Over the last few weeks I’ve reflected on my own self awareness. I would like to think that I am completely self aware, however there are ‘hidden’ areas that I thought no one else saw… I was wrong. Sometimes, our behaviour may not be in line with how we want to be perceived; not one of us is perfect. It was an interesting reflection for me, when something I do consistently was pointed out to me. I went through a process of being a little annoyed (that’s not right, how very dare you) to a little upset (how could he think that of me), to acceptance. It was a wonderful feeling; all this by the way took less than 5 minutes.
If we are not totally honest with ourselves then change is hard – if of course you want to change a behaviour.
You are self aware when you have an honest and clear perception of your personality, your strengths and weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions. Self Awareness allows you to understand other people, how they perceive you, your attitude and your responses to them in the moment.
As explained above, we might quickly assume that we are self aware, but it is helpful to have a relative scale for awareness. As you develop self awareness you are able to make changes in the thoughts and interpretations you make in your mind. Changing the interpretations in your mind allows you to change your emotions. Self awareness is one of the attributes of Emotional Intelligence and an important factor in achieving success.
Self awareness is the first step in creating what you want and mastering your life. Where you focus your attention, your emotions, reactions, personality and behaviour determine where you go in life. Having self awareness allows you to see where your thoughts and emotions are taking you. It also allows you to take control of your emotions, behaviour, and personality so you can make changes you want. Until you are aware in the moment of your thoughts, emotions, words, and behaviour, you will have difficulty making changes in the direction of your life.
Having a clear understanding of your thought and behaviour patterns helps you understand other people. This ability to empathise facilitates better personal and professional relationships.
One of the greatest gifts you could give yourself is to seek, find, and apply truth in your life. This is the path to becoming a healthy person. Aligning yourself with the truth permits a better person to eventually emerge from within. The Johari Window is something that you can use to help you gain a better understanding of all areas of your life. Take a look:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window
Another technique I teach during my one to one sessions is for a person to go out and seek other peoples views. Whenever we discuss this in follow up sessions, we all seem to focus on the perceived negative.
Have a go and see what you find out. Remember, it is important not to take anything personally, learn from it and evaluate what someone may or may not say. Remove the emotion when you consider the words used. Look for the positive in what someone may say (or indeed what you may uncover about yourself); if there isn’t a positive this may be a behaviour you would look to change.
It all stats from within!
With Love xxxx