Self-awareness

What is it?
How does it benefit me?
How can I increase self-awareness?
What is Self-awareness?
Self-awareness is the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively through reflection and introspection.

Internal Self-awareness- How I see myself.
• I know who I am
• I know what I want and need
• My values, aspirations, and passion are clear

External Self-awareness- How other people see me.
• I am open to hearing how others experience me
• I receive feedback from people in different areas of my life
• I know the impact my actions have on others
• I am not defensive when receiving constructive feedback

How to increase Self-awareness
1. Try to identify your current thoughts and understanding by writing down your perceptions
2. Maintain a Journal, write down your goals, plans, and priorities
3. Perform Daily Self-reflection, sit aside for 15-20 minutes each day, and think and reflect. Find a quiet place to sit and think.
4. Practice meditation and other mindfulness habits.
5. Ask trusted friends to describe you and make sure they know they are doing this to help you and not hurt you.
6. Ask for feedback at work, having formalized feedback allows us to self-reflect on our own strengths and weaknesses.

Benefits of Practicing Self-awareness
It can make us proactive, boost our acceptance, and encourage positive self-development. Self-awareness allows us to see things from the perspective of others. It leads to better decision-making. It can make us better at our jobs, better communicators at the workplace, and enhance our job self-confidence and our job-related well-being. It is also a crucial driver of continuous improvement.
Leaders who focus on building both internal and external self-awareness, regularly seek feedback from others and ask the right questions in self-reflection, see themselves more clearly and more capable of putting insights into action.
• Enriched emotional intelligence
• Greater empathy and listening skills
• Improved critical thinking skills
• Enhanced leadership capabilities and capacity