“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom,” Aristotle said, but he failed to mention how hard self-awareness can be. Self-awareness is a key that unlocks so many sources of wisdom, transforming our lives (and ourselves), and a lack of self-awareness can cause a lot of problems not only internally but externally in terms of career growth, relationships, etc. But tackling philosophical questions while dealing with everything else life throws at us can be overwhelming. This is why it can be so helpful to have some sort of guide in self-exploration.
One of my guiding lights has always been the lyrical storytelling of Taylor Swift. In her songs, Taylor explores philosophical questions as she contemplates who she is as a friend, an artist, a star, a partner. She understands relationships and roles as reflections of herself and conducts a kind of self-analysis as she writes and shares her music.
In “Dear Reader,” Taylor sings, “you should find another guiding light,” but I disagree. Taylor’s work is a great guiding light for self-discovery. Not only does Taylor directly explore her own self-awareness (or lack thereof) in her work (“I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror,” she sings in “Anti-Hero”), but she also provides stories we can use to learn more about ourselves. (For example, in the folklore trilogy, do you identify more with Betty, James, or August?)
Even though very few of us are A-list pop stars with the world watching our every move, most of us can relate, in some way, to the stories we discover in Taylor’s work. (And if you feel like you can’t, it’s probably because you haven’t heard the right album or song yet!) Taylor’s authenticity captives, and she’s able to access that authenticity because she continues to work on self-awareness by exploring themes of self-doubt, self-knowledge, and self-acceptance in her work.
If philosophy is the mirror that explores humanity as a whole, Taylor’s work is that mirror smashed into pieces and reassembled as a mirrorball. She will “show you every version of yourself” through her lyrics, as she so directly stated in “mirrorball,” which is why I highly recommend them as a guide for self-discovery. Of course, not everyone has the time (or ability) to seek out life lessons in lyrics, so I’m serving as a sort of bonus guide with The Story of You.
I’ve combed through Taylor’s lyrics in search of her wisdom and stories and metaphors that will guide you to better understanding yourself and put the best of what I could find into The Story of You. I can’t wait for you to reap all of the rewards that come with learning more about who you are, but before you do that, let’s explore why self-discovery (with or without Taylor!) is so important.
What really is the point of discovering who we are? Why do we benefit from having a better understanding of ourselves? There are so many self-discovery benefits (I’ve listed 13 of them here!), but these are some of the ones I think are most important.
Self-discovery is essential for…
…finding true purpose and meaning.
If you want to find your place in the world, you have to know who you are. But that’s not always an easy thing to do. When you work on self-discovery, whether it’s through Taylor Swift’s work or with some other guiding light, you will begin to uncover what your true purpose is. You’ll identify (or create!) the meaning of your life. Knowing your purpose and finding meaning will establish the foundation for everything else in your — your relationships, your choices — which is why self-discovery is so important.
…becoming the author of your own story.
As you work on discovering who you truly are, you’ll begin to realize that you’re the author of your own story. (The story of you, if you will.) You’re the one holding the pen (or sitting in front of the screen), and you get to decide what characters you want to include, what plot lines you want to follow, and what the protagonist (you!) will do next. Not everything is within your control, but much of life (especially how you react to it) is up to you. It’s a thrilling feeling, to recall that you are the author of this story, and self-discovery is necessary for being able to fully access it.
…learning to trust your instincts and intuition.
We’re always changing, which can make it hard know who we are at times, which is why self-discovery is so important. It will help you learn to trust your instincts and intuition to guide you through whatever happens in life. As you change, self-awareness will allow you to work with these changes to keep creating new versions of yourself. “I haven’t met the new me yet,” Taylor sings in “happiness,” and that’s a line we could all say over and over again. There will always be a new version of you in the future, but more you know about who you are, the more you can work with (and even shape) future versions of you.
…unlocking your unique inner wisdom.
“You’re the only one of you / Baby, that’s the fun of you,” Taylor sings in “ME!” and, as simple as those lines are, there’s a profound truth in them. You are the only one of you. There will never, in the history of humanity, be another person who is exactly like you, living in the time and place you are, doing the things you’re doing. Through the process of self-discovery, you’ll discover what makes you unique and also what wisdom you have to share with the world. Even if you don’t feel like you’re very wise, you’re the only one who knows the full experience of being you, which means you have wisdom that no one else can possess!
…identifying what you do and don’t value.
“I can change everything about me to fit in,” Taylor sings in “mirrorball,” and that’s a line many people (especially young people) can relate to. It’s normal to want to fit in, to be accepted by those whose opinions we value, but fitting in isn’t what you’re meant to do. You’re meant to be your true, unique selves. But, in order to do that, you have to know who you are and what you do and don’t value. Self-discovery is essential for identifying those values so that you can use them to create a life that feels aligned with who you are.
…increasing self-love and confidence.
As you learn who you are, you begin to cultivate more self-love and self-compassion. You’ll also gain more self-assurance and feel more confident in who you are and what you do. The love and confidence you cultivate will have positive ripple effects in all aspects of your life, from your relationships to your career to the way you view the world. Self-discovery is one of the best, most authentic ways to create more self-love and confidence, making it a valuable tool for living your best life.
These are just a few of the many reasons why self-discovery is so important. Some might argue that focusing so much on the self is vain or selfish, but in fact it’s the opposite. The more we know ourselves, the more we feel in alignment with our lives and the world around us. People who feel unaligned with the truth of who they are are the people who cause the most pain and heartache in the world. The way we feel about ourselves and what we know about who we are has ripple effects that reach far beyond the self, which is why self-discovery is so vital, so necessary for making the world a better place.
My hope is that everyone who uses The Story of You as a Swiftian guide to self-discovery experiences all of the benefits listed here and so many more. Cultivating self-awareness is not always easy, but it is something that a well-lived life cannot exist without.
Start your self-discovery journey with The Story of You: A Swiftie Journal & Coloring Book for Self-Discovery filled with Taylor-inspired inspiration and introspection that will help you gain all of the benefits listed above and so much more! Available wherever you like to buy books or pre-order here.
No products in the cart.