Awareness Meaning

How to Be Happy? Self-Awareness

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My clients frequently ask me how to be happy. Over the years I’ve noticed that a common characteristic of people who are happy is having a strong awareness of who we are and where we are going. Self-awareness is a deep understanding of who we are. It literally impacts how we treat ourselves and others and what kind of life we live. Let me give you a real world example to illustrate how important it is to get to know yourself.

Person A says he is a happy go lucky person that always is having a great time. He has a lot of friends and says he’s confident and an optimist. He lives a life that looks great to everyone on the outside but, when he has to think about it, Person A is deeply unhappy. He has unresolved issues in his life that are so difficult that he refuses to look at them. So person A appears happy on the outside but inside he is constantly struggling to ignore and cast aside the demons he carries. This type of person is not living a life of self-awareness because he won’t even begin the process of understanding who he is in order to move forward. He chooses instead to live a live of superficial happiness based on appearances.

Person B, on the other hand, also has issues that hurt him deeply and made him unhappy. He also appears happy to the outside world but his happiness comes from a very different place. Person B decided years ago to look at the things that brought him pain. He worked very hard to acknowledge his past and create a plan to move beyond the hurt. When person B is alone he feels genuinely happy because he has actually moved past the challenges in his past. This type of happiness is far more genuine because the person has literally worked through the things that made them unhappy. His happiness is real because it’s based on his deep self-awareness based on facing his hurts.

Genuine happiness comes from deep inside us. It is a level of existence that we achieve only when we work through the challenges from our past. I’m not suggesting that we live in the past but rather that we acknowledge the things that hurt us earlier in life and then develop a plan to move forward. People get caught up in the idea that they have to live in pain if they look at the difficult issues in their life when it really provides an opportunity to go beyond those issues and grow in positive ways. Imagine your life without those nagging things that hold you back. Think about how successful you would be if you didn’t have those voices trying to keep you from succeeding.

Everyone deserves to live a happy life, one where we’re genuinely fulfilled and content. Those who are truly happy have left the burdens of the past behind. Think about it as the difference between living your life with the burden of carrying a giant monkey on your back and never getting rid of it versus letting it go and living a much lighter and energized existence. You will truly enjoy living from a place of authentic happiness free from the worries of the past. It is achievable for everyone but it takes conscious effort and work. Once you do the work the rewards are amazing.

Self-awareness is not about being selfish or self-indulgent, it’s about understanding who you are and constantly working on becoming the best person you can be. You get to be the best you possible and you get to live a life of fulfillment rather than just getting by. Those who choose to be aware of whom they really are enjoy the benefits of living a genuinely happy life.

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

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Helps You Do What You Love in Life

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Self-awareness helps you do what you love in life because, when you comprehend why you feel, think, and behave the way you do, you’re able to identify a meaningful path and live authentically.

It’s really normal to want to figure out what you really want to do in life. It’s much more fulfilling to do things you love than things you have to do. Much of the discomfort you feel comes from not following your true path.

When I consult with people, we frequently talk about how they can tell if they are following their path. The answer varies from person to person but I’ve found that people just feel better, happier, stronger, more motivated and productive when they build self-awareness and do things they love. It’s the feeling you get when you’re doing things you actually enjoy doing rather than things that bring you discomfort. Think of the millions of people toiling in jobs they hate because they haven’t yet connected with what they really want to do. What would their lives look like if they incorporated more of the activities that bring them joy?

Think about the following questions in order to figure out what you want to do with your life:

  1. What do I love doing more than anything?
  2. Am I doing that thing?
  3. What am I doing to pursue my dreams in general?
  4. Am I settling for a life that does not include my dreams?
  5. What am I afraid of?
  6. What specific action can I take today to move toward my dreams?

You deserve to live a great life and you have the power to move toward your goals and dreams at any moment you choose to. Doing what you love isn’t automatic, it requires conscious thought and persistence. The good news is that you can do concrete things to move in any direction you want. Start today and you could be on your way to doing the things you’ve always dreamed of.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and do what you love in life?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Finding Balance at Work

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I was talking to a very accomplished person who lacks self-awareness and was feeling overwhelmed by everything going on in his work life. After I asked him to take some time to think about what was going well and what might need improvement in his life, he realized that he had been juggling a great deal of different challenges in the workplace and hadn’t taken time to think about the things that gave him balance.

We become so engrossed in working at a rapid pace that we forget that we can enjoy our efforts more if we pause occasionally to build self-awareness, relax, recharge, and reflect. Take some time in your day to do nothing. Look at the sky, take a walk, draw a picture, meditate, listen to music or do anything else you enjoy that requires no goals or deadlines. Work becomes more enjoyable when you take time to regain our balance and do it on a regular basis.

Balance helps you maintain a generally positive course and helps you be a more effective leader because you are functioning from a place of calm and reflection. It is this middle road where you can find grounding and greater peace rather than the standard rat race. You will always experience highs and lows but, if we nurture the middle, we will always have a place to seek refuge.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and find more balance at work?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Building a Better World

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As someone who values self-awareness, you likely understand the role you play in building a better world for everyone. Here are some ideas on how to become a person who makes a difference:

  • Heal the inner hurts from your past so that you feel as good about yourself as possible. People who understand themselves well and have worked out their difficult issues are better able to help others because their own stuff doesn’t get in the way.
  • Take action each day to make your dreams come true. Wake up each morning ready to do things your really love. Don’t settle for just anything that comes your way, work deliberately to make things happen. You don’t have to do everything at once, just take a small step every day.
  • Be yourself. Don’t live someone else’s life, be who you really are deep inside no matter what others say.
  • Believe that the world can be better. If you don’t believe in a compassionate, equitable, caring world, you can’t be part of the solution. Only people who believe in feeling, thinking, and behaving positively can create a more positive world.
  • Love more. Love yourself, love others, love the earth. Fill your days with love.
  • Keep doing things you love and that come from your heart. Your contribution is unique and valuable.
  • Keep building your self-awareness.

Do these things and you’ll feel so great about yourself that you’ll automatically generate positive vibes. What will you do to develop self-awareness and build a better world?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Dealing with People Who Don’t Understand You

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A big part of self-awareness is realizing that you’re wonderful no matter how others react to you. Some people will never understand the value of what you do, no matter how hard you try to convince them. I learned this lesson through personal experience in many settings as I tried to enlighten people on what I had to offer and was met with blank stares. I would go home feeling dejected and worthless, but looking forward to the next time I would see them, that’s when I would undoubtedly get them on my side. It never worked.

One day I woke up and realized that I didn’t have to convince people of my worth. If they didn’t get it, it didn’t matter because there were others out there who would. Once I learned this valuable bit of information, I started to focus my energy on connecting with the people who understood me, which has made a huge difference in my life. I now interact daily with vibrant, insightful, kind people who love self-awareness.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and deal with people who don’t understand what you do?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Being Yourself

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Self-awareness is about being true to yourself and listening to your inner voice. You’ll live a much happier life when you find out who you really are and live a life based on what genuinely interests you. The difficulties arise when people live in a way that doesn’t reflect who they are deep inside.

Here are some ways you can build self-awareness and work on being yourself:

  • Heal the hurts from your past.
  • Discover who you really are deep inside.
  • Do things you love doing.
  • Take small actions each day to make your dreams come true.
  • Be aware of your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, and how you can manage them to get positive results.
  • Treat yourself and others well.
  • Be open to new ideas.
  • Welcome change.
  • Live the life you really want to.
  • Live courageously.

The more you know yourself, the better your life will be. Do things like we’ve talked about here and you’ll be happier and more fulfilled. What will you do to develop self-awareness and be yourself?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware People Don’t Say, “It’s Not My Problem”

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You earnestly ask a colleague or employee who lacks self-awareness a question and he or she utters the words that destroy effective communication: It’s not my problem. Think of the power that one phrase has and how easily it completely eradicates any semblance of caring or courtesy. In one fell swoop, the person who says it demonstrates a lack of self-awareness and gives up on being helpful in any way or communicating effectively. These types of interactions happen all the time in our workplaces and can lead to all kinds of unwanted results including reduced morale, ineffective leadership, and lower productivity.

The reason, “It’s not my problem,” has such negative repercussions is that it stops all interaction and does so in a jarring, often disrespectful, manner. There are many variations on this phrase but they all make communication more difficult rather than easier. The challenge in the workplace is to find ways of saying yes instead of no as well as taking responsibility for communicating well rather than putting up walls. Here are ten positive alternatives to saying, “It’s not my problem.”

1.  Lets work on this together to find an answer.
2.  I’ll see what I can do and check back with you.
3.  What can I do to be helpful?
4.  Let’s look for resources.
5.  Who might have the skills to help us with this.
6.  What part can I play to make the situation easier?
7.  This is my concern too.
8.  I hear you and understand what you’re saying.
9.  I can help brainstorm ideas.
10.  Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do.

Think about all the words we utter in the workplace that create unnecessary communication roadblocks. These types of interactions don’t focus on the positive and, consequently, don’t lead to great results. Thankfully, we can shift that momentum by stepping outside our boxes and committing to communicate more effectively.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and promote positive communication in your workplace?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy