define self-awareness

Self-Aware People Are Non-Mainstream - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Aware People Are Non-Mainstream

Self-aware people are non-mainstream because they are in touch with their own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, and are able to follow their own inner voices and live the way they want to without worrying about what others think or say.

I’m not a mainstream type of person. I tend to like things that are different, quirky, silly, offbeat, emotionally complex, and that elicit deeper thought. I could care less about rules, fitting in, or society’s expectations of me. I live in a place in the universe where I’m immersed in feelings and an exciting swirl of creativity. I’m constantly and continually building my self-awareness.

Too often, we’re told that we should toe the line, follow the rules, not stick out or be self-aware, and many other types of soul-crushing suggestions. In my experience, these recommendations only lead to misery and self-loathing. People are profoundly unhappy when they don’t have self-awareness and can’t express who they really are. The antidote is to follow your inner voice and live courageously and joyfully as the real you. Here are five ways to be non-mainstream:

  1. Identify what you really want to do in life and do it each day.
  2. Don’t pay attention to what others say, follow your own inner voice.
  3. Have confidence in your abilities.
  4. Embrace the things that are different and unique about you.
  5. Have the courage to live as the real you.

Life is much richer when there’s variety and eccentricity mixed into it instead of everyone being the same. Don’t be afraid of being who you really are, you’ll live a much happier life when you have the courage to do your own thing. What will you do to develop self-awareness, avoid being mainstream, and enjoy being yourself?

Cheers,

Guy

7 Examples of the Importance of Self-Awareness - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

7 Examples of the Importance of Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is an important tool to help you succeed at a higher level. When you understand yourself well, you live your life consciously rather than just letting it happen to you. Here are seven examples of the importance of self-awareness:

  • You can connect more easily with other people.
  • You treat people with kindness and compassion and have them do the same for you.
  • You follow your true path in life.
  • You build a career you love based on your natural talents and abilities.
  • You live authentically and openly.
  • You resolve your inner issues so they don’t get in the way of your progress.
  • You can be yourself at all times instead of pretending to be someone else.

Imagine if you did all these things, think of the positive impact it would have on your life. When you build self-awareness, you give yourself the opportunity to enjoy who you really are and experience things at an entirely different level. What would you add to this list?

Cheers,

Guy

 

Self-Awareness and Going Deeper - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness and Going Deeper

Having self-awareness means that you understand what makes you tick and you’re willing to work on improving yourself. A lot of people spend their entire lives avoiding going deeper into what makes them think and behave the way they do. The irony is that you can’t live a truly authentic and fulfilling life unless you deal with the difficult issues inside you. In general, the more you want to avoid something the more attention it merits.

If you chronically avoid thorny issues you do yourself a disservice because you never get past them, which means you function day to day as if you were carrying a heavy piece of luggage or baggage. The key to living a great life is to heal your hurts. It may be unpleasant at first, but when you work past them you’ll experience life at its most satisfying.

The great thing about possessing self-awareness is that you’re able to look at all the things that make you the person you are, warts and all, and are open to fearlessly examining your innermost self. The more you know yourself, the happier you’ll be.

What will you do to develop self-awareness and go deeper?

Cheers,

Guy

Self-Awareness Helps You Celebrate Yourself - On Developing Self-Awareness and Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness Helps You Celebrate Yourself

A big part of self-awareness is being able to celebrate yourself. Treating yourself well is as much a habit as a state of mind. It’s a good idea to cut yourself some slack and celebrate the things you do well. We spend so much time beating ourselves up that we forget that we possess wonderful skills and abilities. Ask yourself the following questions to begin thinking about how great you are.

1. What do I do well?
2. What do I love to do?
3. What thing do I do that truly makes me happy?
4. What can I do to reward myself today in a positive way?
5. What am I an expert on?
6. What can I do today to take care of myself?

Practice one of these ideas each day and teach yourself how to live a life of self-awareness and positive self-reinforcement rather than negativity. Learn to be your own best supporter, a person who recognizes the amazing things about you. Don’t be afraid of doing something silly like saying affirmations to yourself out loud. You have a unique power to be your own best supporter. It just takes a little practice and perseverance.

Keep doing it and, over time, you will shift your way of thinking to one that celebrates the things that make you special. What will you do to develop self-awareness and celebrate yourself?

Cheers,

Guy

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

Self-Awareness and Coloring outside the Lines

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

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

Self-Aware Leaders Know How to Get Unstuck

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

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

The Self-Awareness Guy