When you have self-awareness, you’re probably more comfortable with your emotions than most people. Much of our culture is based on a fear of emotions, except for the approved ones: anger and fake happiness. We worship the strong silent type who doesn’t say much or the sports hero who just goes out and does his thing in a physical way. The challenge with not acknowledging the full range of human emotions is that you stay stuck at a certain point of your development, and you still experience them whether you want to or not.
People who possess self-awareness understand that life is brimming with swirling feelings and that we all have vast reservoirs of emotion and pathos. I’ve consistently noticed over years of training and consulting for others that the strongest people aren’t those who pretend to be strong by acting stoic or aloof, it’s the ones who face the full range of human emotions head-on rather than trying to pretend they don’t exist.
What will you do to develop self-awareness and welcome emotions?
Cheers,
Guy