Awareness of Emotions

What Self-Awareness Isn't - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

What Self-Awareness Isn’t

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

A lot of people think self-awareness happens simply by saying you have it. This leads to people insisting that they understand themselves well while leaving a trail of destruction wherever they go. Here are some examples of what self-awareness isn’t:

  • Saying you do one thing and then doing another.
  • Having various parts of your life in conflict.
  • Saying you care about people but treating certain ones poorly.
  • Insisting you’re happy and balanced when you have a lot of unfinished inner business to deal with.
  • You say you love yourself but you do things that hurt you.
  • Thinking and behaving in ways that hurt others.
  • Saying that other people don’t have self-awareness and then doing things that demonstrate you don’t.

Getting to know yourself well is an ongoing process where you comprehend why you think and do certain things and continuously move your life in a positive direction. You become so comfortable with yourself that you treat others with great care and compassion because you’re deeply happy inside. What will you do to keep building self-awareness?

Cheers,

Guy

Self Awareness and Saying I'm Sorry - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self Awareness and Saying I’m Sorry

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

The ability to say, “I’m sorry,” is a big part of self-awareness. Countless misunderstandings and conflicts arise because people are unwilling to back down or admit that they made a mistake. The irony is that, in trying to avoid being wrong, people make the situation worse. When something goes awry, it’s much more productive to think in these types of terms:

  • There’s nothing wrong with making a mistake.
  • You don’t have to be right all the time to be a good person.
  • It’s positive to take the other person’s feelings into account.
  • You can learn and grow by examining what you did.
  • You don’t have to win.
  • You don’t have to save face.
  • Admitting you made a mistake is a positive sign of self-awareness.
  • You take responsibility for your actions and how they affect others.
  • You’re healthy enough to not have to dominate or control others.

Saying, “I’m sorry,” doesn’t mean that you let people step all over you, it’s simply an acknowledgement that you’re willing and able to reflect on what you did and work on improving the situation. Self-awareness allows you to step back, evaluate your thoughts and behaviors, take responsibility, and make corrections. What will you do to say, “I’m sorry,” more freely?

Cheers,

Guy

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

Self-Awareness and Honesty

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

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 Creating Positive Vibes - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Creating Positive Vibes

/ / Self-Awareness / , , ,

Like anyone who is working on building his or her self-awareness and trying to spread positive vibes in the world, my patience and interpersonal skills are often tested. I recently went through a really challenging experience where a series of negative things happened over a period of several days. At the end of the ordeal I was left with a stark choice:

  1. Fight.
  2. Move on and live kindly and peacefully.

Regrettably, I initially chose number one and it took an awful toll on me. I felt like I was creating all kinds of negative energy; making not only myself but others unhappy. I struggled with my feelings about the situation and finally discovered what was bothering me so much: I was creating negative vibes instead of living my life how I really want to, with self-awareness, kindness, and grace.

As a thinking, feeling person, I had the ability to behave any way I wanted and I chose a less than wonderful course of action. When I realized that I was acting in a way that wasn’t leading down a positive path, I consciously moved in a more self-aware, beneficial direction. This deliberate decision not only made my life easier but also created a better world because there was one less person creating negative energy, me.

I love consulting for people who value self-awareness because they try to understand how their thoughts and actions actions affect other people and the world in general. They also work hard to build a better world for themselves and others. What will you do to develop self-awareness and create positive vibes?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Reduces Anger - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Reduces Anger

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

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

Self-Awareness and Reducing Workplace Conflict - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Reducing Workplace Conflict

/ / Self-Awareness / , , , , ,

When you have a high degree of self-awareness you’re able to reduce workplace conflict by being part of the solution rather than instigating or perpetuating it. Here are some characteristics you likely possess if you’re a person who lessens conflict:

  • You view conflict as an opportunity for everyone to get on the same page and win.
  • You understand that conflict is a signal that something needs attention.
  • You know what triggers conflict inside you and are able to manage it.
  • You consciously decide to think, feel and behave positively when conflict arises.
  • You make it easier to find solutions to the conflict.
  • You act in good faith.
  • You don’t perpetuate the conflict by taking sides.
  • You’re not followed by conflict wherever you go.
  • You don’t need to prove anything.
  • You don’t have to be on top of people.

The more you know yourself the less conflict you invite into your life because, when you’re happy with who you are, you tend to do things that help others do the same instead of perpetuating behaviors that cultivate conflict. What will you do to reduce the amount of conflict in your workplace?

Cheers,

Guy

Many People Lack Self-Awareness, Are You One of Them? - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Many People Lack Self-Awareness, Are You One of Them?

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

I love facilitating self-awareness workshops where I encourage people to take a deeper look at themselves, and that can have a few different outcomes, from individuals being genuinely happy about learning more about themselves, to others feeling genuinely upset about having to examine who they really are. People are used to presenting a carefully fabricated version of what kind of person they are and what they do.

It’s not rare for someone in one of my workshops to claim that she is a kind, fair, inspiring leader and then describe all manner of hideous behaviors that she perpetrates on others. This is a sure sign of a lack of self-awareness, the inability to see how your thoughts, emotions and behaviors affect you and others.

It’s hard to take a candid look at yourself and start the process of building self-awareness. It requires the courage to look at the things in your life that aren’t going so well and doing something to change them. Thankfully, as you get to know who you really are, you’ll develop the ability to heal your hurts and strengthen yourself so that you can live a happier, more fulfilling life.

People don’t really misunderstand self-awareness, they just choose not to look at themselves. If you consciously decide to explore who you are, you’ll learn amazing things about yourself and find that life is much more meaningful when you live it honestly and genuinely. What will you do to increase your self-awareness?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy