Self and Self-Awareness

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

Self-Awareness and Being Yourself - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Being Yourself

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Self-awareness is about being true to yourself and listening to your inner voice. You’ll live a much happier life when you find out who you really are and live a life based on what genuinely interests you. The difficulties arise when people live in a way that doesn’t reflect who they are deep inside.

Here are some ways you can build self-awareness and work on being yourself:

  • Heal the hurts from your past.
  • Discover who you really are deep inside.
  • Do things you love doing.
  • Take small actions each day to make your dreams come true.
  • Be aware of your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, and how you can manage them to get positive results.
  • Treat yourself and others well.
  • Be open to new ideas.
  • Welcome change.
  • Live the life you really want to.
  • Live courageously.

The more you know yourself, the better your life will be. Do things like we’ve talked about here and you’ll be happier and more fulfilled. What will you do to develop self-awareness and be yourself?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Helps You Find Happiness - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Helps You Find Happiness

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My clients frequently ask me how to find happiness. Over the years I’ve noticed that a common characteristic of people who are happy is self-awareness.

Self-awareness is a deep understanding of who we are. It literally impacts how we treat ourselves and others and what kind of life we live. Let me give you a real world example to illustrate what I’m talking about.

Person A says he is a happy go lucky person that always is having a great time. He has a lot of friends and says he’s confident and an optimist. He lives a life that looks great to everyone on the outside but, when he has to think about it, Person A is deeply unhappy. He has unresolved issues in his life that are so difficult that he refuses to look at them. So person A appears happy on the outside but inside he is constantly struggling to ignore and cast aside the demons he carries. This type of person is not living a life of self-awareness because he won’t even begin the process of understanding who he is in order to move forward. He chooses instead to live a live of superficial happiness based on appearances.

Person B, on the other hand, also has issues that hurt him deeply and made him unhappy. He also appears happy to the outside world but his happiness comes from a very different place. Person B decided years ago to look at the things that brought him pain. He worked very hard to acknowledge his past and create a plan to move beyond the hurt. When person B is alone he feels genuinely happy because he has actually moved past the challenges in his past. This type of happiness is far more genuine because the person has literally worked through the things that made them unhappy. His happiness is real because it’s based on his deep self-awareness based on facing his hurts.

Genuine happiness comes from deep inside us. It is a level of existence that we achieve only when we work through the challenges from our past. I’m not suggesting that we live in the past, only that we acknowledge the things that hurt us earlier in life and then develop a plan to move forward.

Everyone deserves to live a life of genuine happiness, the kind that comes from deep inside. Those who are truly happy have left the burdens of the past in the past. Think about it as the difference between living your life with the burden of carrying a giant monkey on your back and never getting rid of it versus letting it go and living a much lighter and energized existence.

Self-awareness is not about being selfish or self-indulgent, it’s about understanding who you are and constantly working on becoming the best person you can be. Those who choose to be aware of whom they really are reap the benefits of living a genuinely happy life.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and find happiness?

Cheers,

Guy

How Do You Define Self-Awareness? - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

How Do You Define Self-Awareness?

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We are all at different stages of self-awareness. As you plan your journey, keep your own personal definition of self-awareness in mind. Don’t worry about what other people are doing or want you to do. Have confidence in your inner voice and grow in the areas that are meaningful to you.

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy