Self-Consciousness Archives – Page 19 of 31

Self-Awareness and Going beyond the Family

April 25, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

People who possess self-awareness tend to chart their own courses instead of following rules imposed by outside influences, including their families. A lot of individuals are bound by a sense that they have to adhere to family rules and expectations, but I’ve often noticed that they often live more fulfilled lives when they follow their own inner voices.

Yes, the family is an important social structure that can provide a sense of meaning and belonging, but it is a human construct that has held countless people back. How many people have had to live their lives a certain way because their family tells them to? How many people have had their dreams extinguished because well-meaning family members suggested they follow a certain path? Far too many.

A major reason people are profoundly miserable in life is that they pretend that they enjoy doing what others tell them to do. Trying to be someone we’re not is always a recipe for disaster because the only way we can be truly happy is to do what we love to do, in a way we love doing it, for the reasons we find meaningful. This kind of courageous self-determination often goes against the rules and expectations of our families, but it is the only path toward true fulfillment.

At its very core, being happy means having the self-awareness to be who you really are: an individual who does his or her own thing regardless of what any other person or group says. What will you do to develop self-awareness and go beyond the family?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Creating Change in Your Life

April 25, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

Self-awareness is a major part of creating change in your life because, when you are in touch with your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, you’re able to consciously move in any direction you wish.

Anyone at any time can make a deliberate decision to change their life. We literally can move our life in any direction we want to. For example: If I decide I want to be an artist today (even if I am not one) I can do specific things to achieve that goal. I could take a class, call some artists, visit some galleries, buy some art supplies, paint a picture, and the list goes on and on. The only thing stopping me is the voice inside my head that tells me I can’t do it. This is the voice that tells me that I will never achieve that, that I should be sensible, that I can’t take a risk, that people will judge me, that my dreams are stupid and that I might as well give up.

This programming is powerful but can be overcome by following these basic steps:

1. Close your eyes and think about what you are telling yourself that stops you.
2. Close your eyes and think back to the first time you heard that message from someone.
3. Picture how your life would be without that message. Develop a short phrase that describes that feeling. For example, “I can be an artist because it’s who I am.”
4. Write down the phrase you come up with.
5. When you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed read the phrase and experience the good feelings that come with it. Repeat for a month and longer.

We play messages in our brains over and over that keep us from being self-aware and doing things we love. Following these basic five steps gives us a chance to introduce a new way of seeing ourselves. Practice it over time (at least a month) to make sure your brain believes in your new way of thinking. If you don’t practice, it won’t stick. Once you’ve shifted your thinking you can move on to a new goal.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and create change in your life?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Building Trust

April 24, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

Building trust in your personal or professional life requires increasing your self-awareness so you can feel great about yourself and encourage others to do the same. A lot of leaders and individuals walk through life or their workplaces wondering why they can’t trust people or why others won’t trust them. A lack of trust means that the person involved hesitates to get close to anyone because he or she is afraid of being hurt or doesn’t know how to build positive relationships. Here are some practical ways to build trust:

Do what you say you’re going to do.
Avoid saying one thing and doing another.
Behave with kindness and compassion.
Be there to help people.
Communicate openly.
Avoid rumors, gossip and secrets.
Listen to people.
Trust the other person first.
Be open to considering others’ points of view.
Have confidence in people’s talents and abilities.
Let people shine.

Trust is about you, you either believe it can happen or you don’t. Your thoughts and actions will determine whether you encourage people to be themselves and let them do their thing or continue to think and show them that they’re untrustworthy. You can move in a positive direction any time you choose by healing the parts of you that create the mistrust and behaving in ways that show others that you genuinely and unconditionally value them. How will you trust more?

Cheers,

Guy

The First Step of Your Self-Awareness Journey

April 23, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

The way to get started on your self-awareness journey is to take one step. Nothing happens if you don’t take a chance and deliberately choose to move forward. It’s the act of taking one step after another that builds confidence, stamina and eventual success. It takes effort and determination to achieve anything in life but each endeavor starts with one small step.

What kind of things might you do? How about working on:

Healing the hurts from your past.
Improving who you are as a person.
Admitting mistakes and working to make amends.
Feeling all your emotions.
Letting go of things that don’t work for you.
Becoming a healthier person inside and out.
Learning each day about what makes you tick.
Being comfortable and knowledgeable about your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
Doing small things each day to make your dreams come true.
Being kind to yourself and others.

Please note that you don’t have to do all these things at once. All it takes to become more self-aware is to be open to examining who you are, celebrating the great things about you, and improving the areas that need some attention. You just need to be truthful and dedicated to becoming the best version of you possible.

What will the first step of your self-awareness journey be?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Honesty

April 23, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

If you’ve been building your self-awareness over time, you realize how important honesty is to becoming a well-rounded, happy, healthy human being. Personal growth means you’re committed to taking a candid, honest look at your thinking, feelings and behaviors and making positive changes. If you start from a position of trying to hide who you really are or pretending you’re someone else, you’ll likely avoid looking at the areas that could really benefit from some attention. A more effective approach is to decide to improve yourself each day so you can live an open, genuinely fulfilling life without having to cover things up.

A lot of people create unnecessary difficulties in their lives because they refuse to honestly appraise what they think, feel and do. They exist day to day compensating for or tiptoeing around issues that hold them back instead of dealing with them directly and taking action to improve the situation long-term. Self-aware individuals understand that self-examination is a vital, necessary part of personal development. As you live your life, think of the things you do well and the things that hold you back. Work hard to heal the issues in your past that prevent you from completely enjoying your life. Experience the joy that comes from letting go of the things that don’t work and become the healthiest you possible. What will you do to be honest with yourself?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Listening

April 22, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

People who possess a high level of self-awareness tend to be good at listening, which is one of the most vital skills to live consciously, meaningfully and compassionately. The ability to listen allows you to:

Avoid getting your stuff all over other people.
Learn more about other people.
Avoid jumping to conclusions.
Honor other people.
Treat people with respect.
Build trust.
Connect on a deeper level.
Practice self-awareness by not stepping on the important things people are trying to tell you.
Show how healthy and balanced you are.
Build positive relationships.

It takes a lot of restraint to let go of having to be in the spotlight and give other people the time and space to tell their stories but it will help you live a richer and more meaningful life. What will you do to listen more?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Reduces Anger

April 21, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

One of the biggest benefits of building self-awareness is that it reduces anger. If you wake up each day and don’t pursue your dreams, go to a job you hate, hang out with people who don’t value the real you, stuff your feelings, or pretend you’re fulfilled, you’re very likely to be upset. Living this way leads to anger because you’re just not happy. Here are some ideas on how you can use self-awareness to improve the situation:

Agree with yourself to move in a new direction.
Get to know who you are deep inside.
Understand your strengths and areas for improvement.
Choose one thing to work on.
Take action each day to create movement in your life.
Praise yourself each time you notice a positive change.
Repeat the process.

People feel unsettled and upset when they’re not living authentically or doing things they find meaningful. What will you do to be less angry?

Cheers,

Guy