Awareness Meaning

If You’re Self-Aware, You Already Have the Answers Inside

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Deep inside you live the answers to the questions you have about life. Many people who lack self-awareness spend their entire lives ignoring these inner thoughts, but those who listen to them benefit from following a life of great fulfillment. The reason that we have the answers inside of us is that we are born with certain hopes, dreams and talents that are unique to each of us. Nobody else in the world has these talents and only we can provide the subtle variation and specialization of these particular gifts. On the receiving end are people who are ready to connect with us and use our talents because it makes sense to them.

When you look within you for the answer to life’s questions you begin to connect with who you really are, increase your self-awareness, and live a life of less effort and strain. Following the voice inside you allows you to live comfortably because you are following the path that makes sense to you. The next time you are looking for answers from someone else consider the following questions:

  • What does my inner voice say I should do?
  • Does this answer reflect who I really am inside?
  • Am I blocking the true answer in any way?
  • What small step can I take today to follow up on this answer?

Learn to trust your inner voice and you begin the process of validating yourself. We each have the answers to what we need in life inside us. It is our choice whether we listen.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and look for the answers within?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Means Being Conscious of What You Say to Yourself

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It’s hard to increase your self-awareness if you have messages floating around in your head that sabotage your progress. It’s important to identify what those messages are so you can move past them. For example: Something inside you says that you can’t start a business; it’s up to you whether you continue to believe that voice or you replace it with something else.

It takes time an effort to change your inner dialogue but, when you do it, you’ll enjoy moving forward with greater self-awareness. Here are some examples of positive things to say to yourself:

  • I am committed to doing the work necessary to figure out who I am and what I want to do in life.
  • I am able to pursue my dreams.
  • I can heal my inner hurts.
  • I am a great person.
  • I have the answers I need deep inside of me.
  • I will listen to myself.
  • I have amazing skills and abilities I can share with the world.
  • I am important and worthwhile.
  • I am able to find meaning inside myself.
  • I love myself.

Try repeating things like these to yourself and you’ll notice how you move in a more favorable direction, with the negative messages playing a smaller and smaller part. The key is to stick to it until the prevailing narrative in your mind is a beneficial one.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and say positive things to yourself?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Helps You Say What You Want to Say

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A big part of self-awareness is identifying who you are and what you really want to do in life. It’s being able to answer the question: “What do you have to say?” There is a simple beauty to sharing whatever is going on inside you. You don’t have to create some sweeping epic, just do things based on what you’re thinking and feeling inside. Forget about judging what you’re doing or comparing it to other people’s work, just use your own amazing voice.

When I write about self-awareness, I begin with no preconceptions. I let whatever thought is percolating in my mind guide my words. It doesn’t matter what the topic is, the only important thing is to listen to what my heart and mind say and be open to following my true instincts, which is what I encourage people to do in their own lives.

As you build your self-awareness, you’ll find it gets easier to just be yourself and let your true voice emanate from within you. You get to decide what floats your boat and is meaningful to you. Don’t miss the opportunity to share your amazing self with the world.

Each of us has valuable insights and perspectives to share with the world. What will you do to develop self-awareness and live the life you want to?

Cheers,

Guy

Why Self-Awareness Matters

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You’ve probably met people, even very successful ones, who behave like they’re clueless or unbalanced in some part of their lives. Perhaps they don’t deal with others very positively, can’t get past some childhood trauma or have ideas about the world that aren’t grounded in reality. What they’re often missing is self-awareness, the ability to understand how their thoughts, emotions and behaviors affect them and others.

People avoid looking at themselves because they’re afraid of what they might find. It takes courage to admit that they’re not perfect, that they’ve made mistakes, that they’ve been wrong in the past or that there are areas that need improvement in their lives. Those who do decide to take a candid look at themselves soon discover that they can live deeply satisfying, meaningful, healthy and balanced lives.

Self-awareness matters because you’re worth it. You deserve to live a fully conscious life that reflects the real you rather than doing all the other garbage that makes you (and the people around you) unhappy. When you understand who you are and why you think and behave the way you do, you get to live an authentic life being yourself rather than trying to be someone you’re not or relying on outside sources for your happiness.

Increasing your self-awareness gives you the opportunity to live the life you were meant to live without restrictions. It’s a journey that begins with your willingness to look at yourself honestly and become the most healthy, balanced you possible. How will you start building your self-awareness?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware People Do More Than Fixing Problems

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I have facilitated numerous workshops and consulted with myriad people who lack self-awareness and a common theme that comes up is the idea of fixing things. From an early age, we are taught to confront any problem with a fix. If someone says something to us in our personal or professional life we immediately jump and look for ways to fix it. While I like resolving issues, it’s also important to give some importance to just building self-awareness and working on things without fixing them. Next time someone comes to you with a problem, consider the following possibilities:

1. Listen without interrupting or offering advice.
2. Give yourself permission not to fix anything.
3. Let the person talk to you freely and give them the time to do so.
4. Even if you disagree, don’t rebut or become defensive.
5. Learn to recognize the things that trigger your defensiveness or anger.
6. Offer to listen to the person again.
7. Always remain calm and caring.

The act of listening changes the whole dynamic in relationships. Suddenly we can learn what other people really think and simply bond with them. This approach is different because it requires that, instead of talking or jumping in, we just let someone else tell us about the things they find meaningful. This approach greatly reduces hurt feelings and anger because it requires us to react calmly to anything another person says.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and stop fixing things?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Aware Leaders Listen to Their Employees

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There is frequently a large gap between how leaders think they are perceived and what’s really going on. I enjoy talking with employees about how their bosses function because that’s where the juicy stuff is. Employees have valuable insights on the strengths and areas for improvement of their supervisors and it can be very helpful to listen to their advice.

The opportunity that many leaders miss out on is using their employees’ ideas to improve their leadership abilities or  how their workplaces function. This often happens because leaders simply don’t have open, two-way communication with their employees. When they open up the lines of communication they have access to the rich information and knowledge their employees possess. This, in turn, helps leaders understand where they stand with their employees and what adjustments might be beneficial. Ask yourself the following questions to asses the quality of your communication with your  employees.

1.  What percentage of time do you listen to your employees with no interruptions?

2.  What is the last great idea you got by listening to an employee?

3.  How is conflict dealt with in your organization? What part does effective  communication play?

4.  What would your employees say about the morale and motivation in your organization?

5.  What advice would your employees give you about how to improve your organization?

6.  In what ways do your employees demonstrate they are comfortable talking with you?

7.  What do your employees say about you?

If you know the answers to these questions then you’re likely practicing effective communication with your employees. Chances are that you also know what they are saying about you. If you don’t have answers to these questions you can always make some adjustments to make sure you are connected to your employees.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and communicate more openly with your employees?

Cheers,

Guy

10 Behaviors of Someone with Strong Self-Awareness

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Here are ten behaviors of someone with strong self-awareness:

  • They do things consciously rather than just reacting to stuff.
  • They are in touch with their emotions and are comfortable feeling them.
  • They are comfortable with other people’s emotions.
  • They treat other people with kindness, empathy, and compassion.
  • They actively work on healing their past hurts.
  • They understand that there are other people in the world besides them.
  • They get along with others and enjoy positive relationships.
  • They know who they really are deep inside and live life accordingly.
  • They’re flexible and open to change.
  • They’re always growing.

People who possess self-awareness are able to expertly manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors so they can live happy, fulfilling lives. If you are self-aware, you know yourself deeply and live based on the real you. This authentic existence allows you to move past all the petty stuff and focus on enjoying your time on this planet and encouraging others to do the same.

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy