It’s probably premature for a 20yo to be asking this, but I’m just too curious.

 

The journey of self discovery seems never-ending.

Sure, we can establish a more general, loose perception of ourselves but we’re constantly evolving so it’s inconsistent.

It feels like humans are too complex for us to find ourselves in such a concrete and assured way. 

What do you guys think?

 

Ugh what a ******* conundrum, I see why ATRL sticks to Gaga v Beyoncé threads lol

I don’t think anyone ever finds themselves, we change, grow, and learn with time, we’re not gonna be the same forever, it’s just a constant cycle of knowing what you like, what you wanna achieve or what you wanna become 

I don’t believe that one day we’ll “find ourselves” and we’ll magically know all about us and what should we do with our lives, we’re not in a movie 

6 minutes ago, Gerardo said:

I don’t think anyone ever finds themselves, we change, grow, and learn with time, we’re not gonna be the same forever, it’s just a constant cycle of knowing what you like, what you wanna achieve or what you wanna become 

I don’t believe that one day we’ll “find ourselves” and we’ll magically know all about us and what should we do with our lives, we’re not in a movie 

The pressure especially with this is crazy, that’s why I respect people that opt for a change & start from scratch after years of investing/committing to something that’s just not making them happy anymore. It’s so ballsy. 
 

I don't think we find ourselves, but we find confidence in ourselves which makes life a much better experience 

yes

 

Just now, smartalek22 said:

I don't think we find ourselves, but we find confidence in ourselves which makes life a much better experience 

and at times we also lose confidence in ourselves

I don't think so, it's a constant search, to me that's the journey of life, what life is about, it's never complete, more like a dynamic process (if you're actually willing to do it, I believe most people don't even care about it).

Self-realization can only come from releasing your earthly ties.

 

 

I don’t think anyone can truly “fully” find themself but everyone can become more aware of who they are via certain methods. Psychoanalysis is one for example. But, even though self discovery can look all fun and games, it can be a painful process in which you discover surppressed traumas, see the side of you that you don’t want to see. One thing that I notice some people don’t understand is that, self discovery is not only about the self, it is also about discovering social and cultural rules and norms. Some of them are so taken for granted that it may shock you to discover. Finding your place in the society, how the society functions and how you fit into all of these can be difficult to comprehend and accept. 

35 here. Life is an ongoing quest for self discovery but everything gets better in your late 20s (hopefully). You live, you learn, you fall, you pick yourself back up. Rinse. Repeat. You’ve got a whole life ahead of you and the next 10 years will be magical. You’re gonna live and learn so much. 
 

I think it’s got more to do with being comfortable in your own skin and accepting you’re prone to make mistakes. 

Not entirely because we live in a world full of egoism, distraction, materialism, and set up paths + preconceived rights and wrongs for subjective "success". I've learned that once you think you've "found yourself", there's always something more to dig deeper into. Whether that be suppressed childhood trauma in your subconscious, observed habits you have picked up from others without knowing, or intrinsic characteristics learned by the outside world you weren't aware of. It's ok to be at peace with never finding yourself entirely because no one ever does. BUT you can find yourself to the greatest potential you can. Practices such as meditation really help silence the world around you and give you a better insight on who you really are and why you act the way you do. Write everything down, journal, and go deeper. Try to see the world from a bigger picture and what your place in it is. And do not make it a stressful task because that in itself goes against the natural and organic journey of self discovery.

Return to the root, they said.

It's an extremely complex concept. There's that clock within your soul that seems to be ticking. You don't realise it and you don't know what it is. The older you get the more you get perplexed with its notion/core. However there's a care free card that i WISH i had when i was in my 20's. And it will hit you right when you reach 30.

 

You just slowly care less and get more confident and focused which is the perk/positive side of this strange game we're in. Come to realise this HAS got to be ALL a test. Because you'll see clearly just how unequal and unjust life could be, but mostly of our own actions. 

 

Also , whatever vision you have of your future self ( say in the next 10 years) That is LITERALLY what you'll become. It's astounding. 

9 hours ago, TouchinFree said:

It's an extremely complex concept. There's that clock within your soul that seems to be ticking. You don't realise it and you don't know what it is. The older you get the more you get perplexed with its notion/core. However there's a care free card that i WISH i had when i was in my 20's. And it will hit you right when you reach 30.

 

You just slowly care less and get more confident and focused which is the perk/positive side of this strange game we're in. Come to realise this HAS got to be ALL a test. Because you'll see clearly just how unequal and unjust life could be, but mostly of our own actions. 

 

Also , whatever vision you have of your future self ( say in the next 10 years) That is LITERALLY what you'll become. It's astounding. 

The increasingly anxious feeling of ‘time running out’ to do things/to be somebody/to have something is what pushed me to ask this.

 

Even a very surface level sense of self is daunting to look for sometimes. 
I start to wonder if everything we take on in this life is less to do with choice/destiny and just solely a means to survive. 

You’re a baby, no one knows who they are at 20. 
 

Focus on yourself, your health and physique, completing your studies well, getting a good paying job in a field you like, and the rest will fall into place.

no, only if your narcassict and think world surrounds around you.

10 hours ago, moonlitdick said:

The increasingly anxious feeling of ‘time running out’ to do things/to be somebody/to have something is what pushed me to ask this.

 

Even a very surface level sense of self is daunting to look for sometimes. 
I start to wonder if everything we take on in this life is less to do with choice/destiny and just solely a means to survive. 

Yep. I can totally understand. And this is extremely normal especially for a person as young as yourself. Because we're surrounded by "timelines" tied to certain "milestones" set by rules people made up. Whilst it is great to focus and be driven because that's obviously important however ,you shouldn't feel pressure . Keep the pressure minimal and travel at your own pace. 

 

Like i said earlier , im literally the person i've envisioned 10 years ago whether positive or negative , "successful" or "not successful". Your mind is more powerful than you realise . Whatever you see yourself as when you close your eyes , THAT will be you. Literally as cliche as it sounds. So always tell it positive things about yourself no matter what you go through. 

 

And yes , whilst im only 31 and some might have more experience in life. You're right , some things are 100% out of our control WHILST choices are up to US. And it's ok to be at peace with both. Getting older is a beautiful thing . Worth every bit of realisation and that care free  feeling. It's like your mind is now wide open and you understand everything clearly....and your scope is now narrow because you'll decide what matter to YOU the most. 

 

Lots of things will also fall right into place too regardless of our understanding of time . Which is so incredible and exciting to witness