Monkey mus’ know whe im gwine put ‘im tail, before ‘im order trousiz.
(Translation: A monkey must know where it’s going to put its tail before it orders its trousers.) —Jamaican Proverb
Are you Self-Aware?
Today’s life-winning progress key is being self-aware. This life key has helped me to progress despite the odds and I am confident it will help you as well. All the keys have been captured in my book, “Keys to Win at Life: 100 Ways to Handle Life’s Challenges.” What’s more, each week I post a YouTube video highlighting the key of the week.
Be Self-Aware to Win
See video below for explanation of this key or click the word self-aware to access it.
The Importance of Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is wrapped up in the old adage, “Know thyself.” This key became more meaningful to me when I began teaching Career Guidance. One of the steps in planning your career is to do a self-assessment. When we do this, we are getting to know ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, our personality type and tendencies. This helps in determining which career choice matches your skills and abilities and strengths.
It is difficult to choose what’s best for you when you don’t know yourself. It was Socrates who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” therefore we need to examine ourselves as a pathway to designing a life worth living. The more self-aware you are the better choices you can make for yourself and others, and it should make your relationships better.
Psychologist, Dr. Daniel Goldman defines self-awareness as: “knowing one’s internal states, preference, resources and intuitions.” Here are five benefits of self-awareness:
- It helps to control our thoughts, emotions and behaviour
- It helps to you be purposeful and proactive in your actions – act with intentionality
- It develops compassion for others
- It is crucial trait of successful persons – Cornell University examining 72 executives at public and private companies with revenues from $50 million to $5 billion, it was found that “a high self-awareness score was the strongest predictor of overall success”.
- It builds confidence
Self-awareness also aids in better communication. It increases self–esteem and helps us to become more secure in our identities. If you don’t know who you are, you become a target for manipulation and abuse through a false perception of your own identity. S/he who is self-aware is empowered.
How to Increase Self-Awareness
Take a self-awareness test today. The Kiersey Temperament Sorter test is an excellent one to kick start your journey to becoming self-aware. You can also ask your friends and family members, co-workers, teachers or boss to tell you what are your strengths and weaknesses. Spend some time in solitude and list your likes and dislikes, what you are good at and what are your passions.
Real Life Application
My students did the Kiersey temperament test, and the results were rather interesting. I could see the looks of approval, glee, surprise and understanding with the results; it confirmed for many their career choices and explained certain behaviour patterns and how best to deal with their classmates. I personally found it validating and eye-opening. I realized some tendencies I have are now understandable and therefore nothing to worry about. My score interpretation validated my career choices over the years and highlighted the weaknesses that I should work on.
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Taa for now until next time! Go forth and win gold in the race of life!
