Being self-aware means we have a clear understanding of who we are and how we relate to the world. It involves being emotionally and mentally present in situations and understanding how our reactions affect others.
It enables us to be more realistic about ourselves and our judgments. If we know our strengths, we know when to apply them in the right circumstances. If we know our weaknesses, we can acknowledge them and stop ourselves from reacting inappropriately to a situation.
Self-esteem is the opinion we hold of ourselves. Low self-esteem can lead to self-conscious emotions. It's how we feel about ourselves and affects us more than we realize. It can leave us feeling awkward and incompetent. Feelings of low self-worth often lead us to believe that we are unworthy of a thriving career or a loving relationship.
A Better Understanding
If we believe that good fortune is something that only ever happens to others but not to us, then we also believe that the ability to sort it lies outside of our own control. Many things can cloud our self-awareness, our upbringing, our friends, society in general. We all receive messages from many outside sources telling us to be nice, well behaved, and satisfied with mediocrity – we all experience times when we look to others for approval.
We stop trying new things and avoid challenging situations, this then just reinforces our doubts and fears. We need to focus on learning how to do what we are essentially stopping ourselves from doing. To understand our personality, we need to understand the nature of our mind. Knowing our moods and emotions well is crucial to effective interaction with others.
Inner Reflection
The quality of self-awareness requires self-reflection. The act of setting aside time, ideally every day, to quietly and honestly look at ourselves. This process should help us to determine how our actions affect our friendships. It can help us to understand how other people view us, creating stronger, more authentic relationships with colleagues and friends.
Most of us have online connections of some kind and increasingly many that are exclusively virtual. An element of anonymity online can make it easier to share parts of yourself you might otherwise find difficult. Virtual friendships can be as important as traditional ones, and they can offer us additional benefits that allow us to be ourselves on a completely different level.
Introspection can be a vital component of positive change in life. It paves the way to self-awareness. This helps us to make constructive behavioral choices that can lead us to a clearer sense of purpose and greater well-being. These benefits can help us in almost every area of life. We can become more adaptable to change and better prepared to improve our life situations.
Gaining greater self-awareness is a long-term process, not an overnight achievement. As with most good habits, commitment and practice help us to improve. Developing personal empowerment usually involves making some fundamental changes in life, which granted is not always easy, but it's definitely worth the effort and is probably something you'll do for the rest of your life.
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