There is no better time for self discovery than during your college years. It's a chance to learn who you are now, freed from the past and surrounded by new people; to set goals for the future, establish your values, and explore your interests. Perhaps this idea seems cliché, as if it were the caption to a cheesy motivational poster encouraging you to "Follow Your Dreams," but it is an important concept to consider nonetheless.
Who am I?
I've been in college for a little over two weeks now, and already I feel like I've been asked this question (or a variation of it) a thousand times. They aren't interested in my life story--they don't want to know my deepest secrets, my darkest fears, or my wildest dreams; in this case, it is nothing more than introduction. We'll exchange the usual pleasantries (name, hometown, major) and the conversation will go from there.
Don't get me wrong, these almost scripted introductions are an important aspect of beginning to define who we are, but it only provides a snapshot of our true identity. Just as only 10 percent of an iceberg is visible above the water, we often only see a limited view of ourselves. That is not to say that this 10 percent is a false representation of who we are, and this metaphor isn't intended to make anyone feel shallow, only to emphasize the idea that there is more to our identities than we may realize.
The remaining 90 percent is not as easy to describe. In simplest form, this is where we find the hidden depth of our personality, the basis of our subconscious mind. The question of who I am is no longer strong enough to allow us to dive below the surface and explore our true identities; instead we must ask ourselves:
Why am I the way that I am?
Basically, this is asking us to lift the veil and analyze how our character, habits, behaviors, nuances, emotions, actions, etc. combine to shape who we are--our personality. Sounds simple enough, right? In theory, yes, but the complexity of human nature makes it difficult to accurately pinpoint everyone's psychological tendencies exactly. Still, even a rudimentary understanding of one's psychology and personality is beneficiary, if not vital, to one's journey to self discovery.
Unless you have a doctorate degree in psychology, you're likely unsure where to start on your path. However, thanks to the last 27-or-so years of technological advancements, the World Wild Web is virtually flooded with an array of online personality tests and quizzes to choose from, though they aren't all created equally. So while it may be fun to take a quiz to find your true spirit animal or learn what your favorite color says about your lifestyle, ultimately remember what your goal is here: self discovery. With that in mind, there is really only one kind of personality test to consider: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)® personality inventory.
Despite our complexity and differences, the MBTI® theory breaks personality into 16 different basic types through an evaluation of our psychological preferences. The types are given acronyms to represent that types particular psychological preferences; for example, the I in INFP means that people with this personality trait tend to be more introverted than extroverted. While I won't get into the specifics of the test here, I found the MBTI® method to personality profiling to be the most in depth approach. However, it sound be noted that the trademarked MBTI® personality inventory (see above link) cost money to complete. Though it is likely to be the most accurate test, there are several other online options that follow the same methodology and theory. I personally preferred the test from 16Personalities--the questions were very straightforward and the explanation of each personality type was extremely thorough.
When it comes to self discovery, finding out your personality type is only the beginning. It is a stepping stone to digging deeper into yourself, to understanding who you are and figuring out where you want to go. Because isn't that also an important aspect of college, determining where your future lies? Knowing who you are now, your weaknesses and your strengths, will ultimately allow you to set yourself up for success as you plan for what's next.
Perhaps we will never have all the answers, but as long as we continue to ask the right questions, we'll be heading in the right direction.
What a liberation to realize that the 'voice in my head' is not who I am. Who am I, then? The one who sees that.
-Eckhart Tolle
