Examples of Self-Awareness

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

Self-Awareness and Listening

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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

Building a Culture of Workplace Self-Awareness and Team Building - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Building a Culture of Workplace Self-Awareness and Team Building

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Genuine team building goes beyond the occasional bonding activity or retreat to establishing a culture that encourages self-awareness, rewards collaboration, and teaches everyone in your workplace how to build and participate in cohesive teams. Here are five ideas to keep in mind as you begin creating a culture of self-awareness and team building in your organization:

  1. Team building flows from the top. Leaders who practice self-awareness set a positive example of how to behave in the workplace. They show employees the organization is genuinely interested in building healthy teams by actively setting up and participating in an ongoing program.
  1. Team building is a company value. You get to choose what your organization values and what it doesn’t and whether people in the organization work against each other or collaborate. You decide what behaviors are acceptable and encouraged in your workplace.
  1. Train the trainer. Set aside the time and resources to train people at all levels of the organizations who then train their particular departments until all employees have the knowledge to practice effective team building.
  1. Schedule regular time for team building activities. You show your employees that team building is a priority by establishing a weekly stand-alone activity that doesn’t have to share space with other meetings and is attended by people at all levels.
  1. Team building is about celebrating your employees. Design team building activities where leaders and employees can connect on a deeper level, build meaningful relationships and praise each other in public.

As a leader, you decide what kind of work environment you create and whether you commit long-term to making it easier for your employees to come together and work collaboratively. What will you do to support a culture of self-awareness and team building in your organization?

Cheers,

Guy

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

Self-Awareness Reduces Anger

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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 Helps You Expect the Unexpected - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Helps You Expect the Unexpected

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As you work on your self-awareness you’ll often find that things don’t go exactly as planned. The key to success is to expect that things will change and that not everything will go your way. When you let go of the need to control events and people you’ll be flexible enough to deal with any challenge. It will also allow you to be less stressed-out when things don’t go the way you anticipated.

When you expect the unexpected, you open yourself to experiencing new things and learning along the way. Even the most difficult experience brings with it some kind of insight and knowledge. The trick is to see these temporary detours in life as opportunities for growth instead of unwelcome or catastrophic events.

The next time something unexpected happens in your life, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you’re able to handle anything and that you’ll always encounter things you hadn’t planned. Let go of the need to control everything and learn from what’s happening. Don’t forget that change is a natural part of life.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and expect the unexpected?

Cheers,

Guy

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

Self-Awareness and Reducing Workplace Conflict

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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?

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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

Self-Awareness Helps You Be Happy - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Helps You Be Happy

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Imagine living a life where you possess self-awareness and think and act in ways that bring you deep joy and fulfillment. When you understand yourself deep inside, you’re more likely to enjoy who you are and experience the world positively. Here are ten things you can do starting right now to be happy:

  1. Forgive yourself and others.
  2. Do meaningful work that reflects your real passions.
  3. Let go of the need for things to turn out a certain way.
  4. Make sure what you say matches what you do.
  5. Treat yourself and others with kindness.
  6. Help others, including people you don’t know.
  7. Praise someone.
  8. Give someone a hug.
  9. Tell someone you love him or her, tell yourself too.
  10. Heal your hurts.

When you do these things you’ll be connecting on a more meaningful level with yourself and others as well as building self-awareness. The trick is to consciously do positive things every day that lead you toward happiness. The more you do it, the better you’ll feel.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and be happy?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy