If you want to be content with your life, you need to make better decisions, have more influence, and become an effective leader. For this, you need self-awareness. It will keep you on track and help you become the best version of yourself.
The benefits of self-awareness are plenty and vary from person to person, which include greater perspective, authority, and better relationships. Let's discuss what self-awareness is and how it impacts your life.
What Is Self-Awareness?
As per Oxford, self-awareness is the "conscious knowledge of one's feelings, characters, desires, and motives."
It can also be defined as the ability to focus on oneself and the impact of thoughts, actions, and emotions that align or do not align with your internal standards. If you're self-aware, you can evaluate yourself objectively, regulate your emotions, align your behavior with your values, and understand how others perceive you.
Self-aware individuals can interpret their feelings, actions, and thoughts objectively.
It's a rare skill as most of us fixate on emotion-driven interpretations of our interactions and circumstances. Self-awareness is essential for leaders to assess their growth and change course when needed.
There are two kinds of self-awareness: private and public. Let's explore.
States of Self-Awareness
Public Self-Awareness
This includes being aware of how we may appear to others. Due to this consciousness, we are more likely to cling to social norms and behave in a socially acceptable manner.
Although there are benefits to such type of awareness, there is also the lingering danger of slipping into self-consciousness. People who already possess this trait can often spend most of their time worrying about other people's perception of them.
Private Self-Awareness
Self-aware individuals are introspective. They are able to notice and reflect on their internal state – approaching and exploring their feelings and reactions with curiosity.
For example, you may be tense as you prepare for a meeting. Noticing these physical sensations and correctly identifying them as anxiety can be an example of being self-aware.
But when self-awareness turns into self-consciousness, we become reluctant to share certain facets of ourselves and develop a persona that lacks authenticity.
Here Are Some Benefits of Self-Awareness
Self-awareness has plenty of benefits, such as:
- It gives you the power to influence your outcomes.
- It improves your decision-making by providing you with self-confidence, and as a result, you're able to communicate clearly and get your point across.
- It allows you to analyze and understand things from different perspectives.
- It frees you from your biases and assumptions.
- It helps you build better relationships.
- It improves emotional regulation.
- It decreases stress.
- It increases satisfaction.
Being self-aware improves your life. But how do you become self-aware? Well, it can be learned by a conscious effort and through The Maestro Monologue Playbook by Rob White, where he has shared all his knowledge on the subject and formulated a guide on becoming self-aware. Grab your copy today.
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