A newsletter exploring growth and identity; grounded in research and drawn from personal insight—occasional deep dives, occasional stumbles, but always seeking North.
Start here: know yourself better
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Reader, I can't believe how time flies–it's almost the end of 2024! I'm writing from a farm in the Scottish Highlands, where I've gone in search of quiet solitude far from the familiarity of my apartment and my day-to-day life. Last week, I wrote about a new way of planning for the New Year that shifts the focus from hitting metrics. It instead builds and reinforces our values and our identities. I deeply believe that that is the path to self-growth that is timeless and beyond fad and fashion. As a natural next step, I started thinking about the topic of self-knowledge: how do we even come to the place where we truly know ourselves, our values, our strengths, our flaws? Only very few people do not have to bother about this question. Perhaps those enlightened monks in monasteries and those who think themselves always right and beyond correction. But we are neither monks nor incorrigible, so we will dedicate ourselves to this never-ending work of knowing who we are and building mastery over our nature (conscious and unconscious). I spent some time writing about this topic and it took me through rabbit holes of memory, philosophy, and psychiatry. The outcome was an essay that travels through my 17-year-old self debating reality in philosophy class in Ibadan, to Jung's ideas on individuation, to modern psychometric tests, and how to use AI to dive deeper into your journey of self-discovery. You can find the piece here. If nothing else, please open the link and scroll to the end to access the psychometric personality test I recommend (it takes 10-15 minutes but opens up a well of self-understanding) and I've also suggested AI prompts you could use to dive deeper. Check it out - it is a helpful foundation as you begin thinking and planning your new year. The Highland cows are calling me back for another walk! If we don't talk again, Happy New Year Reader!🍾 Warmly, Henry |
Finding North
A newsletter exploring growth and identity; grounded in research and drawn from personal insight—occasional deep dives, occasional stumbles, but always seeking North.
One evening during the lockdown, out of nowhere, my mum told us the story of her brother who fought in the Nigerian Civil War. He was too young. They begged him not to go but he insisted and marched in with other young men of his time. When the war ended, they waited. And waited. But he never came back. The war had swallowed him whole. Young Biafran soldiers operating a heavy machine gun, 11th June 1968. Credit: Mirrorpix / Bridgeman Images There was something about the stillness of that...
Reader, Social media has been feeling a bit off to me lately. Maybe it’s the algorithm going haywire. Maybe it’s the changing culture of how we now use it. Maybe it’s the constant, constant, influencer-driven platforms demanding plush, pose, and perfection. I really enjoy my instagram, mostly for the entertainment. I didn’t mind the hours invested as long as the videos were fun. Honestly, I laugh at videos with tears welling in my eyes. But, to be honest, I never leave feeling great about...
We are at that time of the year where it is natural to pause, reflect on the past months, and look ahead to the new year. But to be honest, Reader, New Year’s resolution don’t really work for me. Mostly because I know goals or outcomes really don’t motivate me. For example, I go to the gym consistently because I value well-being. I have no specific goal but honoring the commitment to a healthy lifestyle. The process itself is part of who I want to be. I suspect there are other people like me...