Can you look at yourself in the mirror and honestly know who it is you see? Do you look hard enough to see the success with the flaws and the beauty in being unique? Would you be afraid to write down your weakness and vulnerabilities to build your strengths? When you look carefully at yourself in the mirror, and from within, do you see the person your family sees, your coworkers interact with, and your community relies on? Can you search through yourself with enlightening honesty?
What is Self Awareness to You?
Self-awareness is the recognition of everything that makes you who you are. Self-awareness is the unique ability to look at yourself honestly and determine what makes you different to everyone else around you.
How to Look at Yourself With Honesty
As children, we were taught everyone is different and that is what makes us unique. But, can you honestly say you have done some “soul searching” or self-reflection to figure out what it was exactly our parents and teachers were talking about?
- What kind of a parent are you?
- Are you a good coworker?
- Do you understand the feelings you are having?
- What triggers specific emotions?
- What type of personality do you have?
- What do you value the most?
- When do you feel weak and the most vulnerable?
- Can you identify your challenges?
- What do you need to be happy?
- What is your relationship like with your family, your coworkers, your community, and your spirituality?
Take a mental inventory of these key points, or write them down in a journal. The freedom of a pen to paper is a powerful tool. We learn things about ourselves and our emotions we might not have connected with before. Writing within the blank canvas of a notebook, or on the back of any blank sheet, releases a new understanding of yourself. You are able to express yourself and your emotions without the fear of judgment or rejection.
Why Self-Awareness is Important
Self-awareness is important to improve ourselves and our relationships with others. When we are honest with who we are, we can be honest with everyone else. Self-awareness helps us recognize what it is everyone else sees in us. When we know who we truly are, we can work on achieving goals, recognizing hurdles and building a stronger foundation at home, at work, and within our communities. Self-awareness builds a trusting and honest relationship with yourself.
Help Looking at Yourself From Within
After you have taken inventory of you, your feelings, and your relationships, seek help from professionals who can help you put all those pieces together. Sometimes we need motivation and a team of supporters to help us identify who we are. 360-degree feedback is a methodology to help you in your journey of self-awareness. It is a powerful concept that brings together people you trust around you and who care about your growth and development to contribute in providing you with a well rounded understanding of yourself. 360-degree feedback is the boost you have been in search of, and the support team you never knew you had on your side.
Interested in carrying out your own free 360 degree feedback?
SelfStir.com offers you a powerful set of tools that can help jumpstart (and sustain you on) your leadership developmental journey. Simply put, SelfStir offers you a comprehensive 360-degree feedback, a self-assessment and personal developmental tool that you can use over and over again, free of charge!
SelfStir.com – Making feedback fun