Self-awareness if the experience of one’s own personality or individuality. However, It is not to be confused with consciousness. While consciousness is being aware of one’s environment, body and lifestyle, self-awareness is the recognition of that awareness. Did you know that 90% of people think they’re self-aware, but, in reality less than 10% actually are!
Self-awareness is how an individual consciously knows and understands their own character, feelings, motives and desires. It is very important because when we have an understanding of ourselves, we are able to experiences ourselves as unique and separate individuals. We are then empowered to make changes and to build on our areas of strength as well as identify areas where we would like to make improvements.
An example of self-awareness is your ability to distinguish your own beliefs from others. You can step back and ask yourself “am I being my true self in this moment?”. Through self-awareness we are able to become the best version of ourselves. It is the single most important thing in living a meaningful life. We need self-awareness to be happy, find purpose and have have healthy relationships. It is quite literally the key to living the life that we want.
With that said, one of the things holding us back from self-awareness is a lack of understanding of ourselves. We sometimes lack the ability to notice our thoughts and feelings and how they influence our behaviors. However, it is definitely a skill that we can develop.
Here are 6 examples of self-awareness in everyday life:
- Identifying Your Emotions – this is our biggest obstacle. When our emotions become involved, we tend to lose our rational thinking and instead give way to various thoughts and defenses that fade our objective nature. Emotions, especially negative ones, have a tendency to take over our body and mind without us realizing it. By improving self-awareness, you can better understand what you are feeling and what actions and behaviors you are displaying.
- Recognizing Your Coping Mechanisms – Being able to recognize when we get defensive and how we show it is an impactful example of self-awareness. We all strive to find a healthy balance between pleasing others and pleasing ourselves. When we feel overwhelmed, we might withdraw from situations thinking they are negative while in actuality they could be positive opportunities for growth. We all have coping mechanisms that protect us from hurt, disappointment and failure. By identifying these defenses when they are happening and understanding the cause, we are able to recognize when they serve us or when they don’t.
- Defining Your Own Beliefs – Our need for belonging makes us feel pressure to fit in with the people around us. As a result, we receive messages about what we should believe and who we should be. Self-awareness is your ability to distinguish your own beliefs from others. You can step back and ask yourself “am I being true to myself at this moment”. By being self-aware about what you believe is important, you can shape your life around the things that will make you happy. Determine your own core values and create the life you want for yourself.
- Prioritizing Your Joy – Self-awareness can help you identify what brings you joy in life. Often we might know what makes us happy, but seem to find others things in life more important. We are often tied down with so many life responsibilities and commitments that we forget to take notice of what brings us joy. We tend to prioritize a lot of other things in our life, before our happiness.
- Identifying Your Strengths and Weaknesses – Self-awareness if often mistaken with “not being good enough”. We tend to be afraid to look inward because we are afraid of what we might find. Self-awareness encompasses both our shortcomings and our strengths. By refusing to acknowledge our faults, we also fail to recognize our greatness. Self-awareness is about identifying your strengths and weaknesses and finding a way to highlight your best self from them. Find strategies to support your weaknesses while simultaneously letting your strengths flourish.
- Knowing What You Need In Relationships – Self-awareness is “knowing” what you need in your relationships. We often struggle to identify our own needs and desires. Without a clear understanding of what we need in ourselves, it makes it difficult to understand what we seek in others. By realizing what you need in your relationships you find clarity and develop better understanding for others.
We all need self-awareness to find meaning in life. It takes time, attention and practice. However, the more you pause and think about what you feel, want and need, the greater your life experiences will be. Own your own story. Live every chapter and enjoy your unique life journey. Your life is full of gifts and opportunities. Allow yourself to receive and enjoy them. Appreciate your innate worth to offer it, to yourself, and others.
