Self and Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness and Being Ready to Take Action - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Being Ready to Take Action

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Many people get closer to their dreams by building self-awareness and taking action. When you purposefully decide to move in a certain direction you begin a conscious journey that will take you in directions you may not even have imagined. Here’s what some wise people have to say about the subject:

Anais Nin:

Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.

Anatole France:

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.

Alfred North Whitehead:

We cannot think first and act afterward. From the moment of birth we are immersed in action, and can only fitfully coach it by taking thought.

Self-awareness helps you be ready to take action because, when you understand your own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, you’re able to clarify what you want to do in life and move forward confidently. What will you do to develop self-awareness and take action?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Experiencing Joy in Life - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Experiencing Joy in Life

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When I coach people who lack self-awareness they often tell me they have difficulty experiencing joy in their lives. Joy is a wonderful concept which I define as experiencing pure bliss and contentment. Joy is also complex in that we could not experience it if we did not also experience pain. A life of perpetual joy would soon begin to feel bland, so we need the ups and downs that come with everyday experience.

How do you define joy? Joy can be that moment at which you feel complete happiness and want for nothing else. It can be gazing into someone’s eyes whom you love or doing something that means a lot to you. Joy is what we experience when we work through difficulties and as we let go of the things that bring us down. Here’s what some smart people have to say about the matter:

Pearl S. Buck:

The secret of joy in work is contained in one word – excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.

Audre Lorde:

The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference.

Kahlil Gibran:

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?

Feeling joy in life arises from doing the work necessary to heal your hurts and learning how to manage your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. It requires deliberate and continuous effort, but the rewards are wonderful.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and experience joy in life?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Finding Balance at Work - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Finding Balance at Work

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I was talking to a very accomplished person who lacks self-awareness and was feeling overwhelmed by everything going on in his work life. After I asked him to take some time to think about what was going well and what might need improvement in his life, he realized that he had been juggling a great deal of different challenges in the workplace and hadn’t taken time to think about the things that gave him balance.

We become so engrossed in working at a rapid pace that we forget that we can enjoy our efforts more if we pause occasionally to build self-awareness, relax, recharge, and reflect. Take some time in your day to do nothing. Look at the sky, take a walk, draw a picture, meditate, listen to music or do anything else you enjoy that requires no goals or deadlines. Work becomes more enjoyable when you take time to regain our balance and do it on a regular basis.

Balance helps you maintain a generally positive course and helps you be a more effective leader because you are functioning from a place of calm and reflection. It is this middle road where you can find grounding and greater peace rather than the standard rat race. You will always experience highs and lows but, if we nurture the middle, we will always have a place to seek refuge.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and find more balance at work?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Means Looking at the Deeper Stuff in Life - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Means Looking at the Deeper Stuff in Life

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Self-awareness is about looking at the deeper stuff in life, the things that most people try to avoid. For as long as I can remember I’ve felt comfortable looking at the most unpleasant recesses of my mind. It hasn’t always been a pleasant, easy, or enjoyable journey, but it has enabled me to understand at a very intimate level how people work through their issues in life.

It’s natural not to want to look at the deeper things in life. It’s unpleasant and, unless you’re willing to stick with it, it doesn’t yield results instantly. The irony is that self-awareness means consciously understanding why you think, feel and do the things you do rather than avoiding confrontation with the unsavory elements of your existence.

To live a genuinely happy, meaningful and fulfilling life, it’s vital to take a candid, thoughtful and ongoing look at yourself and do the work necessary to heal inside and out. Self-awareness isn’t easy but the reward is that you get to enjoy life free from the constraints that used to hold you back.

Cheers,
Guy

Self-Awareness Helps You Deal with Conflict - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Helps You Deal with Conflict

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Many people who lack self-awareness go through life putting out fires and reacting to whatever conflict comes their way rather than trying to prevent it. We often spend much of our time focusing on the issue on the surface but don’t do anything to resolve the underlying situation. Think about the last time you had a fight with someone you loved. What was it about? Did you fix it? Did it go away permanently? Think of the following points next time you are in conflict with someone

  • What is this conflict really about?
  • What am I feeling inside and where does that come from?
  • Do I really care whether the toilet seat is up or is it about something else?
  • What is it about me that compels me to fight about this?
  • What do I need to do to fix this situation?

When you ask yourself questions like these you begin the process of understanding yourself. It is this self-awareness that helps us figure out who we really are at a deeper level. We spend so much time fighting about things that are only the tip of the real problem that lies below. Think about it next time you get upset. Am I really mad about the lid being left off the jar or is it that I feel like no one cares about me?

Once you figure out what’s really going on you can begin doing the important work to actually fix your relationship and life conflicts. What will you do to develop self-awareness and actually deal with conflict?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Helps You Do Things Now - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Helps You Do Things Now

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We all know what it feels like to put things off or avoid tackling difficult tasks or issues in life. Self-awareness helps you do things now because, when you are familiar with your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, you are able to deal with any challenge that comes your way instead of trying to avoid it.

Much of self-awareness is being able to make decisions and take action so you can learn more about yourself and keep growing. A lot of people talk about doing something and never follow through, which doesn’t generally lead to positive results. The key to success is starting your journey today and continuing to understand who you really are deep inside.

You’re an important and valuable person who deserves to do things to move forward positively in life. The next time you have a negative thought that holds you back from doing what you really want to, replace it with a positive action. Keep repeating this pattern and, over time, you’ll procrastinate much less.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and do things now?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Changing Your Life - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Changing Your Life

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Self-awareness can help you change your life because, when you understand your own and others’ emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, you’re able to navigate life consciously and confidently.

We all reach transitional points in our lives where we are motivated to move in a different direction. For some of us it may be a career change, for others a relationship transformation or a shift that helps us develop personally. Regardless of what change you are looking to make in your life it all starts with increasing self-awareness, deciding what the change is, and taking a step toward your goal and sticking to it over time.

Here’s what some smart people have to say about the subject:

Alice Walker:

No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.

Charles DuBois:

The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.

Anais Nin:

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Andy Warhol:

They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

Epictetus:

It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.

The prospect of change can both create fear in us or energize us through the promise of growth and potential. Remember that you’re a valuable person who deserves to leave the fear behind and move forward courageously and joyfully.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and change your life for the better?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy