Essays About Discovering Yourself: Top 5 Examples

Discover our top examples on essays about discovering yourself, plus prompts to guide you in writing your next essay.

Self-discovery is both a daunting and fantastic journey. Each person has a unique path to take. Reflecting on who you were, are, and will be is a lifelong adventure that includes constant self-examination. Because of self-discovery, we learn more about ourselves and become more in control of our decisions and wants in life.

A deep connection with our inner selves is critical to living an accomplished life. It’s an essential factor for us to thrive without overthinking the hurdles that will continuously challenge us along the way. Discovering yourself doesn’t only benefit you. It also helps you cultivate healthy relationships with other people and the community.

To write a powerful self-discovery essay, read through our examples below.

1. My Journey Of Self Discovery by Anonymous on Samplius.com

“High school has taught me about myself, and that is the most important lesson I could have learned. This metamorphosis has taken me from what I used to be what I am now.”

The writer shares their transformation from a shy and introverted high schooler to a vocal individual who’s not afraid to share opinions. They did it through education and keeping their emotions in check. If before the author thought that mistakes meant they failed, now they believe mistakes are okay as long as they learned something from them.

Aside from taking pride in how they can now think for themselves through developing courage, the writer also reminds the readers that they need to believe in themselves no matter their challenges. You might also be interested in these essays about the countryside.

2. Discovering Myself by Claire Van De Weghe

“As someone who has always wanted to do good in the world, I’ve struggled with the choice between taking care of myself and worrying about other people. I’ve come a long way, both regressing and progressing at different points, but throughout it all I’ve learned so many different lessons.”

Van De Weghe opens her essay by baring her previous attitude. She believed she needed to make people laugh so they would accept her. Next, she recounts how she found it overwhelming to be without her sister and any friends, ultimately deciding to stop attending school.

When she grew older, Van De Weghe adjusted her personality to fit each clique. Then, during the pandemic, when she didn’t need to be around others, she had the time to reflect on who she wanted to be. Finally, she concludes her essay with the realization that she wants to be strong, no matter the pressure others force upon her. Van De Weghe believes that if she lives as her authentic self, she’ll be able to find her rightful place in the world.

3. Answering The Question of “Who I Am” by Anonymous on GradesFixer.Com

“In this course of life, we not only learn what has been taught to us, but we also know ourselves in different ways… Who I am is always changing, I will always be learning, and evolving. Thus, the search for the answer to the questions of who I am is life long process.”

The writer starts with questions that pertain to their personal information (age, religious belief, etc.), eventually culminating in the question of who they are. In the next section, the author describes their personality and shares how they developed their disposition in life. 

The essay continues to share the author’s experiences that contribute to their character. These encounters include learning to swim, reading The Catcher in the Rye, relating to Holden Caulfield, and many other instances that let the readers better understand the writer.

4. Finding Yourself Vs. Creating Yourself by Lukas Supovitz-Aznar

“Naturally you are born with a certain amount of personality and talent through genetics, but success is created after you are born, not before. The search for real self is fiction, your personality is not waiting to be stumbled upon one day.”

Aznar is adamant about proving that “finding yourself” is only a manufactured concept. He doesn’t rely on “destiny” and instead believes people are responsible for creating themselves and their futures. He argues that having thoughts and ambitions molds a person’s character. That everyone is under the lifelong-experiment to invent and improve themselves by picking influences and defining constrictions. 

Aznar adds a news article about social construct, an interview with actor Will Smith regarding self-creation, and a take on The Great Gatsby concerning morals and destiny to prove his point further.

5. Finding Myself by Megan of Manasquan, NJ

“I think that I know what I want, but sometimes it is hard to tell. I am still not exactly sure who I am, why I want certain things, why I can be so hardheaded and stubborn. I do not yet fully understand myself, which makes being a teenager quite frustrating at times.”

Megan uses a quote that resonates with the crux of her essay in her introduction. She then shares her frustration with her doubts regarding what she wants her future to be. She’s also frank about how taxing it is to be a teenager.

She elucidates how exasperation during her teenage years affects her mood and her family. However, she also notes how these formative years guide young people in handling real-world interactions. 

7 Helpful Writing Prompts on Essays About Discovering Yourself

Check out these top essay writing tips before you start your essay.

1. Who Am I?

Take the time to think of who you are as an individual, friend, or child of your parents. For this prompt, describe to your readers your interests and quirks. Give them an idea of why you are a unique human being. To make it more interesting, interview the people you constantly interact with and ask them for details that connect to you or your personality.

2. My Best Qualities

An excellent way to discover more positive things about yourself is to point out what you think makes you likable. Then, like the previous prompt, you can ask acquaintances to highlight your appealing characteristics. Next, add how you plan to develop and enhance these aspects.

3. Private Me vs. Public Me 

This prompt is perfect if you constantly present different personalities in your private space versus when you meet the public. Include the reasons why you think facing the public seems like a performance. If you’re uncomfortable sharing your experience, select a well-known celebrity who needs to be careful of what they can let the general public see to protect their private lives. Then, discuss why creating various personalities help people cope or chip away at their real character over time. 

4. My Journey to Self Acceptance

Everyone has insecurities we deal with in our lives. In your essay, share what you did before and the steps you are taking to accept yourself. These steps can include continuously curating your social media feed so you don’t see unrealistic body standards or having a gratitude journal.

5. Me: The Good and The Bad

Discovering yourself means identifying both the good and bad parts. To strengthen your self-trust and fully believe in yourself, acknowledge your unfavourable traits and how you can change them.

6. Self Discovery and Bad Experiences

Narrate a bad experience that had a significant impact on you. Share the reason this encounter affected you and the way you perceive yourself. Then, tell your readers how you turned this bad experience into a chance to learn more about yourself.

7. Who I Aspire To Be

Think of the characteristics that the “perfect” person has and why. In this essay, you can use celebrities or family members as role models, describe why they inspire you and what it is about them you wish to see in yourself. Then, among these many good attributes, pick the top five traits you aspire to have and share your reasons.

To convince your readers to start their self-discovery, you must be persuasive. See our guide on persuasive writing.