Taking control: First things first – Do you know who you are?

The process of socialization shapes behavior to conform to societal values and beliefs.  It instills foundational perception of your environment and therefore configures you to see and attain preconceived standards.

First things first!

If you are able to read this article, it means you have passed the phase of close monitoring in which your parents had to approve the content of your non-formal and formal learning.   It is said that an infant accumulates foundational principles from birth to eight years. This simply means if you have been exposed to positive environment, you have positive foundational information which will help you to perceive the world positively.  The same principle applies for negative or non-educational environment.  The remaining gaps are filled through peer education and other social institutions. The essence of this awareness is to challenge you to ask yourself the following questions:  Who am I? Can I describe myself according to how I perceive myself?

The rationale for knowing who you are!

Can you successfully formulate your goal when you do not know who you are? Attempting to know who you are is discovering your given talents and spiritual gifts because they will reveal the purpose for which you exists. It is an awakening to the fact that what you see could be the tip of an iceberg.  Your parents may have raised you but they can never accurately define who you really are! Only you know who you are!  Why? Because you learned to comply with what you were taught even when you felt otherwise about certain rules, values and beliefs.  If you do not revisit this exercise to audit what those values and beliefs are, you cannot live your life nor input refined knowledge into your version of socialization for your own self development.  

Why is evaluation of who you are important?  It enables you to consider whether you are on tract on three aspects of your life:

1.     Relationships: What do you understand by ideal relationships? How do you rate yourself on the scale of 1 to 10?

Tips: Do you relate to people without another voice editing how you should speak, open to other people or even disproving your conduct? Do you feel as if someone is watching you and monitoring your behavior? If this is the case, you need to discover why!

2.     Wealth: Do you know what wealth is and how you feel about attaining it?  How do you rate yourself on the scale of 1 to 10?

Tips: Is accumulating money part of your personal goals? How do you feel about having money and living without any lack? Have you self-educate yourself about getting rich? 

3.     Health: Do you still buy food that you ate as a child? Have you added any knowledge about eating right and maintaining healthy lifestyle?  How do you rate yourself on the scale of 1 to 10?

Tips: If you still eat food that your parents taught you to eat and has not improved anything, it could be that they were diet conscious and very good in life-supporting lifestyle or you have not really thought about improving your health.  Without good health your attempts for good relationships and accumulation of wealth could be futile.

The principle of first things first in this context denotes an awakening of the sense of self; the personalized definition which confirms or edits attributes that define how you perceive yourself.  It is identifying given tools that are meant to assist you to reach your goals.  Your goals are made up of these given unique interests and skills so that your life could be meaningful and satisfying.