If you look for ways to increase your self-awareness, then you should probably first get a strong handle on the definition of self-awareness – or at least how it applies to you and your life. If you have ever heard the term “Know thyself”, then this is a good start because self-awareness learning to know yourself and how you are getting on in the world around you.
The process begins with you taking a hard look at yourself and who you are. There are many of us who are afraid to do this with any conviction. We fear what we may discover about ourselves – like there is some evil truth lurking that will confirm those negative thoughts. And yes, all of us have negative thoughts regardless of how strong we are mental.
The Value of Increasing your Self-Awareness
We have to realize the value of honesty as we become more self-aware. We must get in the habit of trying to see things the way they truly exist. Think that’s easy? Think again. Great philosophers have been trying to see the world as it truly exists for thousands of years. The fact is that we all see the world with a little bias based on our personal life’s journey. The key is reducing the perceptive bias that all of us have.
The fact is that when we ignore honesty in our quest for more self-awareness, it is like driving around with a speedometer that is not calibrated. We wonder why we keep getting speeding tickets when we think our speedometers tells us we’re going the speed limit. But in reality, we are speeding.
This explains why many of us have so many difficulties in coping with the world around us. Our mental speedometers are not properly calibrated because we are not being honest with ourselves.
In our refusal to acknowledge the truth, we sometimes try to “fake it until we make it”. This may be a nice short term solution to cope with an existing issue, but it is a disastrous long term approach to life. Sincere honesty must prevail in the end.
Let us examine 3 incredible ways to increase your self-awareness
- Observe Self-Esteem Levels
As you interact with others in a variety of situations, start paying attention to your self-esteem level. Watch how your self-esteem goes up and down depending on where you are and who you are with. You will find that there will be some people and situations who increase these levels and some who will pull them down. The idea is to reduce and hopefully eliminate the negative influences and increase the positive ones. While it is true that there will be some negative situations which you cannot control, there will also been those that you can control.
- Begin Respecting and Accepting Who You Are
We need to understand that this is a process and not an overnight fix. The place to begin is to take note of those times when you are not respecting or accepting yourself. Ask yourself why and try to get a sense of where this behavior started. Understand that there will probably not be an immediate answer, but the key here is to keep asking and be patient with yourself.
- Learn Your True Values
When you begin to understand who you are and begin accepting yourself, then your true values will naturally begin to manifest. This is your reward for being a patient going through the self-aware process. The beauty of knowing your true values is that it makes decisions about your life so much easier. You immediately realize what is important to you and what is not.
Self-Aware Summary
There are literally thousands of people who are much happier and achieving their true goals because they have become more self-aware. Therefore, all of us should consider using these ways to increase your self-awareness.
