Did you know that self-awareness is one of the strongest predictors of success? It’s also an important skill for living with intention.
Why?
Because self-awareness enables you to have more realistic expectations, regulate your emotions, and make better decisions—all of which leads to a more confident, satisfying, and intentional life.
What is self-awareness?
To clarify, self-awareness is NOT self-focus or self-absorption. In fact, narcissists are some of the least self-aware people.
Rather, self-awareness means being in touch with your reality. You are aware of your strengths and weaknesses, your limitations and dreams, your values and temptations. You are aware of the health of your relationships with others and how your actions impact them.
Why is self-awareness important for living intentionally? Because you can’t live up to your God-given potential if you’re so focused on fitting in and pleasing others that you’ve lost touch with the authentic, God-created person you really are.
Thus, living with intention requires you to remain aware of your inner self, your values and beliefs, your emotional state, etc.
The good news is that self-awareness is a skill that all of us can learn and practice.
Five ways to strengthen your self-awareness
Learn to pay attention to your self-talk. Become aware of how your internal self-talk affects your mood, attitude, and actions. The more you become aware of your self-talk, the easier it is to practice turning down the volume on unhelpful inner dialogue and replacing it with a more positive “soundtrack.”
Get in touch with your body and emotions. I tend to keep my focus in my head to the point that I can be oblivious to sensations in my body and numb to my emotions. Thus, I need to intentionally practice paying attention to my body and heart. (Here’s one way I do this.)
A self-aware person pays attention to the signals their body and emotions send them, and tries to discern what those signals are telling her. Because our body, emotions, mind, and spirit are all interrelated. Pain or stress in one area often indicates a problem somewhere else.
Learn to notice how your attitudes and actions affect others around you. A self-absorbed person pays little heed to anyone but herself. A more self-aware person knows that relationships with others are significant. We affect others and they affect us—for good or ill. Thus, self-awareness includes taking ownership of the consequences of actions not just on yourself but on those you care about.
Develop your curiosity and willingness to learn and grow. Self-aware people know they are not perfect, and it’s OK. They accept helpful criticism because they know good feedback helps them grow and mature. They believe in their agency to change for the better, so they choose not to be defensive of criticism or afraid of mistakes. Their goal is continual improvement, not trying to prove their worth through approval or achievement.
Get clear on your core values. Because you can’t live according to your values if you’re wishy washy about what they are.
Self-aware people can articulate the most important values and beliefs that guide their decisions, inform their priorities, and motivate their actions. And because they know their core values, they are better able to avoid the pain of cognitive dissonance that occurs when there is a disconnect between what they value and how they act. They’re also better at upholding boundaries, because boundaries are based on values.
Bottom line
Self-awareness and knowing your core values are critical for a flourishing, intentional lifestyle.
How self-aware are you? Do you know what makes you tick, and what really ticks you off? Do you know if you are externally or internally motivated? Or what drains you and what recharges you?
If you’re not sure, strengthening your self-awareness might be something to work on in the coming months. Pick one area from above and take one small step today towards self-awareness.
Want a more intentional life? These seven foundational concepts will help.
- You are in a battle (whether you know it or not)
- You have Agency (so use it wisely)
- Know yourself and your core values
- Regular reflection is critical.
- Adopt God’s definition of self-worth and life purpose
- Every Choice is a trade-off (whether you are aware of it or not)
- Prioritize wisely.
