I bought these cards from a famous London bookshop that is a place I absolutely have to visit whenever I am in the area. Laurence has to be strict with me so that I don’t go overboard, or I would take the entire store home with me!
On one such trip, I discovered The School of Life, an innovative company with products dedicated to the development of emotional intelligence internationally.
I purchased a couple of things one of which was the Know Yourself Prompt Cards.
The box contains 60 cards all asking a different question for individuals to be able to understand themselves better.
For most people, if you asked the question who are you? They can generally provide a response. However, it is really those around us that have a better understanding of who we really are [1]. Sometimes we are just unaware of our own shortcomings and character traits and even if you think you know who you are it doesn’t mean that you will not learn more about yourself.
But for some, this question feels them full of dread and I have spent many hours trying to figure out who the real Sydney is. It is really difficult particularly if you are suffering from a mental health condition, such as Borderline Personality Disorder. So, this was the main reason I picked these up, maybe these could help in my quest for self-discovery.
So, I am going to pick a card at random each week and write about it. I need to remember that some of my response may change over time but hopefully, this will be a good starting point.
I am trying to write a book and it has become apparent that character development is extremely important (at least that is what I gather from all the books I have read) and I worry because I am oblivious about who I really am how am I meant to write convincing characters?!
So here is card 1 of 60:
- If I was a kind of weather, I’d be snow (because I love snow and you can make things out of it!)
- If I was a piece of furniture, I’d be a comfy overstuffed armchair (because there is nothing more relaxing than sitting in a chair with a good book)
- If I was a make of car, I’d be I have absolutely no idea! I guess something that no one would notice (because I don’t want to draw attention to myself) but then I asked Becky and she suggested I would be a yellow car! Not exactly inconspicuous but certainly shows my love of the yellow car game.
- If I was a piece of music, I’d be something sad and melancholy played on strings (string music is a huge part of me and causes such joy, I absolutely love Zoe Keating)
- If I was a kind of food, I’d be Spag bol (my comfort food which could be spiced up if needed)
- If I was an animal, I’d be a cat (because I like my own space and only want affection on my terms!)
- If I was a kind of font, I’d be Wingdings because who knows what that is actually saying!
On the back of the card, there is a brief description of the reason for that question.
“Because the self is nebulous and shapeless, we can sometimes best grasp key bits of our identities via metaphors and analogies. The animal one can be particularly revealing.”
I would love to see other people’s answers and if you have any insights into the answers I have given! Help me out by leaving a comment below. The more information I can collect the better!!!
[1] You are probably wrong about you, Psychology Today (Accessed 2018) https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-science-success/201208/you-are-probably-wrong-about-you
