The first step to self knowledge is a rejection of the familiar Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take In developing and supporting your

Self-knowledge which can be interpreted as self-discovery is a powerful experience that individuals need, to determine their level of growth and development. Attention actually needs to be paid to the factors that revolve around self-knowledge. The time of occurrence might seem to be a factor that determines success of self-knowledge, however, there are important notions around the rejection of “familiar” being attributed to a successful outcome of self-knowledge. I partially agree with the prompt for individuals yet to discover themselves based on the reasons; a comfort zone challenges one the less; experiences build up when one is exposed to unfamiliar situations; and most times, it is not usually the first-step, it is relative to the individual and the impact of the familiar.

A common statement- step out of one’s comfort zone- drive the message of an action that challenges one to become better and succeed in life. Being comfortable with familiar conditions, situations, people, and places etc does not really expose one to other facets of life and rarely challenges one to self-discovery. A verdant artist for example that is used to visiting a particular studio and lives life in a triangle is more likely to discover he/she is more talented with making music when he/she moves to a different location. Rejecting the familiar will in turn lead to an amazing experience of self-knowledge

In addition, life stories from influential individuals like Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, and Wole Soyinka for example, reveal the breaking point for them. This breaking point that is common amongst the three great men engendered from the new experiences that they are not familiar with which can be classified as challenges- obviously, people won’t have challenges if what they are familiar with keep occuring. Furthermore, these men are proud to tell their stories together with the challenges in them because overcoming those challenges was a major factor to their success. This tells the relevance of rejecting the familar, embracing, and overcoming the unfamiliar. Until one learns to embrace random unfamiliar circumstances or consciously pursue them, they will discover a change in self-development for good.

Moreover, the prompt does not apply to all individuals and situations, It is relative to the level of impact of the familiar. Also, rejecting the familiar is usually not the first step, it can happen at any stage of self-discovery. Some individuals are highly favored with the familiar which helps them efficiently discover themselves and become successful. An illustration is with the case of a very rich kid confined with strict measures as to places to go to, people to engage with and activities to carry out, the kid has all needed to remain purposeful and might not have an idea of the term “ self-knowledge in relation to rejection of the familiar”. In addition to this illustration, one might already have self-knowledge but decide to further improve on the process, does not mean rejecting the familiar was the first step that led to self-discovery.

In general, self-knowledge and rejection of the familiar are very vital for individual growth and development. The time of occurrence seems to be a determining factor but it is not always the case. Self-knowledge should also be a major concern of those in power because when subordinates excel, a leader excels in leadership with joint contribution to the growth of the economy.