NOSCE TE IPSVM

Knowing oneself is to be aware of why one thinks, acts, and believes in a certain way. This knowledge incorporates the reasons behind the actions of a being and the core mental processes that make up our decisions. To have this self-knowledge would be very valuable. Someone may act a certain way but not know his or her real intentions and be unable to determine why he or she behaved that way. However, with such knowledge, there are explanations to the actions, which in turn can lead to improvement or alteration in character. Self-knowledge is valuable because it allows oneself to be aware of the meaning behind behavior and beliefs and whether or not this meaning goes along with one’s own values and morals. Self-knowledge makes a stronger, more confident person who allows him or herself to improve. Knowledge of how we ourselves work can also help us understand the reasons behind others’ actions. This understanding can lead to better communication between people and, eventually, the knowledge of how and why humans as a whole think and act.

I have many weakness—some of which I am not even aware of—but my worst quality is that if something I need to do does not have a deadline, I typically will not do it, or it will take me too long to get it done. This can either have to do with laziness or aversion to the task at hand. I speak for myself, and probably a lot of other classmates, when I say that if assignments at school did not have due dates, they would hardly ever get done. I enjoy doing things that I think are fun and interesting rather than ones I consider unfavorable. However, a lot of the time, the unfavorable deeds benefit me the most because they make me work, challenge myself, and cultivate a sense of responsibility and productivity. I try to stop this weakness in various ways. Sometimes, I will just complete the task so that I will not have to worry about it later. However, I usually only do this when the task is simple and does not require much work. For example, when I was younger, my mom would have to constantly remind me to write thank you cards after one of my parties. Sometimes, I would send the cards out later than would be expected and other times, I pushed off writing the cards until I decided it would be useless and unacceptable to send them so late—thus I would not do them at all. Now, for something as simple as writing thank you cards, I get it done rather quickly. For other tasks that are harder, require more work, or which I find disagreeable, more effort is needed for completion. In cases like these, I have to make a due date for myself, which still does not always work. Oftentimes, I only do something once my parents have nagged me about it so much that I realize I cannot put it off anymore.

My strength is that I remember almost anything. Not anything as in random facts and trivia or material on a test, but I remember many circumstances that have taken place between me and another person. To some people, this strength is rather a weakness since it means remembering all of the bad things someone has said or done. However, I have a strong sense of forgiveness coupled with this memory. Even though I remember hurtful or embarrassing memories, I accept them as part of the past and move on. I think it takes less energy and is healthier to focus on the good aspects of a person—whether they are from the past or present—instead of the negative. This does not just pertain to how I view other people, but to myself as well. I forgive myself for behaving badly and vow to not do it again in the future, rather than lingering on what I have done and disliking myself. Of course, if a bad memory is so strong and representative of a person’s overall character, I am also able to recognize that I should distance myself from that person, or, if the memory is of my own behavior, change my own character.

Sometimes, we cannot recognize our strengths even if others can; what may be a strength really seems like an ordinary part of who we are. Similarly, some of us recognize our weaknesses and others do not. Either way, it is hard to face negative aspects of our personality. But, without knowing our weaknesses, how can anyone improve? I think part of confidence is the ability to acknowledge both the strengths and weaknesses in ourselves. A person with true confidence knows he or she has a weakness, but tries harder to change it instead of viewing it as a negative aspect. It is very hard for me to determine what my strengths and weaknesses are. I am unsure of whether what I consider a strength is perhaps not a strength to other people. Then, I do not want to seem arrogant, thinking that I am so strong when maybe I am just ordinary. For my weaknesses, I can find small things that seem weak to me, but maybe I am not even aware of my own biggest weakness. Perhaps one of my weaknesses is worrying about how others view my strengths and weaknesses when I should only care about my own opinion and improve what I think should be changed. The uncertainty of thinking about what I am and am not good at is uncomfortable. In the college essays that I am working on, it is so hard to write about myself and describe “why I would make this or that college more diverse.” It is easy to be me, but it is hard to think about who I am and why I am this way.