Self-Discovery

Self-Discovery Can Only Occur If One Is Willing To Undertake A Journey

It is good to have an end to journey

toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end ― Ernest

Hemingway

Throughout our lives, we are constantly on a journey to discover who we are and who we want to be. A journey shapes us, it is a process that we face daily, and is an important part of growing up. The main 2 types of journeys are physical journeys and emotional journeys.

Physical JourneyA physical journey can involve a person travelling away from home, seeing the world, and seeing new cultures. A physical journey can also involve pushing your body to a new level, such as climbing a mountain, or running a marathon. In these types of journeys, people are tested. The mental side of these physical journeys requires people to stay strong, and to reflect on how far they have come. By seeing different parts of the world, a person discovers how others live their lives. Not only does this make us be grateful for what we have, it can inspire us to achieve more out of our lives.

JOURNEY

Emotional JourneyA person can go on an emotional journey without leaving their town. An emotional journey is happening throughout your entire life. Throughout their life, different emotions run through a persons mind, caused by a different range of events. These events shape us, challenge us, and test us. There are moments when a person is stuck by extreme sadness, and also moments of extreme joy. Emotional journeys are usually set off by a particular event, such as the passing of a person close to you, or a first relationship.Emotional changes happen a lot with kids as they start to grow up. It is very easy to feel lonely or cut-off. This period of time is when most people discover what life they want to live. They start to grow up, and become emotionally mature.

A journey helps you to grow up, and change into a new and better person. The ups and downs of a journey sometimes force up to grow up, or we simply grow up during the journey, causing us to see things in a new perspective. An example of this would be the characters from the film series, “Harry Potter.” The series focuses on three main characters, Harry, Ron and Hermione. They are wizards caught in the middle of a war with an evil wizard named Voldemort. The movie series spans 7 years of their lives, through which they grow from children to adults. However they have not just grown physically. The emotional growth is tremendous.

The main character Harry has had a very long journey indeed. His journey begun as a baby, when he became an orphan. He spent ten years of his life virtually alone watching his life go by. However when he finds his friends, and realizes he has magic, he starts to change. He becomes a leader during the war with Voldemort, and is an inspiration to people of all ages. He becomes such a brave, compassionate person. Even though he grew up in a world of danger, criticism, and pain, he stayed strong and at the end of his journey, he is a new person.

GROWTH AND CHANGE

Harry’s first friend, Ron, proves to everyone exactly what he is capable of. Ron starts off as the youngest boy in a very big and very poor family. He is brought up rough with his brothers, and he doesn’t like being singled out. Throughout the movies, he starts to have a bigger voice in the group and by the last book he is a brave fighter who defends the people he cares about, and doesn’t take any disrespect at all. The only girl in the group of three was Hermione. She began as a somewhat ‘nerdy’ girl, and a bit of a loner. She had a small amount of courage, which grew throughout the movies. By the end of the movies, she has proved to everyone how smart and brave she is. She proves to be a great and supportive friend to everyone, and without her the others would not have survived. She grows into a young woman with deep respect for everyone.

The common occurrence with these 3 characters is that they all found courage. To discover themselves, they had to show bravery, and be willing to go on a journey. If they had have just run away, they would not have grown into such different people. That is why to grow and change, you have to be willing to go on a journey.

By going on a journey, we grow into independent people. We learn how to cope on our own, and as we grow we want to be more independent. However sometimes we are faced with situations when we are left on our own and have to make decisions without help from anyone. This is part of the journey, and even though it would be easy to just give up and wait around for someone else, we have to have courage and begin to be independent; even though it is a harder path. An example of this is the character Katniss from “The Hunger Games,” by Suzanne Collins. Her journey starts off when she is born into a world of poverty. As she gets older, her father teaches her about the forest, how to hunt, and how to survive. When she was 11, her father died in an explosion, and her mother went into shock. Katniss took on the responsibility of keeping her family alive. She risked her life to supply them with food, breaking the law and hunting. Part of going on a journey is accepting your role, and being pushed out of your comfort zone to be in a place where you are alone. Becoming an independent person is all part of the journey, but you have to be willing to become one.

INDEPENDENCE

Going on a journey can gain you many things. But one of the most important is “Self Acceptance”. Self acceptance is a very important piece in self discovery, because if you want to discover who you want to be, you must first accept who you are. A song that represents this is the song “Mean” by Taylor Swift. This is a portion of the lyrics:“You, with your switching sides and your walk-by lies and your humiliation You, have pointed out my flaws again as if I don't already see themI'll walk with my head down trying to block you out 'cause I'll never Impress youI just wanna feel okay again.”The lyrics talk about how that despite your flaws, if you accept them, you can excel in life. It is important than on your journey, you do not let criticism or insults get you down. By knowing who you are, it makes it your journey a little easier. Though it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, if one is willing to travel down the road they will discover and accept themselves, the good and the bad.

SELF DISCOVERY THROUGH SELF ACCEPTANCE

Going on a journey is such an important part of self discovery. The end result leaves you a different person, and transforms your life. However if you do not have the courage to begin your journey, you will never know these rewards. Showing bravery in your journey helps you to grow up and mature. You become a better person, who can be trusted to act independently. By going on a journey to discover yourself, you eventually learn to accept yourself. Everyone has the opportunity to go on a journey, but it is up to you to decide whether you will take charge.

BEING WILLING

“We may run, walk, stumble. drive, or fly, but let us never lose sight of the reason for the journey, or

miss a chance to see a rainbow on the

way.” ― Gloria Gaither