If you wanna stay happy, chill, and never regret stuff — you gotta know yourself first!

You know how when it gets to midterms, suddenly every teacher decides it’s test time?
The whole point of those tests is to review.
Like, we go back over everything we’ve studied so far,
remind ourselves of the stuff we’ve forgotten,
and lock in the stuff we already know.

Why?
Because there’s always a bigger test or a bigger goal up ahead.

Same deal here in Borna —
except the things we learn here are way more important than school subjects.
This is the lesson of life.
And honestly, even how we deal with school itself
depends on whether we get self-knowledge or not. Don’t forget: there’s a huge test waiting for us in life —
and our number one mission is to pass it!

If no one’s ever told us to “know yourself”
or explained what self-knowledge is even for,
our first reaction is usually like:
“Bruh, I’m already drowning in exams and stress,
why should I waste time on this random thing?”

But here’s the secret: self-knowledge is actually the key to all success in life.
It’s like the master key to every treasure we could ever find.
We just have to trust it and follow where it takes us —
and it can open doors to crazy amazing places.

Over the past weeks, we’ve talked about a lot of stuff.
But it all started with a few simple questions —
questions that, even if we haven’t asked them yet,
one day will pop into our heads, like:

Who am I really?
What am I even doing here?
Why is my world the way it is?
Why am I the way I am?
And like… a thousand other questions.

The answers? They only show up when we get to know ourselves.
And no, we don’t just mean knowing what colors we like,
or spotting the mole on our face,
or which football team we cheer for,
or how we wanna spend our free time.

Self-knowledge is way deeper than that.
And if we don’t get how valuable it is, we’ll never chase it.

Here’s the thing:
self-knowledge is like having a map.
Not only is using it kinda fun,
but it also shows exactly where to start,
which way to go,
and what’s waiting for us at the end.

When we know ourselves:

• we can set real goals,
• we don’t waste time,
• and even when stuff doesn’t go as planned, we don’t freak out.

Because deep down, we know our worth.
We don’t get blown around by every little thing.
And that’s how we lock in happiness and inner peace.

First, figure out what you really need.
Then you can make the right choices!

Can You Even Live Without Self-Knowledge?!

You know what? It kinda makes sense that we’ve been strangers to this whole “know yourself” thing.
Every day we’ve looked in the mirror, seen the same two eyes, the same face,
and thought: “Well, that’s me.”
But nobody ever whispered in our ear: “Hey, that’s not the real you. Go find out who you actually are.”

Because the real “us” is way bigger than what shows up in the mirror.
It doesn’t care how old we are, whether we’re boys or girls, what grade we’re in, or even who our family is.
The real self comes straight from God,
and it’s way too priceless to be boxed in by those small labels.

The truth is, we’re packed with talents and potential —
but most of them get lost in the chaos of daily life.
And the only key to finding them again is… you guessed it: self-knowledge.

Otherwise, we’re basically superheroes sitting around playing video games,
while having no clue we could actually save the world.

Think about it: even when we start a brand-new game,
what’s the first thing we ask? “What are the rules?”
Because if we don’t know the rules, we might think we’re winning…
and then BAM — we’re out.

Self-knowledge works the same way.
It’s like the rulebook for life.
It shows us how to play the game so we can actually win.

Even athletes who go for Olympic medals spend hours analyzing themselves —
their strengths, their weaknesses, their limits.
So how could we possibly expect to win at life
if we don’t even bother to know ourselves?

Live Up to Your True Worth!

Okay, let’s be real.
If our value was as cheap as, say, a pen — or if we lived forever —
then maybe self-knowledge wouldn’t even matter.
We could just keep making mistakes until eventually we figured stuff out.

But humans aren’t like that.
We’re not plants just growing,
or animals just surviving in groups.
We’re people.
And that means if we don’t know our worth,
we won’t act like humans are meant to act.

Here’s a thought: don’t you agree that the value of something depends on how we see it?
Like that painting that’s been hanging forever in grandma’s living room —
it might not seem like a big deal,
but if someone told you it was the only copy of a masterpiece,
its value would shoot through the roof.

Or imagine holding something you thought was glass,
but turns out it’s the rarest diamond in the world.
Suddenly, you’d never even think about putting a price on it.
You’d probably lose sleep just keeping it safe!

That’s how it works with us too.
Our sense of worth depends on how deeply we know ourselves.
Once we do, our thoughts, choices, and behaviors
all rise up to match that true value.
And we won’t regret them later. The earlier we figure this out, the better —
imagine realizing your true worth while you’re still a teen!
Like this one teenager who asked our counselor what the most important sentence in the world was:

How Do I Even Live My Life?

Take a look at your lifestyle.
It’ll show you exactly what you value
and what tools or shortcuts you think will lead you to happiness.

We usually pick habits and behaviors that line up with our beliefs and personality.
Like, maybe you love hanging out with friends and hate being alone.
Or maybe you’re into classic style and couldn’t care less about fast fashion.
Or maybe faith plays a huge role in your life, not just tucked away in a corner.

All of that comes from how we see ourselves and life.
Basically: the way we define ourselves = the way we set our worth.
And based on that worth, we build our lifestyle.

But here’s the catch:
that lifestyle doesn’t always bring peace.
We might have everything we want,
and even look like we’re happy,
but the second we’re alone…
BOOM.
Stress and negative thoughts come crashing in. Because here’s the truth: comfort is not the same as peace.
Having a life with no struggles might bring comfort…
but without self-knowledge, true inner peace is impossible.

Who’s Actually Right?

People have always argued about this: who’s got it right?
The ones who size me up by height, looks, grades, diplomas, square footage, and the size of my wallet?
Or the ones who say “know yourself” and look at my true self—the part that’s infinite and has nothing to do with age, gender, degrees, race, or even religion?

Thing is, people usually split into two mindsets based on what they believe and chase:
some go materialist / nature-driven, and others go fitrah-centered (focused on the soul’s innate compass).
Naturally, each builds their lifestyle, goals, and dreams around what they believe.

Materialists think life is limited and ends with death; or they treat life as if it’s only this body, so the body’s wants must always come first.
They end up sprinting after material desires because they see happiness there—and they don’t know another way to satisfy their craving for “infinite.”
But since that craving is infinite and bottomless, they never really land on peace.

Fitrah-centered folks see life as more than just “these two days.”
So their choices, decisions, and behavior look different.
They see themselves as more than “man/woman,” “doctor/teacher,” or any label,
and they spend their energy on larger, long-term purposes—not tiny, short-lived goals.
It’s not that the world doesn’t matter to them; it does—but only as a tool for the bigger purpose they were born for.
In this view, real happiness is real peace—and it only shows up when you connect yourself to the source of joy: God.

So… your call. Which lifestyle speaks to you? Which team are you putting yourself on?

With all that, I think it’s clear why self-knowledge matters so much—and why nothing helps your journey ahead like “know yourself.”
If you want to revisit everything we’ve talked through so far, stick with us!
Listen closely to The Torch and watch for the new categories rolling out across Borna’s magazines: