Would you like to see some changes in your life? All personal change begins by building self-awareness.
Self-awareness is a self-conscious state where you’re focused on yourself, your thoughts, feelings, emotions, beliefs, values, and well-being.
It’s often said, "We cannot change what we will not see." Self-awareness is the process of acknowledging not only our strengths, but our weaknesses as well; of opening our eyes to see ourselves differently. Becoming self-aware entails listening to your body, mind, and spirit, and taking action based on what you notice.
If you’re in tune with your body, you’ll know when to say no to that extra piece of cake or staying up late. You’ll become more in tune with your body the more often you respect it. Self-awareness is a process. The more we do it, the better we become at it.
How do you become self-aware?
For most people, self-awareness is a life-long journey (some say a many-lives journey!) Because as you master something, you reach a new level of awareness of what you can still choose to master. Knowing that your journey is long, is perhaps the greatest awareness you can have! But these tips can help you in taking some first steps on your journey to self-awareness:
Reflect on who you are and who you’d like to become.
While it’s important to notice your faults and weaknesses, it’s equally important to acknowledge your strengths.
The better you understand yourself, the better you’re able to accept yourself as you are or change the things you’d like to be different. Self-awareness requires you to be honest with yourself and have the courage to both change the things you can and accept the things you can’t change!
Looking deep within your soul, you’ll find the many character traits that make you unique. Begin by acknowledging the positive things. This will strengthen and encourage you to face your less favorable character traits without abandoning your new quest. Remember even saints had their downsides!
On the other hand, when evaluating your strengths, don’t let your ego get the best of you. If you magnify either your strengths or your weaknesses, you can’t possibly get a realistic picture of yourself.
Pay attention to your likes and dislikes
Far too often, people make life-changing choices without acknowledging deeply rooted personal preferences.
* Before you embark on goals for your future, have a full awareness of the things you especially enjoy and those you prefer not to have in your life.
Face your inner self.
During your self-awareness process, think about your motivations, dreams, fears and stressors. Think about why you feel the way you do, then begin to work toward overcoming these inner battles.
Most importantly, face your inner self with loving compassion. Know that you are who you are because of all your experiences, thoughts, and feelings. And that you can only make decisions about anything based on the tools you have in any given moment.
I think it’s no accident that older people often say they would never want to be 21 again, unless they could also keep the lessons life has taught them. They would make different decisions and probably enjoy life more, with the tools known to an older mind!
Ask your loved ones’ opinions.
Talk to people who know you best and really listen to what they see as your dominant character traits and motivations. Ask them to be completely honest with you and be prepared to hear their opinions.
You may not be your own best judge of character. Accept the way your loved ones see you as part of this process. Consider their opinions along with your own analysis, to help you begin seeing the full picture of who you are.
And remember, be gentle with yourself….
Self-awareness is a necessary part of self-esteem and change. If you want to grow as an individual, begin with a complete and honest picture of who you are now. This total awareness will help you stand on a strong foundation as you start your journey to becoming the best you can be.
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