5 Key Reasons to Become Self-Aware
Self-awareness is the habit of paying attention to the way you feel, think, and behave. You can look for patterns in the way you process certain situations and how you perceive what happens. You can understand your moods and emotions; to remain curious about your feelings.
You can also pay attention to how you tend to act and behave in situations, what your normal responses are, and different habits. There are many different reasons you should become more self-aware, and here are five key reasons you should become more self-aware.
Improved Moods
Your mood is related to how you are thinking and behaving at any given moment. If you are thinking of something sad, you begin to feel sad and not have much motivation to do anything. On the other hand, if you think about something exciting, you are happy and motivated to conquer anything that life has in store for you.
When you are self-aware of how you are thinking, and making it a point to think more positively, you will begin to notice that you are more outgoing, happier, and see things as the glass half full. If you want to improve your moods and be happier, try thinking happy thoughts. Be more optimistic and see things from a positive light rather than a negative one. It may not be easy, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Effective Communication
When you are more self-aware, you are better able to articulate what your morals and beliefs are. You are better able to articulate yourself because you know exactly what you believe. You are not trying to portray what others have told you. You are not trying to mimic what others ask you to believe; you have your judgments, views, and ideas.
You can become more assertive when you know exactly what you think or want because you will not let anyone waiver your thought process. You know what is right, to you, and there is little that anyone can do to change that.
However, you must be able and willing to listen to others and show that you are open-minded to their ideas. If you are practicing prober self-awareness, you will understand that there are things that you do not know and be open to learning.
Better Relationships
We all know that relationships can be challenging. However, think about how much easier a relationship can be when you know what you are looking for in a partner. If you know exactly what you want, then those people that do not line up with your expectations may not be the best fit for you.
Be careful with this; however, there may be things that you think you want, but really isn’t the best thing for you. Be aware of what you are willing to look past and decide on characteristics that you know you would want in a mate. You need to consider a lot of things, but being more self-aware, you will be able to answer some, if not all, of the questions you have.
Better Decision Making
Poor decision making often comes because your mind is clouded, and you are not thinking straight. When you are self-aware, you will know when you are not thinking clearly, and you will wait before reacting or making certain decisions. When you can wait, calm down, and think about the situation you are facing, you will make better decisions.
Increased Productivity
When you lack effort or commitment, you will notice that you begin to struggle to work and find that you are getting in your way. When you see that you are struggling to work, it is usually due to certain moods, thoughts, or emotions that are getting in your way. Once you can recognize this, you will be able to work past it and clear your head to perform better.
Becoming Self-Aware
If you want to become a self-aware person, then you can. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to do it, you just need the ability to practice introspection. The skill to listen and accept feedback, the ability to improve your communication skills, and ultimately, to be honest with yourself and to be honest with the people in your life. As you practice these skills you will grow in self-awareness and become a better friend, partner, boss, employee, parent, and confidante.
Self-awareness is all about you, even if it does have a benefit to others. Don't focus solely on what is wrong with you, use your self-awareness to boost your communication and interactions with the people in your life and how it can help you and those around you.
To get you started, consider the following questions.
Who am I really?
What am I most proud of?
Do I love myself? Take care of myself well?
What am I most grateful for?
What character defects interfere with living my best life and being my best self?
What is the most important thing in my life?
Does guilt or shame keep me up at night? What is the situation?
List all the things you have power to change about yourself? What would you like to change?
What interferes with your joy and contentment?
Describe your worst personal experience? What did you learn? How has it influenced you and your life?
Are my relationships satisfying or sabotaging me?
What are my regrets?
What do I need more of?
What do I want to erase from my life?
Am I happy?
Am I fulfilled?
What is the meaning of life?
Am I living my purpose?
Do I sabotage myself?
Do I harm myself?
Is my life one big drama?
Does my career fulfill me?
Who do I spend most of my time with? Do these people hold me back?
What is my biggest goal? What is standing in my way of achieving it?
Where do I draw support from?
What are the biggest lessons I have learned in the last twelve months?
Do I take the time to promote my personal growth and development?
Do I like myself?
What weaknesses do I need to work on?
If I only had 3 months to live what would I do?
What regrets will I have on my death bed?
What regrets do I feel now?
Am I at peace within myself, what is missing?
How can my past experiences help me in my future?
Where do I focus my energy and attention when I feel stressed out or overwhelmed?
Is this the best way to spend valuable resources?