Self-Awareness - Why It Matters More Than Ever

I encountered self-awareness when a friend at the time presented me with a book about the topic and mentioned that it had become a requisite at work. Before then, I had heard my father talk a lot about self awareness. I thought at that point I did not want to walk through life being oblivious of myself - my strengths and weaknesses - and understand how others perceived me. I understood that in order to become the best version of myself and learn from my past mistakes, I needed to be cognizant of who I was and who the people surrounding me were.

Below, I will discuss three top tips on how to become more self-aware.

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1. Pick-up an introductory book on self-awareness

One does not need to directly dive into the subject but rather dip your toes slowly into the waters. Learn more about the topic, and the way to become self-aware. Remember this is a process that does not necessarily happen overnight. One of my favorites that elegantly dives into the subject is Daniel Coleman's Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. The read is straightforward and simple, I suggest to pick it up as a weekend or before the bed read and start diving into a fascinating subject, including emotional intelligence.

2. Take a test on self-awareness - what category do you fall into?

Self-awareness tests can be fascinating because it is time to learn about yourself. There are a usually a set of questions you need to answer, be as truthful as possible because the test is meant to help you and not to impress others. You may be surprised - or not - with the results. It is also meant to understand yourself better, i.e., the qualities you possess and the weaknesses you need to work or or address, e.g., getting help with your set of issues. This test inadvertently helps you to understand those who surround you and understand who to seek out help for in order to get the proper answers to the questions you face. One of the tests I have liked albeit long is Ray Dalio's self-assessment test.

3. Lean into your strengths and learn how to handle your weaknesses

Self-awareness can help you thrive. Hence, it is not enough to read once on the self-awareness literature and/or take a self assessment test but keep re-reading or reading new materials in order for the different personality types to seep deeply into your pores so that you may apply what you know in your everyday life. For instance, you will probably encounter at work many personality types; in order to succeed, you need to understand who you are dealing with and how to handle that personality. Is the person in an introvert and soft-spoken? In this case, you may not want to have that person making sale phone calls with you. Rather, assign or partner with that person to perform research and analysis. That person may excel unlike any extroverted person who enjoys socializing in finding facts and details that you need to close that sale.

Hence, as you see, self awareness is an important part of life's journey that needs to be addressed and worked-on. It can be quite enjoyable understanding people's talents, including your own, and having fun exploiting them to succeed in whatever tasks work or life throws at you.