likely. Accepting and understanding the fact that there is always room for improvement can shift your perspective on your journey in life.
Ways to self-reflect:
If you are looking for some effective ways to self-reflect and do some self-assessing, consider using the following techniques.
Journaling or keeping a diary –Write down the emotions and feelings that you experienced throughout the day. Write about things that made you happy or sad, and why certain situations made you react in a specific way. Focus on getting to the root cause of your actions, as that is what will guide you towards self-reflection.
Therapy or talking to a confidant – As much as we try to keep our emotions under control, there are times when we can’t keep everything to ourselves anymore. Talking about your emotions to either a therapist or confidant is a good way of reflecting on your actions. Having someone to encourage you to open up is great for those who choose to not build a connection with themselves. Therapy can also help you work out the nitty gritty parts of your emotions through prompts and questions, allowing us to think deeper into our actions and feelings.