awareness meaning

Self-Aware Parents Know How to Talk with Their Kids - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Aware Parents Know How to Talk with Their Kids

/ / Consciousness of Self, Self-Awareness / , , ,

Many parents who lack self-awareness forget the cardinal rule of talking with children: listen to them. We get so caught up in coaching and directing their behavior or protecting them that we forget that they are people. The single most important key to talking with your kids is listening.

How to Listen

  1. Don’t talk.
  2. Don’t judge.
  3. Invite your child to talk about anything her or she wants with no repercussions.
  4. No commenting or editorializing allowed from you. No stories about when you were their age.
  5. Invite them to keep talking to you anytime they want.
  6. The only things you are allowed to say are, “Tell me more,” “I understand,” and “Thank you for talking with me,” or “I love you.” Try nodding and smiling as ways to invite them to talk more.
  7. Try to avoid applying your beliefs to what they say.
  8. Thank them and tell them you love them. Then say nothing else.

Practice these skills over time (at least one month, or longer) and always remember to tell your child you love them and that you are open to listening to them. If they don’t want to talk, respect their wishes and let them know that you are there when they are ready. When they do finally trust you, they will open up and then you can apply the ideas above. Once you’ve established and modeled that you can listen they may even invite you to offer your wisdom. They have to believe that you care enough to listen to them first.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and listen to your kids?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Coloring outside the Lines - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Coloring outside the Lines

/ / Consciousness of Self / , ,

When you possess self-awareness you’re able to do your own thing instead of being swayed by others. Countless well-meaning parents, teachers, friends, bosses, and institutions crush our spirits by telling us to avoid coloring outside the lines. The say things like: fit in, don’t make waves, be like us, don’t be too different. Unfortunately, conforming to rules is the exact opposite of being creative, where there are no limits.

Coloring outside the lines is the very essence of being your own person. You can do anything you want without worrying about the rules other people put in place to stifle your creativity. You get to live each day as the real you and do the things that bring you joy and fulfillment rather than conforming to what someone else says you should do.

A big part of self-awareness is following your own inner voice. You decide where you go, what you do, and how you do it. There are no rules, just the ones that you create.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and color outside the lines?

Cheers,

Guy

10 Ways to Achieve Self-Awareness - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

10 Ways to Achieve Self-Awareness

/ / Consciousness of Self / , ,

Here are ten ways to achieve self-awareness:

  1. Resolve to move beyond living superficially and decide that you want to take a deeper look at yourself.
  2. Set aside regular time to think about who you are as a person.
  3. Identify your talents and celebrate the things you do well.
  4. Identify the areas you need to improve and work on improving them.
  5. Identify the hurts from your past that need healing and work on healing them.
  6. Decide what really brings you joy in life, your passions, and take action each day to live based on these ideals.
  7. Think and do things that bring you meaning.
  8. Think and do things that extend beyond you and help as many other people as possible.
  9. Think, feel and behave positively.
  10. Continue learning and growing in your mind and in the physical world.

Building self-awareness isn’t a short-term endeavor, it requires ongoing, deliberate and mindful action. You don’t have to do everything at once, just pick one area you would like to build on and begin your journey.

Cheers,
Guy

Self-Aware Leaders Know How to Get Unstuck - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Aware Leaders Know How to Get Unstuck

/ / Self-Awareness in Leadership / , ,

Have you ever been stuck on some workplace problem or situation with no solution or options in sight? Leaders are expected to come up with brilliant ideas to keep their organizations moving but what often happens is that they lack self-awareness and unilaterally devise what they think is a wonderful strategy only to find that their employees hate, don’t understand, or aren’t on board with it. Everyone stays stuck rather than moving forward.

So how can you create a strategy that people genuinely like and support? Many leaders who lack self-awareness get stuck worrying about minute details and possible repercussions instead of focusing on the bigger picture. Every time you’re stuck is a great opportunity to tap into the amazing brainpower of your team. That’s right, why not consider working with your employees to collaboratively create a vision for getting unstuck? It’s invigorating to have a greater number of people at the table working collaboratively to develop new ideas. It also will help take some of the pressure off you.

The next time you’re feeling stuck, start shifting your thinking toward self-awareness and how things might look if you were moving in a different direction. Ask yourself and your team these key questions to get the process started:

  1. What is keeping us stuck?
  2. What is the first area we need to look at that is keeping us stuck?
  3. What is the most innovative and different way we can deal with the issue at hand?
  4. How does our new approach differ from our old approach?
  5. How will we know if the new approach works?

The answers to these questions will help you and your team begin the process of seeing things in a different light. Then you can jointly create a plan to move forward. Sometimes all it takes to move in a more positive direction is being open to working collaboratively with your employees and asking for their amazing ideas.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and get unstuck?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and Searching for Truth - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Searching for Truth

/ / Self-Awareness, Self-Awareness Comes From / , , ,

Are you someone who values self-awareness and is searching for truth? Do you seek answers to your questions? Do you want to find meaning and purpose in your life? Well, you’ve come to the right place or, better yet, you’ve always been at the right place.

A lot of people who lack self-awareness think the truth comes from some outside entity, person, or group but it really lives inside you. Right at this moment you possess within you all the answers you will ever need, all you need to do is learn how to listen to your inner voice. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to find your truth:

  • What would I do with my life if I didn’t have to think about money?
  • What brings me the most joy and fulfillment in life?
  • Who am I deep down inside?
  • What do I want to do with my life?
  • In what ways do I treat myself well?
  • What do I do to love myself?
  • What actions am I taking each day to get to know myself?
  • What am I doing to follow my bliss?
  • What do I do each day to discover who I really am deep down inside?
  • What am I doing to heal my hurts each day?

Ask yourself questions like these to increase your self-awareness and discover your own truth. The secret to life is that you get to define who you are and what makes you happy. Get to know yourself well, listen to your inner voice, and you’ll find your true path in life.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and discover your own truth?

Cheers,

Guy

25 Characteristics of a Self-Aware Person - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

25 Characteristics of a Self-Aware Person

/ / Self-Awareness / , , ,

Here are twenty-five characteristics of a self-aware person:

  1. You’re able to look inside yourself.
  2. You understand how your thoughts and behaviors affect you and the people around you.
  3. You’re able to manage your emotions and comfortably deal with other people’s emotions.
  4. You don’t walk through life hurting others.
  5. You treat yourself and others well.
  6. You’re generally happy and balanced.
  7. You live a meaningful and fulfilling life.
  8. You know who you are deep inside.
  9. You follow your dreams.
  10. You listen to your inner voice.
  11. You build healthy relationships.
  12. You don’t get into a lot of conflicts.
  13. You don’t try to control other people.
  14. You behave with kindness and empathy.
  15. You don’t feel you have to win or beat people.
  16. You heal your inner damage.
  17. You derive your self-esteem from being a healthy person.
  18. You listen to other people.
  19. You don’t feel threatened by new or different ideas.
  20. You live based on reality.
  21. You give to others.
  22. You don’t have an inflated ego.
  23. You don’t make excuses for the mistakes you make.
  24. You’re willing to change.
  25. You’re a nice person.

Being self-aware means that you’ve done the work necessary to understand who you really are and fix the things that cause you or others discomfort. When you possess self-awareness, you’re in touch with your emotions, thoughts, and actions, so that you can live a life where you treat yourself and others with care and compassion and help build a better world.

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness and the Closing of the Mind - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and the Closing of the Mind

/ / Consciousness of Self, Self-Awareness Comes From / , ,

The closing of the mind occurs when people who lack self-awareness decide that the world is too complicated and difficult and drift toward easy answers to their discomfort instead of looking inward and healing themselves. I’ve noticed over years of helping people build self-awareness that many individuals gravitate toward safe, rigid, ways of thinking and behaving when they face uncertainty. It’s not unusual to want order and predictability in one’s life, but it can easily get in the way of living genuinely and courageously.

When people close their minds and latch onto things that promise them safety and comfort, they lose the ability to be themselves because they’re relying on someone or something else to do the hard work for them. It’s like saying you do something but having someone else do it for you. The good news is that you can open your mind by listening to your inner voice and following your true path in life.

When I share my inner thoughts with the world, I’m exposed, even uncomfortable at times. I show everyone my true self rather than a polished veneer that hides the real me. The reason I write is not because it’s easy, safe, or orderly, but because it keeps my mind flexible, nimble, open, and able to deal with the uncertainties that come my way.

A major element of self-awareness is the ability to keep your mind open to new ideas and experiences instead of running away from difficult issues. What will you do to develop self-awareness and avoid the closing of the mind?

Cheers,

Guy

The Self-Awareness Guy