What does it mean to be Self-Aware?
Although the term “Self-Awareness” seems quite simple, as the name seems to indicate that it means to be aware of yourself. But the real question is, what does being aware of yourself really mean? Is it knowing more about your likes and dislikes? About your personality and characteristics or where you are heading in your life?
Like personal self-care is important, so is being self-aware.
What is Self-Awareness?
They say, “Self-Awareness is the key to self-mastery,” which is absolutely true.
To simply put it, Self-Awareness is understanding yourself. It’s an ability to see yourself with a different point of view, through many reflections and self-observations. It is an understanding of your goals, motives, emotions, values, and priorities. It is a self-evaluation.
Being Self-Aware also includes being aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and focusing on them. Using your strengths for your growth and working towards your weaknesses.
Why is Self-Awareness important?
It is often said that one needs to understand it thoroughly before taking any steps towards it. Although humans are complex and confusing at times, it’s quite simple to figure out yourself and who you are. Being self-aware can change your life for good and here is how:
- As the world evolves around us with each passing day, it’s quite normal to grow along and better yourself. But it’s not quite possible without self-awareness. After all without knowing the basics of how/why, there is no path to achieve anything in life.
- By understanding the motion of your life, you can clarify your values, ambitions, emotions, strengths, and weaknesses. You get a sense of the influence you can have on others and grow confident as an individual to make better decisions.
- Taking time to find your strengths and to know what you are good at is also a part of self-awareness. Knowing your strengths, you can direct them towards your goals. And setting your own goals right will lead you to grow happier and have healthier relationships with people in your life. This would not only give you a sense of direction, but also to the people around you.
- Growing Self-aware with time will give you a sense of control over your life, over your priorities, and ability to set and conquer new milestones. With a better understanding of yourself, you grow more confident and enhance the power to influence outcomes in difficult situations.
- Because you know your values well, and understand your motives and self, it helps you make better decisions for yourself or others. It will also make you understand things from multiple perspectives, freeing you of uncertainty and assumptions.
- Self-awareness promotes the ability to understand emotions well and synchronize them with daily tasks for better outcomes. You will not only grow to encounter your emotions effectively, but also use them in reasonable prospects.
- Self-Awareness isn’t all about strengths. It is as important to look out and find your weaknesses. To get ahead in life, one should know and understand what to improve upon.
How to practice Self-Awareness
- Give yourself some time: While meeting our obligations and deadlines, it seems impossible to have time for ourselves. But it is important to relieve yourself of all distractions, and engage in a hobby that gives you the time and space to go through your thoughts and emotions.
- Idealize the best version of yourself: Visualizing the best version of yourself gives you a reflection of your skills, abilities, wishes, and dreams. It will give you the vision to work upon, and a better understanding of your ambitions.
- Write down your thoughts: Writing down your thoughts and feelings on paper will help you think through your problems, and keep a track of how far you have come. Write down your thoughts if you are happy, sad, angry, stressed and so on. This will help you be aware of each experience you go through and understand them better.
- Lend an ear to others: Sometimes listening to friends, family, or colleagues without any judgment or comparing it to yourself will help you develop a sense of listening to your inner-self as well. This will help you understand and elaborate your thoughts to yourself, and have new discoveries of your potential. Also, this will grant you an understanding of the world and the people around you.
With Self-Awareness, you will be better versions of yourself, with control of your thoughts and the confidence to make better decisions. It will enable you to envision better possibilities, and give you the power to influence them. Being self-aware, one can carve a direct path to any possibility in life, and pursue that without any fear.
Dr. Nancy has been helping people since years to become more aware about themselves and make this world a better place for others as well.
