Self-Awareness and Saying No - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Saying No

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An important part of self-awareness is allowing yourself not to do everything that people ask you to do. A lot of well-meaning individuals expend a great deal of energy doing things for others rather than remaining focused on their own goals. You get to decide whether you live your own life or someone else’s. Saying no doesn’t mean being rude, it’s just letting people know what your limits and boundaries are.

When you learn how to say no, you allow yourself to focus your energy on doing what you want to do. You can take action to make your own dreams come true. You also get rid of the inner discomfort that comes from doing things you really don’t want to do.

You’re a valuable person who deserves to follow your own path in life. Your needs matter. When you say no, you are putting yourself first and creating the space for you to do things that bring you joy. What will you do to develop self-awareness and say no more often?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Helps You Deal with a Difficult Boss - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Helps You Deal with a Difficult Boss

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Perhaps you’re in a situation where you have a difficult boss and feel powerless to do anything about it. A difficult boss is someone who uses power and control to intimidate, threaten or keep his (or her) employees off-balance. Even though it takes some effort, there are concrete things you can do to increase self-awareness, take charge of your own reactions, care for yourself, and lessen the impact your boss has on you. The following are some practical ideas to help you deal with a difficult boss:

1. Realize the boss’ behavior is not about you and not personal. He was that way before he (or she) met you. The only thing you can control is deciding whether his behavior will affect you. You, in effect, decide how much power you are going to give this person.

2. Find common ground. Use your listening and open-ended question asking skills to connect with the boss. Re-focusing your energy to learning about the other person has a way of moving the conversation in a different direction than simply getting into arguments.

3. Take care of yourself. Seek the comfort of people who can support and help you. A co-worker, a friend, a consultant, or a counselor can help you take care of yourself and take some of the negativity out of your brain. Do things that bring you pleasure at work and when you’re off rather than things that feed your boss’ issues.

4. Decide what is right for you. We sometimes reach points where we need to decide if the grief of a difficult boss is worth staying in the position. Only you know the answer. Remember that life is short and difficult bosses come and go. Only you have the power to control your destiny and life, so make the most out of it.

5. Tell your boss in a kind and respectful way how you like to be treated. Don’t use the word you, become emotional, or attack. Simply use “I” messages such as, “I like for people to talk to me respectfully,” that aren’t accusatory or single out the difficult boss. Do a web search for effective communication skills or work with a consultant to help you develop effective conversation strategies.

There is no written rule that you have to endure punishment or that you can’t become more skilled in dealing with difficult people. You have a lot of control if you are willing to practice the ideas listed above. What will you do to develop self-awareness and deal positively with a difficult boss?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Esteem Building with a Self-Awareness Consultant - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Esteem Building with a Self-Awareness Consultant

/ / Self and Self-Awareness, Self-Awareness / , ,

A self-awareness consultant can help you build your self-esteem by helping you connect with who you really are and discover your strengths and talents. We are all born with an amazing range of skills and interests. I always recommend that people connect with what they really want to do.

  • If you love art, pursue art.
  • If you love business, start a business.
  • If you love sports, play sports.

For any dream you have there is a practical way you can get started. If you love writing you can do any number of things today to start following your dream. The only thing stopping you is you.

A self-awareness consultant can help you get unstuck and tap into the wonderful talents you possess. I work with people just like you so that you can figure out what you want out of life and develop a plan to achieve it.

A self-awareness consultant is a person who believes in you, listens to you and supports your dreams and ambitions. I love helping people live the lives they want and experience possibilities. I can’t think of anything more rewarding that watching someone experience the joy that comes from living the life they want to live.

Cheers,

Guy

Learn more about my self-awareness consulting.

Self-Awareness and Keeping New Year's Resolutions - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Keeping New Year’s Resolutions

/ / Self and Self-Awareness, Self-Awareness / , ,

Many people who lack self-awareness make resolutions at the beginning of the new year but have difficulty keeping up the momentum and enthusiasm they initially experience. So how can you make sure you fulfill your new year’s resolutions? Here are some helpful tips to get you started:

1. Pick a manageable goal. You can always pick another if you achieve one.
2. Pick only one thing you want to change. Don’t try to do everything at once.
3. Pick a goal that you are very likely to follow through on. This leads to success.
4. Find an outside person to help you reinforce your goal.
5. Develop a plan and stick to it.
6. Take one step then keep walking.
7. Practice, practice, practice. The act of doing things over time creates change.

The trick to keeping resolutions is to make them manageable and take action each day to make them a reality. Pick any goal you wish and then work on making it come true by doing one small thing each day.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and keep your new year’s resolutions?

Cheers,

Guy

You Decide What Self-Awareness Is - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

You Decide What Self-Awareness Is

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Self-awareness is whatever you decide you want it to be based on what’s important to you and how you want to grow. It’s often the process of identifying areas in your life that you want to improve and taking action to make things happen. Self-awareness is most challenging when you’re uncomfortable in some way and genuinely motivated to change your thoughts or behaviors. You have to be ready to address the issue and willing to work on it until you generate positive results.

It’s advisable to approach self-awareness as an ongoing process rather than a quick fix. Deeper change requires long-term commitment and effort but it doesn’t have to be complicated. All you have to do is be willing to take a look at yourself, warts and all. The process of getting to know who you really are is what eventually leads to happiness and fulfillment. A great way to get the process started is to picture what your ideal life would be and pursue one small thing each day to achieve your dreams. If you have emotions, thoughts, or behaviors that get in the way, be willing to examine them and work on shifting them in a positive direction. Self-awareness isn’t something that occurs overnight, it’s a journey of self-discovery where you make all the decisions about where you want to go.

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Dating Good People - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Dating Good People

/ / Self and Self-Awareness, Self-Awareness / , ,

When I consult for clients I often get questions about finding great men or women to date. People who lack self-awareness often find themselves dating the same general type of person over and over and getting the same results. The good news is that you don’t have to settle, you have an amazing ability to move your dating life in any direction you choose by following some basic steps. Here are a few examples:

1. Build up your self-awareness and find out who you are before you date. This will give you a better idea and more self-esteem to pick more healthy people to date.

2. Understand that people who date you should be supportive, kind, helpful, attentive and should always make you feel that who you are as a person is important.

3. Excitement doesn’t always equal a good person to date. Danger and mystery can be enticing but often turn into very large problems that hurt you.

4. Nobody you date, under any circumstance, should take away your self-esteem or put down your self-awareness.

5. You should never give up your identity to please or accommodate someone you’re dating.

6. You benefit from learning to live alone first and then incorporating someone else into your life. The healthier you are, the better choices you’ll make in the dating arena.

Try considering these points as you date people. Dating should be fun and it ideally lifts you up and makes you feel great. Take some time to think about who you are as a person and work hard on making yourself the best person possible. Remember that vibrant, healthy people see creeps coming down the road and steer clear.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and date good people?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Healthy Interactions - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Healthy Interactions

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Self-awareness helps you have healthy interactions with others because, when you’re comfortable with yourself, you’re able to set your personal issues aside and get along with people no matter what the situation.

Have you ever been around someone who always has to win or be in a dominant position? Have you worked with a boss who works out her personal stuff on her employees? Perhaps you’ve endured friends or family members who make everyone miserable or have a tantrum if things don’t go their way. Maybe you know someone who emotionally blackmails others to get what he wants.

These types of behaviors happen all the time and are symptoms of lack of self-awareness. They occur because people don’t feel good about themselves and don’t understand why they think and behave the way they do. When people are deeply in touch with who they are and are happy and balanced they tend to behave more kindly toward others. They have healthy boundaries and empathy for others because they understand that other people also have needs.

Interacting positively with others is a valuable skill to learn because it helps you live a genuinely happy life. It’s the difference between the boss who tramples all over his co-workers and employees and barks orders all day versus the boss who listens calmly and communicates respectfully. One of them is happier and more balanced. You get to choose how you interact with others. You can either let your stuff get all over everyone around you or you can honor who they are and treat them wonderfully.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and promote healthy interactions?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy