Know Thyself

'To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom' Socrates. According to him,people make themselves appear ridiculous when they are trying to know obscure things before they know themselves. Plato also alluded to the fact that understanding Thyself,would have a greater yielded factor of understanding the nature of a human being.
As human beings we tend to overlook quite a number of things,it is however,important to note that this is not our fault. It has taken quite a number of years,perhaps even millions of years,for our brains to develop this far. We are continuously evolving and this action has its ups and downs. The ancient subconscious mind controls most of our activities and perceptions. For example no matter how courageous and well prepared we might be for a public address,we still portray nervousness tendencies like hiding away our hands or avoiding eye contact and on a deeper level feel butterflies in our stomachs or a chill go down our spines. To show this, how well do you know the back of your hand? If your hand was cut off and displayed through a screen in the middle of other hands would you pick it out? If you are among the few who would,congratulations you know yourself far better than most of us do. Experiments done show that less than 5% of all the ten thousand people interviewed can identify the back of their hands in a photograph.
A different experiment was done to cement this fact. A large mirror was was placed at the end of a long hotel lobby in the United States. The mirror gave out the illusion that,as you entered the hotel,there was a long corridor going through the hotel and out the back of the lobby. The scientists later hang large plants from the ceiling to a distance of five feet above the floor so that,as each person entered the lobby,it appeared as if another person was entering at the same time from the other end. The other person was not readily recognizable because the plant covered their face,but you could clearly see their body and movement. Each guest observed the 'other' guest for five to six seconds before turning left to the reception desk. When asked if they had recognized the other 'guest',85% of men answered no. Most men failed to recognize themselves in a mirror, one saying, "You mean that fat,ugly guy?" Unsurprisingly,58% of the women said it was a mirror and 30% said the other 'guests' looked familiar. Why the difference between the two genders? Because; women pay a close eye to detail and the fact that they are always looking into a mirror.
If you are in business the questions then become; How well do you know your product or service? Would you be your own loyal customer? Would you recommend your own product or service to a competitor for comparison purposes? How frequently do you use the products or services you offer? Why would a customer pick you from your competitors? These are some of the questions that will lead you to knowing yourself as a business thus focus on your strengths while down playing,as you try to eradicate,your weaknesses. Apart from being ethically and morally right,this strategy will also build trust and confidence in your products or services thus increasing consumer spending and constant manageable increased profits for your business. The question then becomes, 'Do you know the back of your hand as well as you claim you do metaphorically?'