Even at a young age, I always had a small sense of who I was; I may have not always been able to stand up for what I believe in, but for the most part I stayed true to what I felt was right for me. Although that may not be the case for everyone, I notice as I get older that people tend to walk through the swing of life without taking a moment to consider why they make the choices they do, and truly deliberate what they want.

It's easier to not think about those things, honestly. It's not like one day you're going to wake up knowing exactly who you are and what you want, if it was that simple I wouldn't be writing this article.

There's something intrinsic and valuable in the journey of self discovery; it's like falling in love with the deepest crevices of yourself. It's similar to a road trip: ultimately you want to get from point A to point B, however the car ride and adventure there is usually what makes trip worthwhile. It's the road bumps, the wrong turns, and the struggles that make the final destination so satisfying.

But how do you discover yourself? Is there a formula? A recipe for success? A step-by-step list of instructions?

Unfortunately not, well, at least not one that I've managed to find. But there are some simply lifestyle changes that allow me to have a closer look at who I really am.

1. Meditation

Within the past two years, I've been introduced to the wonders of meditation. No, it doesn't make me levitate or reach a state of nirvana, at least not yet anyways. But depending on the type of guided meditation I choose, I find it amazing what comes out of it. One of my best friends and I meditate frequently, and she has a list of meditations that are prime for self discovery. 

The one thing I can recommend is to be as relaxed as possible; don't try to create an elaborate and vivid meditation from your imagination, let your thoughts come and go naturally.

Once you're done with the meditation, look up the symbolism behind the things you saw during your session. (It's okay if you don't see anything your first couple of times, it's almost like a muscle that you have to learn to use. It will come eventually!) After looking those up and their meaning, try to apply them to your current, or past, situations in life. You'll be amazed with what you discover.

2. Being more aware of your surroundings

An interesting component of finding yourself is realizing why you do the things you do. Why do you find yourself in similar situations over and over again? Why do you never confront issues in the way that you truly want to?

It's easier to start with smaller things before tackling on the bigger concepts. Here's an example of one I did recently:

I realized I always dreaded going to this once class of mine; I asked myself why, and my answer was because I didn't feel like I was learning anything. So I kept asking myself "why?" until I got to the root of the issue: I discovered that the reason why I hated going to this class was because instead of asking for the help I truly needed, I tried to handle everything myself. I learned that the kind of person I am has difficulty asking for help or admitting that I can't handle something.

Being aware of why I felt the way I did in situations and questioning why I acted in certain ways helped me add a couple pieces to the puzzle of who I really was, and it was beautiful to see that unravel within myself.

3. Loving yourself

This is one I still struggle with today. I think it's safe to say that it's easier to find flaws within yourself than to proudly and confidently state why you love yourself. I believe that as a society we're ingrained to always find an issue with something, and we're expected to look at things, human or not, and find a way to make them better.

While I agree there is always room for self improvement and that no one is perfect, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't find things about ourselves that we love.

When you accept yourself, flaws and all, you allow more of yourself to come to the surface; you aren't afraid to be who you are because you love who you are. You'll find out things about yourself that you would've never imagined, and you'll realize you're doing things you would've normally never done.

I get it, it's not easy. And I'll be the first one to raise my hand and say that to a certain extent, I have absolutely no idea who I am, but I want to. I want to discover what I was made for and what my purpose in this life is, but more importantly, I want to see the beauty of self discovery unravel in others. So trust me, if I can start my own journey, I know you can too.