Learn more about your inner world by answering the following questions.

Your Personal Identity

1. List the characteristics, attitudes, beliefs, interests, activities, and relationships that make up your personal identity. What adjectives best describe you? Circle the five that you think are most important to your self-concept.
   
   
2. What are your strong and weak points? List at least five of each.

Your Values

1. List the personality traits or characteristics that you most value—for example, friendly, patient, successful, outgoing, cooperative, loyal to family and friends. These can be characteristics of your own or of others.
   
   
2. List the activities or accomplishments that you most value—for example, making lots of money, getting good grades, spending time with friends, making your own decisions. These can be accomplishments of your own or of others, or goals you have for the future.
   
   
3. List the social ideals, customs, and institutions that you value—for example, education, equality, freedom of speech, tolerance for diverse opinions.
   
   
4. How well does your current lifestyle reflect your values? List two behaviors or recent incidents in which you acted in accordance with your values. List two behaviors or incidents in which you acted in ways that conflict with your values.

Your Accomplishments and Struggles

1. What has happened in your life that you are particularly proud of? Write about your key accomplishments, including your psychological triumphs—for example, times when things went even better than you expected, when you came through trials and tribulations even better off, when you felt powerful and glorious, when you maintained a wonderful friendship.
   
   
2. How have these successes shaped your life? How have they affected the way you think of yourself and your capabilities? How have they affected your goals and the things you strive for?
   
   
3. What difficult events or periods have you gone through? Write about any significant psychological insults and injuries you've sustained—for example, your losses, disappointments, traumas, or quieter periods of despair, hopelessness, and loneliness.
   
   
4. How have you survived these traumas? How did you strengthen and heal yourself? What are their lasting effects on you?

Your Emotional World

1. How did your family express the following when you were a child: love and affection, pride (in accomplishments), interest in one another, anger, sadness, and fear?
   
   
2. What is your own philosophy about expressing these feelings?

Who You Want to Become

1. Describe the person you want to become. Write a mission statement for your own life. What is the purpose of your life? What is its meaning? What are you trying to accomplish? What is your larger struggle?
   
   
2. What significant goals have you yet to realize? These can be creating something or having a particular experience.
   
   
3. What can you do to help reach these goals and become the person you want to become? What would you most like to change about yourself?
   
   
4. What do you want your life to be like in 5 years? In 10 years?
   
   
5. Write your own epitaph and obituary. How do you want people to think of your life and to remember you? What legacy would you like to leave when you die?

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