When we know more about our personal reasons for why we are or aren’t doing something, we can then be better incentivized to take the next best steps. This approach to self-awareness can be helpful with motivational issues or difficult times. Getting to the underlying causal issues of a particular struggle or negative behavioral habit provides a way out.

Understanding whether our sadness, for instance, is more related to a recent loss, a childhood trauma that’s been triggered in a current relationship, or biological limitations that are impacting mood helps in knowing how to proceed next. When we are in a more confused or abstract mindset about our status, it is harder to figure out what comes next; however, when we uncover more about what’s going on, we can make a change.

We’ve all seen pictures of icebergs where only the icy base above the water is visible, but we know there is a more massive, deeper foundation of ice lurking below the water. Humans are also icebergs of sorts, with only some portions visible while other significant portions of our internal world is more hidden. The underlying structure is sometimes hidden not only from others but also from........

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