A Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness Means Looking Inside Yourself - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Means Looking Inside Yourself

/ / Self-Awareness, Self-Consciousness / , , , / 2 Comments

Self-awareness means looking inside yourself rather than relying on outside influences, entities, or events to make you happy in life. Countless people spend inordinate amounts of time living based on what some outside person or entity tells them to do, or reacting to whatever circumstance they find themselves in, rather than charting a course based on who they are deep inside and what they find meaningful and fulfilling. The key to being truly happy in life is being able to look inside yourself and:

  • Define who you really are.
  • Discover your true inner voice.
  • Determine what you really want to do in life.
  • Figure out what you need to do to live authentically.

When you do these things you’ll live life based on what’s inside you rather than always reacting to outside people and situations. It’s up to you whether you live life consciously or passively. What will you do to look inside yourself?

Cheers,

Guy

Lack of Self-Awareness Leads to Sick People and Sick Societies - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Lack of Self-Awareness Leads to Sick People and Sick Societies

/ / Self-Awareness in Leadership, Self-Consciousness / , ,

Sick people build sick societies, which is the opposite of what self-aware, happy, healthy people do. Here are some of the signs of a lack of self-awareness that lead to a sick society:

  • People don’t like themselves and, by extension, each other.
  • People are territorial and against sharing.
  • Propensity toward violence to resolve disputes.
  • Us vs. them mentality.
  • Unable to build healthy relationships at every level, including with oneself, other people, and other nations.
  • Belief that improving one’s mental health is not possible or important.
  • Little value put on introspection or self-awareness.
  • Culture of materialism and greed.
  • Very little collaboration because everything is a competition.
  • Living in fear.

People in unhealthy societies will tend to lack self-awareness and believe that these types of behaviors are the only option they have, but there are countless other ways to build a more positive society; using impulses and skills that people have in them at this very moment. Picture a society where people make the shift toward being self-aware and building a healthy world, they might do things like:

  • Become as healthy as they can and help others do the same.
  • Share with others.
  • Resolve disputes without violence.
  • Embrace differences and diversity.
  • Build healthy relationships.
  • Value improving one’s mental health.
  • Value introspection and self-awareness.
  • Value kindness and compassion over greed.
  • Work together to build a better world for as many people as possible.
  • Live with courage and openness.

The irony of the second list is that, as human beings, we can do any of these things right this moment if we choose to do so. The only reason we don’t do them is because we’re stuck in the type of thinking that says we can’t be healthy at any level: personally, interpersonally, or globally. What will you do to increase your self-awareness and build a healthy society?

Cheers,

Guy

A Practical Definition of Self-Awareness - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

A Practical Definition of Self-Awareness

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

Here is a practical definition of self-awareness: The process of gaining understanding of who you are and how your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors affect you and others.

A lot of people think that self-awareness is something negative or scary that will force them to face things they don’t want to. That perspective in itself indicates a lack of understanding of how important it is to be able to look at yourself so you can live consciously instead of repeating the mistakes of the past.

Proactive, forward-thinking people use self-awareness as a tool to treat themselves and others well rather than living in perpetual inner and outer discomfort or conflict. Remember, life is so much more enjoyable and fulfilling when you experience it wide awake.

Cheers,

Guy

When You Feel Like Giving up, Use Self-Awareness to Keep Moving Forward - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

When You Feel Like Giving up, Use Self-Awareness to Keep Moving Forward

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

It’s natural to sometimes feel like giving up. When it happens, you can use self-awareness to keep moving forward. Self-awareness helps you stay positive because, when you understand who you are deep inside, including your strengths and areas for improvement, you’re better able to keep striving to succeed.

One of the most important elements of getting to know yourself is the idea of not giving up. A lot of people embark on a self-awareness journey only to find that it’s more difficult than they anticipated. It’s hard to create change in your life because modifying your behavior requires long-term commitment and practice. It’s not a quick fix.

The key to gradually building self-awareness is to keep trying even when you think it’s not making a difference.

There will be plenty of times when you feel you’re treading water but you’ll actually be making progress. Stick with it, don’t give up, and you’ll eventually see the results. You’re worth it.

What will you do to not give up and use self-awareness to keep moving forward?

Cheers,

Guy

Business Retreats Based on Self-Awareness - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Business Retreats Based on Self-Awareness

/ / Self-Awareness in Leadership / , , ,

Leaders and organizations plan retreats to help bring employees together or conduct some planning but, too often, they endure events where everyone means well but nothing really gets done and people leave more confused than they were before. It happens all the time because we tend to overlook self-awareness, a key building block that helps us grow and succeed on a more meaningful level.

Successful retreats help the participants use self-awareness to accomplish what they want without creating more confusion or acting as a band-aid that doesn’t actually fix anything. Here are some practical ideas based on self-awareness for you to consider before your next retreat:

  • What do you want to accomplish? Think of what your top priority is rather than trying to jam a million things into the agenda.
  • Make sure all key players are present, attendance is not optional. I recommend that all top managers, including owners be present.
  • Do you have a plan for the event. What will be happening and who will make it happen?
  • Do you have an outside facilitator with no vested interest or personal connections with the company to facilitate the event.
  • Have you scheduled enough time and secured a venue that allows interruption-free participation?
  • Is the location easy to access and is the venue comfortable and conducive to positive interaction?
  • Does everyone have a clear understanding of what will be happening at the retreat and who is expected to be there?
  • Have you thought of ways to encourage participation and make the event an enjoyable experience?

A carefully planned retreat can help your organization be more self-aware, move forward, clarify your vision and focus your efforts. The key is to plan an event that leaves people wanting to succeed rather than feeling confused. What are your thoughts on building self-awareness to create a positive retreat?

Regards,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Your Amazing Beauty - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Your Amazing Beauty

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

You possess an amazing beauty that is unique to you. Self-awareness can help you celebrate it and live a deeply meaningful and joyous life. Here’s how beautiful you are:

  • There is no one else like you in the world.
  • You have a combination of talents and abilities that is exclusively yours.
  • You have a unique perspective of the world.
  • You possess unlimited potential.
  • You have deep reservoirs of resilience.
  • You have the ability to continuously learn and grow.
  • You can make the world a better place.
  • You can live authentically.
  • You have the potential to share your amazing beauty with the world.

The more you work on building your self-awareness, the more you’ll come to realize that you’re a true gift to the world. What will you do to share your amazing beauty?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Helped Me Become the Person I Am Now - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Helped Me Become the Person I Am Now

/ / Self-Awareness, Self-Consciousness / , , , , ,

I wasn’t always into self-awareness. The person I am now is very different from the one I was years ago. I used to be driven by the need to feel superior, obsessed with what others thought about me; the kind of person who would put other people down to feel better about himself. At the same time, I stuffed my feelings deep inside, tried to ignore them and, consequently, felt horribly unbalanced and unhappy most of the time.

I grew up in a competitive family where you had to fight to be seen and heard. I was not encouraged to acknowledge or work out any of my inner conflicts, I simply had to hold them in and try to appear invincible. My family was ill-equipped to deal with anything emotional. Sure, we knew how to be angry, or sad, or fake happy, but not how to really deal with the core issues that were troubling us. The only way I got any attention was to be dramatic or clown-like because everyone else was so busy sucking all the energy out of everything they touched. This environment taught me to keep things to myself.

When was in my teens, I was an insecure mess who didn’t know how to deal with himself or others. I was hurting constantly but was not allowed to talk about it. I didn’t know how to build positive relationships. In my twenties I had no idea who I was and treated myself poorly because of it. People on the outside would probably say that I was affable and outgoing, but inside I was a mess. I hurt a lot of people in my teens, twenties, and thirties because I didn’t know who I was.

Somewhere along the way I realized that I felt uneasy and disjointed because I wasn’t living life as myself. I had learned to conform to the wishes of my family or friends but I hadn’t learned to listen to my own inner voice. As soon as I discovered I could be myself, I started shedding all the garbage that had piled up on me and became a kinder, more empathic, more whole person. I pursued my own goals in life and worked hard to live genuinely. Gradually, I began building my self-awareness and healing the hurts from my past.

The person I am now barely resembles the one I used to be. I love being this person and hope it helps build a better world instead of one filed with strife and sadness. What kind of person are you right now?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy