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User C reply:
Some people have always focused on external things. They never allow any time for reflection. You have to be willing to "go inside" and be honest about what you find. It happens when you turn off the TV, take your face off your phone, and allow some personal space to get in touch with who you are.
My grandmother said, "Silence is not empty. It is full of answers... When you are quiet, a sense of stillness comes over you. When you can be with yourself, deep within, you can Find all the answers you need. Take a moment for yourself and step away from the madness of the world and into your own reality."
I went online and found a helpful article that included the following. It's geared towards business, but it still applies. After all, we are all engaged in a career called "life"!
Learning to know yourself is not easy, but it can help you become a more effective leader. Here are 10 ways to increase your self-awareness.
1. Keep an open mind . When you are able to regulate your own emotional world, you are able to pay more attention to the emotions of others. To be a successful leader, you need to be curious about new people and what they have to offer. This shows that you can be a team player and don't need to be first all the time. The more open you are to others, the more creative you will be as an entrepreneur.
2. Pay attention to your strengths and weaknesses. Self-aware people know their strengths and weaknesses and are able to work from this space. Being aware of this means you know when to ask for help and when you can handle a situation on your own.
3. Stay focused . An important part of being a leader is making connections, but you can't do that if you're distracted. Train yourself to focus for long periods of time without getting distracted by social media, email, or other small distractions to increase your productivity.
4. Set boundaries . Leaders need to set strong limits. Be warm to others, but say no when you need to. Take your work and your passion seriously, and keep your boundaries firm to maintain the integrity of your goals and the work you put in.
5. Know your emotional triggers. Self-aware people can identify their ongoing emotions. Don't suppress your emotions or deny their causes; instead, bend and surrender with them and process them fully before communicating with others.
6. Embrace your intuition. Successful people learn to trust their instincts in decision-making and take the risks associated with those choices. Your intuition is based on the survival of the fittest and the need to succeed. They will tell you what to do next, so learn to trust your instincts.
7. Practice self-discipline. Good leaders tend to be disciplined in every area of their lives. This trait provides them with the sustained focus necessary for strong leadership.
8. Consider how your actions affect others. We often act without thinking, focusing only on our own needs. While self-awareness requires acknowledging your emotions, you also need to determine how you handle those feelings and how any subsequent actions affect those around you. Being considerate of others will help you navigate difficult situations.
9. Apologize when necessary. Mistakes happen, but being self-aware will help you recognize when your missteps warrant an apology. Maybe you're furious with your employees, or maybe you've been hard to reach lately. No matter what your mistake was, saying you're sorry (and meaning it) and then changing your behavior is the best way to move forward.
10. Ask for feedback .While the concept of self-awareness is understanding oneself without input from others, asking employees for honest feedback takes courage (and self-awareness). Doing so acknowledges your natural biases about yourself (we all have them) and helps you gain a more objective perspective.
User D replied:
Emotional intelligence is one of the best things a person can have because it allows us to truly understand ourselves. What does this mean for people who don’t have this ability? Well, I think that means they have no idea how their attitudes affect others. This means they won't ask for help and they won't admit their mistakes. This means they haven’t processed their trauma.
User E replied:
Dysfunctional thinking often leads to poor emotional health. There are too many people whose only solution to problems is: Don't make me angry! This is symptomatic of the inability to first realize and take responsibility for your emotions. This demonstrates our inability to first be aware of our emotions and then take responsibility for our emotions.
