Self-Knowledge Archives – Page 18 of 39

The Importance of Self-Awareness in Social Work

May 24, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

As someone with a family services, program management, and personal/professional development background, as well as an MSW, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a wide range of people, both self-aware and otherwise. A question that often crossed my mind as I worked with social workers is whether they understood the importance of self-awareness in social work. It’s vitally important for social workers to possess a high degree of self-awareness because it directly impacts their clients. I’ll share some real-world examples of social worker behaviors that are both self-aware and unaware. Here are some things social workers who lack self-awareness do:

They become enmeshed with clients to the point that they hamper the client’s progress.
They are unable to determine where they end and the client begins due to a lack of healthy boundaries.
They aren’t aware of how their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors affect them or their clients.
They function based on the need to dominate or control instead of facilitating.
Their self-esteem is derived from their clients liking or looking up to them.
They enable their clients’ less-than-positive behaviors.
They prolong the worker/client relationship way past its expiration date.
They make clients dependent on them.
They are in constant conflict with co-workers, subordinates, and colleagues.
They make things more difficult than they have to be.
They refuse to work with other professionals due to their own personal issues.
They work out their personal issues on their clients.
They lack empathy.
They like power a little too much.
They make things difficult for others, often acting as a gatekeeper.
They yearn for public recognition.
They set up fiefdoms and zealously guard their power.
They haven’t healed their own hurts before trying to heal others.
They’re personally unhappy.

Although these behaviors are common in many fields, they are especially counterproductive in client/worker relationships because the client’s wellness and success in life is at stake. On the other hand, social workers who possess self-awareness do things like:

Constantly work on healing their own hurts so they can be as healthy as possible for their clients.
Establish and adhere to healthy boundaries.
Do things that encourage collaboration with other professionals to help the client.
Possess empathy.
Are deeply aware of and are able to manage their own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors and understand how they affect their clients.
Are not interested in power, control, or having to appear special in some way.
They make things easy for people, going the extra mile to be helpful in a professional way.
They understand clients’ issues are not theirs.
They have healthy, professional relationships with clients.
They facilitate the process of clients’ finding their own answers.
They know how to help someone and get out of the way.
They’re balanced, happy, healthy people.
They enjoy healthy personal and professional relationships.
They understand, value, and possess self-awareness.

One of the main reasons I write this blog is that I’ve seen my fair share of people damaging other people and I told myself many years ago that I would do what I could to help people become more aware of what they were feeling, thinking, and doing so they could live positively and build a better world for everyone. Ultimately, the importance of self-awareness in social work is that it greatly increases the well-being and chances of success for the social worker, the client, and the world.

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Hope

May 23, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

Self-awareness gives you hope because you’re able to live proactively and consciously rather than enduring whatever comes your way. If you don’t know yourself very well you might see the world as a vast, unknown, scary entity that has total control over you, which might lead you to say things like:

Life is hard and it will always be.
I have no opportunities.
I can only rely on myself.
Things will never change.

Fortunately, you have a lot of control over your thoughts, feelings and behaviors and you can view even the most difficult situations from whatever perspective you choose. For example, you could convert the statements above to ones that indicate you understand how much power you have:

Life may be hard at times but I can decide to move forward positively.
I’m going to look for the opportunities in this situation.
I know I can rely on myself but I can also connect with others.
I can make change happen.

Each of these sets of examples represents a different worldview: One is based on the assumption that the world is harsh and negative and the other suggests that you can affect your environment even if things are difficult. When you understand yourself really well, you shift from living passively to choosing how you experience the world. What will you do to increase your hopefulness through self-awareness?

Cheers,

Guy

10 Signs You Practice Self-Awareness

May 21, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

It’s easy to tell who values self-awareness because they behave in ways that are uplifting for them and the people around them. Here are ten signs that you practice self-awareness:

You know where you end and others begin.
You behave positively toward yourself and others.
You have compassion and empathy for others.
You are able to see other people’s points of view.
You keep your personal stuff out of your interactions with others.
You heal your own hurts.
You know who you really are deep inside.
You live authentically.
You help yourself and others grow and succeed.
You get up each morning and think, feel and behave like the real you.

If you do these things habitually, you’re a person who possesses healthy self-awareness. If you don’t, no worries, just pick one area to strengthen and practice until you become good at it. The key to building self-awareness is to always be cognizant of what you’re doing and whether you’re living positively and genuinely. What will you do to keep building self-awareness?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Helps You Find Your Own Answers

May 21, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

Self-awareness helps you find your own answers in life because, when you understand your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, you’re able to move forward consciously and take action more confidently based on the knowledge you have of yourself.

I often get questions from people who are genuinely trying to figure out what to do in a difficult situation. While I can give people examples of what other people have done to be successful, it is difficult to give people advice on what they should do. Each person will have their own way of arriving at a solution and a self-awareness consultant is there to help them arrive at whatever end they see fit.

I encourage people to think in terms of building self-awareness and finding their own solutions to tough issues. If you don’t know what to do, spend some time thinking about the following points:

1. What would I name this issue?
2. What are some possible solutions for the issue?
3. Which solution makes the most sense to me?
4. What do I need to do to start working on the solution?

I help my clients take charge of their lives and gain the confidence necessary to work through tough challenges. We all have the answers we need inside; it just takes a bit of effort to find them. Outside people can give us their opinion but only we can arrive at the resolution that makes the most sense to us.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and find your own answers?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Communication in Relationships

May 19, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

People often ask me what to do on a date or in a relationship when trying to start a conversation. Many people who lack self-awareness learned how to communicate in their families or with friends or colleagues and only know one communication style: The one they’ve used since they became adults. Learning a couple of basic skills can help you make the most of communicating with anyone. Try these ideas the next time you are talking to a date or someone you are in a relationship with:

1. Listen actively.
2. Ask open ended questions.
3. Listen actively.
4. Did I mention listening actively?

One of the easiest ways to demonstrate self-awareness and help a conversation get started and build is to listen and ask questions. To be an active listener try the following:

1. Look at the other person.
2. Really listen carefully and give all your attention to what the other person says rather than thinking about what you want to say next.
3. Nod or say uh-huh to indicate you are listening.

Open-ended questions are formed by asking questions that can’t be answered with a yes or no. Ask “What did you think about that?” rather than “I bet your really thought that was horrible.” The open-ended question invites the other person to tell you more rather than answering yes or no.

Try these common sense ideas and you will be on your way to gaining a new, better understanding of other people. What will you do to develop self-awareness and improve the communication in your relationships?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Resilience

May 19, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

Self-awareness helps you build resilience so you’re able to bounce back from any setback in your life. When you understand your strengths and areas for improvement, you’re able to adjust accordingly, acquire extra knowledge when necessary, and make positive decisions that reflect who you really are.

People who get stuck often lack the perspective to realize that they have other options in life. They’re so focused on one way of doing things that they overlook the many other opportunities that could help them be much more flexible and happy. As you increase your self-awareness you’ll begin to understand that you have a lot of talents and abilities inside you to work through difficult times. Even when obstacles seem insurmountable, you’ll be able to draw on your self-knowledge and live happily and authentically. What will you do to increase your resilience?

Cheers,

Guy

Insecurity Is a Normal Part of Self-Awareness

May 18, 2023 - The Self-Awareness Guy

Insecurity is a normal part of developing self-awareness because it indicates that you understand that some area of your life that needs improvement. No one feels 100% confident all the time and everyone has doubts. The trick is to use those feelings as inspiration to keep learning and growing instead of letting them affect you and others in less that wonderful ways.

People who are always insecure lack the self-awareness to move past those feelings. The key to getting rid of insecurity is to determine what’s causing it and continue taking action even when it feels difficult. As you keep doing positive things, you’ll gradually feel more confident and less insecure.

Here are some signs you’re moving past insecurity:

You feel happier and more balanced.
You’re able to overcome obstacles.
You like yourself more.
You feel more confident but not in an arrogant or fake way.
You don’t feel the need to compete to prove how great you are.
You help other people succeed.
You behave with kindness and empathy.

Cheers,

Guy