I love facilitating self-awareness workshops where I encourage people to take a deeper look at themselves, and that can have a few different outcomes, from individuals being genuinely happy about learning more about themselves, to others feeling genuinely upset about having to examine who they really are. People are used to presenting a carefully fabricated version of what kind of person they are and what they do.
It’s not rare for someone in one of my workshops to claim that she is a kind, fair, inspiring leader and then describe all manner of hideous behaviors that she perpetrates on others. This is a sure sign of a lack of self-awareness, the inability to see how your thoughts, emotions and behaviors affect you and others.
It’s hard to take a candid look at yourself and start the process of building self-awareness. It requires the courage to look at the things in your life that aren’t going so well and doing something to change them. Thankfully, as you get to know who you really are, you’ll develop the ability to heal your hurts and strengthen yourself so that you can live a happier, more fulfilling life.
People don’t really misunderstand self-awareness, they just choose not to look at themselves. If you consciously decide to explore who you are, you’ll learn amazing things about yourself and find that life is much more meaningful when you live it honestly and genuinely. What will you do to increase your self-awareness?
Cheers,
Guy
This whole topic is a real challenge for those who understand it and try and live it. The difficult part is when you look at others and realize they are their own worst enemy. Great site and comments.
I would be interested in how you deal with the apathy of those who refuse to look inside. You bio on the right of this page states you are very interested in helping those who want to be helped. I find myself on many occasions facing those who don’t.
Thanks for your kind words and thoughtful question, Harvey. I’ve found it helpful to set up an atmosphere where people are encouraged to look inside, for example: Setting up regular meetings where people are invited to explore within and share with others in an environment free of pressure, distractions, judgments, or interruptions. The idea is to allow people to use their own voices to share their insights and perspectives rather than assuming we know what’s going on. It also helps to assume that everyone has the ability to build up their self-awareness, they just do it at different rates. Take care, Guy.