5 Reflective Questions to Discover Who You Are and What You Want

The famous Irish poet Oscar Wilde once said, "The final mystery is oneself." But how do you unravel the mystery that is you? This can't happen without self-awareness , and self-awareness won't happen without reflection.

But what does reflection really mean?

Introspection is simply looking in. Stopping there not only limits your perspective, it can also diffuse it. In fact, it can lead some to pessimism, or even depression. Introspection is a one-way street. Reflection goes two ways. Let me explain.

Without reflection, your life becomes happenstance-activity without insight. Our experiences will not become insights without evaluating: Where I am, and why am I here? This in turn will help us to get to where we want to go. In other words, we become more authentic . Authenticity is about getting closer to our true identity.

I loved going to the carnival as a kid, and I especially enjoyed the fun house, running through the maze of mirrors, totally confused as to which way I should go. I would leave with knots on my head and bruises on my knees. The tiny lobby on the way out was lined with wildly curved mirrors reflecting distorted images of myself. I laughed until I cried because I knew what I saw was not the real me-the authentic me.