Michal Stawicki - Know Yourself Like Your Success Depends on It

Six Simple Steps to Success vol.

Know Yourself Like Your Success Depends on It

Written and Published By: Michal Stawicki

Copyright 2015 Michal Stawicki

See yourself in the mirror of your mind to find yourself.

Debasish Mridha

You can, you should, and if youre brave enough to start, you will. Stephen King

Stephen King is referring to writing. Everyone has a story to tell, and in this age of digital publishing, anyone can tell one. But only a few tell their story, even if its become ridiculously easy to do so. Only those courageous enough to show themselves will do it.

I have quite a few friends who are self-published authors. I learn from them. I realized one of the qualities that differentiate doers from talkers while reading a friends wonderful book Journey Within My Heart . She knew herself. She was able to tell the story from within her heart because she knew what was hidden there.

My enlightenment didnt stop there. In the first quarter of 2013, I participated in an online Transformational Contest organized by Early to Rise . Part of that participation involved contributing to an online forum. I enjoyed being part of a lively community that supported and cheered each other on. It was the most positive bunch of people Ive ever met. But most who joined did not turn that positive energy into any lasting success.

I followed those who continued the projects they began: they wrote books, they started businesses, they launched blogs. Those individuals had a deep insight into their own souls.

Finally, I realized the broader picture: success is directly dependent on your ability to examine yourself.

This realization brought me to the idea of this series. If this ability to look within is common among the doers, are there other such characteristics? Can they be learned? Can they catapult an individual to success?

Yes, yes, and yes.

Success requires more than good self-analysis, just as being a great basketball player requires much more than great free-throw shooting ability.

But its certainly handy. And if a player also develops superb efficiency in 2-point and 3-point throws and is above average at reading the game, predicting opponents moves, and playing well in a team, suddenly synergy develops. Now he is recognized as a great player.

Self-analysis is the skill that has been mastered by countless successful people throughout history.

Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor in the second century, was the most powerful man on the planet in his time. He is famous today due to Meditations , a journal he kept while waging war in the defense of the Empire. These notes reveal insights into his heart and show the self-discipline he attained through self-analysis.

Jim Rohn was a self-made millionaire. He struggled to keep afloat and manage his debts for the first six years of his career. Then he met his mentor, Earl Shoaff, and become a millionaire over the next six. He was a great preacher and practitioner of self-knowledge. He recommended writing and keeping a journal, and did so for over fifty years, from the age of 25.

Napoleon Bonaparte climbed to the role of French Emperor from modest means. He built a powerful country out of the ashes of revolution within sixteen years. Under his rule, France defeated multiple armies across Europe. He still made time to write his memoirs while doing so.

Many saints kept journals. Often their journals are the only written works they left behind.

Self-analysis is not limited to discoveries you make through journaling. Saints almost unanimously practiced reflection and spiritual exercises during yearly retreats. Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta didnt leave many written works, but her confessors and spiritual directors kept her notes from retreats.

All those Ive mentioned have left lasting marks in history. The nature of their achievements is secondary. Some of them just wanted to go to Heaven, some of them wanted to build successful businesses and add value to the world, some wanted to serve their countries to the maximum of their capabilities, and some just wanted to rule the world. But they all had in common the habit of examining, assessing, and correcting themselves.

Their methods varied. Some preferred meditation, some journaling, others spiritual exercises or some other activity. This ability to examine yourself is so commonly seen among successful people that no one pursuing success can ignore the importance of this foundation. It is one of the cornerstones of success.

If you dont have experience in this area, it is not a serious obstacle. Self-analysis is a skill. As such, it can be developed. I can help you. For sixteen years, I avoided self-analysis at all costs. I was more than a bit frustrated about my situationa long commute, a job without prospects of promotion, a lukewarm spiritual lifebut I was covering this frustration by spending my time reading fiction and playing computer games. I preferred to anesthetize myself rather than pull myself together and seriously examine what was bothering me and how to change it.

Eventually though, I did change. And if Iwith the attitude I once hadcould change, you can do it too.

When I started to analyze myself on a regular basis, results in my life materialized. I passed a few professional exams and earned a couple of specialized certificates for my day job. I started writing and publishing, and my books actually sold. I bought the house my wife had been dreaming about for years. I lost 15% of my body weight and my fitness performance is now better than it was in my teenage years.

My attention to self-analysis isnt the sole reason I gained these successes. Self-analysis is only one element in a set of success-building factors. But its a necessary one.

Self-analysis may even become the cornerstone of your success, however you define it. As the examples above demonstrate, the use of this is not restricted to politics or business. Deeper insight into yourself can help you with anything.

- Success directly depends on your ability to examine yourself.

- Self-analysis is a skill and as such can be developed.

- The use of self-analysis is not restricted to politics or business. Deeper insight into yourself can help you with anything.

L ets talk a little about philosophy, a branch of knowledge begun by Socrates.

The word philosophy derives from Greek philosophia, which means love of knowledge, pursuit of wisdom; systematic investigation. In todays materialistic world, that may seem meaningless. Nevertheless, reflect on how many man-hours have been spent studying philosophy through the centuries; millions is not an exaggeration.

Today, most of us consider intangible subjects (like philosophy) irrelevant, not worth studying. In a fast-paced, solution-focused world, philosophy offers no how-to tips. An easy verdict follows: philosophy is obsolete.

I dont believe so, as this obsolete idea, the pursuit of wisdom, has been the source of many modern concepts. Playing it down is like playing down blacksmithing. Who needs those metalworkers skills nowadays? Only hobbyists. But basic blacksmithing techniques developed over centuries are the foundation of the modern metallurgy industry, without which we wouldnt have even electrical cords.

Intangible leads to tangible. Socrates follower, Aristotle, is credited with setting the foundation for all modern science. The device you read this book on was invented as an indirect result of Socrates love for wisdom. Your lifestyle is possible because this man did something differently than his compatriots several thousand years ago.

Why is it relevant? Because Socrates life motto was, Know thyself.