Self Awareness is Not Impossible and Here’s Why

We all strive to be better versions of ourselves, whether that means expanding our personal OR professional skillset. When learning a new skill, we usually dedicate a substantial amount of time towards mastery. I wonder if we as a society put forth the same energy and dedication toward developing our awareness of self? 

I’ve often found that self-awareness is a difficult skill to master. I avoided certain types of self-reflections for a long time because they required me to confront unwanted feelings and emotions. It took years to get to a place where I felt comfortable entertaining all forms of self-reflection. And now, I’m an advocate for self-awareness because I know how it can positively impact one’s life.

What is Self-Awareness? 

Self-awareness involves being aware of OR bringing into focus one’s traits, behaviors, values, feelings, and psychological needs.

Why is it important to know these things? Our thoughts and emotions drive our behaviors. It is essential to acknowledge our thoughts and feelings. Through acknowledgment, we can process them and work towards what we want more of by either reinforcement OR redirection.

How to Start Your Self-Awareness Journey?  

We can elicit self-awareness through some of our daily habits. It may require us to adjust our mindset slightly and inject intentionality into our approach. Below are some of the activities that we can use to elicit self-awareness. 

• journaling
• meditation and other mindfulness habits
• art
• examining our goals + priorities
• mental health counseling

There is power in “knowing thyself.” 

How to Infuse Intentionality?

We can infuse intentionality by reflecting on a series of questions. Below are a few questions/prompts to get you going.

1. How do you make time for yourself? How do you prioritize making time for yourself?
2. What is an assumption people tend to get wrong about you?
3. How do you show compassion to others? How do you show compassion to yourself?
4. What are your favorite hobbies/activities? Why?
5. How do you respond to a crisis?
6. What complex thoughts/emotions frequently come up for you?
7. How are you feeling today?
8. Describe an event that positively/negatively changed you.
9. What five personal beliefs/thoughts are you willing to reconsider? 
10. Is there anything you could be doing more/less) of?

There is value in self-awareness. A high level of self-awareness allows us to evaluate ourselves by managing our emotions and behavior objectively.