How to Continue the Quest to Better Know Yourself

I recently heard someone say, “I feel, therefore I am” (a twist on the infamous Descartes quote). I’m inclined to agree that our emotions are the starting point to understanding ourselves and the key to creating the lives we want. 

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In the Onward framework, the topic for June is “Know Yourself.” While the second chapter is on understanding emotions, I think that you can’t know yourself without knowing your emotional landscape. 

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The older I get, the more I recognize that there is no end to the quest to know ourselves. We’re always changing and there’s no way to check this item off a To-Do list as perhaps I once thought, or hoped I could do. Furthermore, the older I get, the more enticed I am to know myself, starting with my emotions. It’s an adventure I’m thrilled to be on. 

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Here’s something I’ve never revealed about Onward: When I wrote it, I really wanted to address how to cultivate emotional intelligence in educators, but I framed it as emotional resilience because I suspected that would be better received. If I could do anything these days, I’d just guide people into a deeper understanding of themselves, beginning with understanding their emotional landscapes. There’s so much beauty to discover, so much vulnerable strength, so much joy. 

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