There’s nothing more important than understanding oneself, though it takes courage to truly assess the kind of person you are at your core. Looking honestly at oneself can bring about ugly discoveries about one’s character, but this is why it’s paramount to peel back those layers and look inside. By acknowledging the bad and also the good that make up you, only then can you become master of yourself.

For example, at my core I’m selfish. It’s not a pleasant trait most people would be willing to acknowledge to the world, but I am. By keeping this natural tendency in the forefront of my thoughts helps me recognize quickly when I’ve fallen into my selfish ways. And recognition is key. You can’t fix what you don’t realize you’re doing.

You are so much more than a thing that just reacts to the world around it. It takes time, maybe even a lifetime, to curb the characteristics we don’t like about ourselves, but change is always possible. Yes, it must come from within, but it can be done.