DIY: Own your life

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 At one point or another each of us asks, usually while still young, "Who am I?"  Related questions are "Who am I meant to be? (probably unanswerable since the future is hopefully not determined yet) and "What should I do with my life?".

Knowing oneself is more than likely the ultimate do-it-yourself project.  And the only truly valid answers result from interacting with the bump-and-grind of everyday life.  Friends help.  But in the end, you're on your own for finding the truth.

Since there is no operator's manual for a life, it seemed to me the internet might offer some insight.  My favorite find is Unfettered Mind (because that's part of what I am).

Instead of trying to describe who we are, let’s look right at our experience and keep in mind something John Audubon once said, “When the book and the bird disagree, always believe the bird.”

If a scientific approach is more appealing, try the PsychCentral Personality Test.  But keep in mind that any personality test is an average of the people who have taken it.  If you're truly an individual, you may not fit the norm and that's not necessarily bad.

Oprah's self-assessment page asks the question "Who Are You Meant To Be?"  After spending a fair amount of my life trying to discern what was meant to be, I finally decided I am what I am and to go from there.  Of course there's always room for improvement.

To round this out, here are "6 Powerful Questions That Will Change Your Life" or at least tilt the apple cart a little.

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O.K., now we've looked at who I am, it's time to look at what should I do.  While career isn't the only answer, navel-gazing isn't very informative.  Sokanu offers some good insights:

Your career, next to your relationships with friends and family, is the most important investment of your life. It's likely the greatest investment of your time. It's the biggest decider of the type of people you spend your time with every day, the environment that you spend your days in, and what you do with your mind and body. The cool part is that all of these details are what make a fun, purposeful life well-lived.
The Sokanu Concept

To me that's the goal -- a fun, purposeful life well-lived.

-- Marge