Examples of Self-Awareness

11 Ways to Improve Your Life Right Now with Self-Awareness - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

11 Ways to Improve Your Life Right Now with Self-Awareness

There’s a big difference between letting life happen to you and having he self-awareness to consciously choosing what you think and do. You can live a happy, meaningful, and fulfilling life at any time by deciding that you’re going to do it. If you’re not quite sure how to begin, here are ten ways to improve your life starting right now:

  1. Let go of the need to control events and other people.
  2. Think and behave positively.
  3. Love yourself and others unconditionally.
  4. Heal your hurts, especially the ones you don’t want to look at.
  5. Help others without expecting anything in return.
  6. Discover what you really want to do in life and take daily small steps to make it happen.
  7. Experience all your feelings and learn how to guide them in a positive direction.
  8. Spend time doing the things that matter in life; like working on your dreams or hugging your significant other.
  9. Surround yourself with people who appreciate the real you.
  10. Be open to increasing your self-awareness throughout your life.
  11. Be yourself.

Improving your life requires commitment and effort. Try these ideas and, over time, you’ll improve your quality of life because you’ll be more self-aware and thinking and behaving in ways that lead to deeper happiness. Remember that you don’t have to everything at once, start with one item and then move on to the next.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and improve your life?

Cheers,

Guy

Characteristics of Self-Aware Leaders - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Characteristics of Self-Aware Leaders

Leaders who possess self-awareness also tend to be enlightened because they understand themselves at a deeper level and are able to lead effectively without destroying or dominating people. Here are some characteristics of self-aware leaders:

  • They feel comfortable with themselves.
  • They let go of ego.
  • They’re collaborative instead of competitive.
  • They understand how their own thoughts and behaviors affect others.
  • They treat others with compassion, kindness, and respect.
  • They’re comfortable with their own and other people’s emotions.
  • They don’t have a need for dominance, power, or control.
  • They are able to see the big picture as well as details.
  • They get out of the way and let others shine.
  • They communicate well, emphasizing active listening.

If you’ve ever worked for a leader like this, you know how enjoyable it is to interact with someone who isn’t out to make himself or herself look good and who understands that other people matter. What have you noticed about self-aware, enlightened leaders?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Taking Action - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Taking Action

A major element of self-awareness is understanding what motivates you and actually doing things to create positive movement in your life. I’ve consulted for and trained a lot of people over the years and I’ve noticed that there is often a disconnect between what they say they want to do and what they actually do. People mean well but very often they don’t know how to follow through to reach their goals. The missing ingredient is taking action.

In order to do anything in life it’s important to actually do stuff. If all you do is think about things, you’ll live a great imaginary life but not get a lot done in the physical world. Achievements don’t just appear out of thin air, they require deliberate and conscious effort. You have to actually move from thinking about things in your head to doing things in the outside world.

People who value self-awareness tend to understand the process of working hard each day to get to know themselves better and continue moving in the direction of their dreams. What are your thoughts on taking action?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and the Five Steps to Success - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and the Five Steps to Success

Many people I consult with, and who lack self-awareness, ask me if there is a secret to success. There really isn’t a secret, it just requires purposeful action, which means that we are fully conscious and have thought about every action that we take. We don’t leave things to chance except when appropriate and we consciously do things to improve our self-awareness and keep working on the issues in our lives that require attention.

Think of success in terms of practical things you can do to move in whatever direction you want. The following steps will help you achieve what you want in life but there is one caveat: you have to take action.

  1. Define what success means to you.
  2. Break your definition into parts and give each one a clear name. These become your goals.
  3. Select one goal you want to work on.
  4. Brainstorm different tasks that will help you achieve your goal.
  5. Pick one task and follow it through to completion.

Use these five steps to keep progressing. Success is based on continuous movement and action. With each action you complete, you become stronger and more successful. Don’t worry too much about what goal you choose or what action to take, it is the act of doing things that creates the change in your life.

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

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Changing Your Life Completely - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Changing Your Life Completely

At any moment in time, you can change your life completely by deciding to increase your self-awareness and take action to make things happen. Many people settle for whatever comes their way, but you can consciously decide to move beyond the ordinary and live your dreams. Here are some practical ideas to help you shift your trajectory and live meaningfully:

Build Self-Awareness

Deeply understand what you do really well and what you need to improve so you can become the most balanced, fulfilled, effective individual possible. Think in terms of letting go of thoughts and behaviors that don’t work and replacing them with ones that get you better results and make you happier as a person.

Define Your Dreams

Take the time to identify what you would genuinely love to do with your life. Be specific and make sure that whatever you choose resonates inside you. Avoid following someone else’s dreams or ideas of what you should do or what type of person you should be, listen to your own inner voice.

Brainstorm Ideas on How to Make Your Dreams Come True

Sit down and write down as many ideas as possible on how you can make your dreams come true. Stay away from judging your answers or putting limits on what you can or can’t do. Write your ideas down in a stream of consciousness without worrying about things like grammar or what others might think.

Pick One Thing to Begin Working On

Instead of taking on too much and feeling frustrated, pick one item from your brainstorm session and begin working on it. This will allow you to focus your efforts and begin your exciting new journey. It’s much easier to take action when you have a concrete starting point.

Take One Small Step at a Time

You don’t have to do everything at once. Many people falter and get burned out by doing too much rather than focusing on manageable pieces. Try to take one achievable, deliberate step at a time and keep moving forward calmly and purposefully.

People who practice these ideas find that they have less stressful and more fulfilling lives. The key to being truly happy at any point in time is to be self-aware, cognizant of who you are and where you’re going, and take action to keep progressing.

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

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware People Deal Well with Conflict - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Aware People Deal Well with Conflict

When I consult with people who lack self-awareness about conflict resolution the question often comes up, “So what am I supposed to do if someone is getting mad at me?” Though counterintuitive, the answer is that you don’t have to do much, just listen. The next time someone is getting upset while talking with you, try these self-aware techniques:

1. Listen actively.
2. Nod and smile.
3. If you must talk do so only to say, “Tell me more.”

You will be absolutely amazed at the results you will get from simply listening to someone. The trap we fall in is that we think that, when other people are upset, it must be about us. When you give someone the space and opportunity to simply talk and be validated then they will give you much more information than if you engage them in a conflict.

So, give it a try. The next time you are about to get in an argument tell yourself that it is not about you and give the other person the chance to tell you about themselves. Once you master this skill, you will find that many of the conflicts you formerly had will disappear because you will no longer be part of the conflict.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and deal positively with conflict?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Making Things More Difficult for Others - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Making Things More Difficult for Others

One of the characteristics of someone who lacks self-awareness is making things more difficult for others. When you don’t know yourself well, you can’t pull back far enough to realize how your behavior affects other people so you might do things like:

  • Treat people poorly.
  • Behave without empathy.
  • Think the whole world should bend to your point of view.
  • Frequently create situations that damage other people.
  • Do things that make others work harder.
  • Create a pattern of negative interactions and relationships.
  • Complicate things to gain power or control.
  • Make unrealistic demands.
  • Act as a gatekeeper.
  • Fail to take responsibility for your actions.

The antidote to these behaviors is to get to know yourself on a deeper level and become genuinely comfortable with who you are. The happier you are, the less stress you’ll create for others because you won’t be working out your personal issues on them. What will you do to make things less difficult for others?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy