The Road to Self-Awareness

Man standing on rock formation at dusk

Are you a self-aware individual?

Don’t rack your mind trying to decode the meaning of this simply-worded adjective with an abstract concept; allow me to simplify it for you.

Self-awareness is a state you achieve when you have an honest and objective understanding of yourself. It happens when you have conscious knowledge of your own character, feelings, habits, strengths, weaknesses, and everything about yourself that makes you who you are. If you are self-aware, it means you come to terms with yourself.

Do We Really Know Ourselves?

No one knows you better than you know yourself. After all, all the thoughts you think, the feelings you feel, and the emotions you experience cannot be completely known to anyone else like it is known to you. Whether it is the memories you have that words cannot do justice to or the secrets you keep buried, you know it all!

However, if you think that you know everything about yourselves, you could be wrong. 

Think of it like looking in the mirror. When you look at your reflection on its silvery surface, you notice the color of your eyes, the shape of your nose and lips, the way your jawline curves, the blemishes that mildly stain your skin, and all other minute details of your facial features and physique.

However, what you see in the mirror—or any other reflective surface—is not 100% accurate. Why? It is because reflections are inverted images. The way you look to others is a lot more accurate than the way you look to yourself, even though the difference between the two perceptions may not be much.

What I’m trying to say is that there are truths about yourself that you may not know. Sometimes, others may know a thing or two about yourself that you have not yet come to realize.

How to Become More Self-Aware?

There are many ways to become more self-aware. One of the most challenging yet crucial steps to achieving the state is to try and accept others’ honest opinions of you, even if you don’t necessarily agree with some of them.

One of the things you have to do is sit down with family and friends and ask them to describe you, your personality, and behavior as objectively as possible. Some of the people you ask may have reservations out of fear of upsetting you, so it would also help to mention that you need them to be as open and direct as they need to be.

At the same time, be prepared to hear about both the positive and negative sides of you. Getting feedback from people who understand you and have your best interests at heart will definitely be worth your while. You will also start to see yourself from different points of view and will ultimately get to know yourself better in the process.

At the same time, it is also important for you to evaluate yourself. As a start, take out a piece of paper and write down a list of positive things about you as well as negative ones. Try to be as objective and accurate as possible, and take as much time you need.

It is not easy to develop the high level of introspection needed to become fully self-aware. While most people rejoice in their qualities and strengths, they are afraid to be honest with themselves about their weaknesses. Once you overcome this fear and learn to be honest with yourself, you will better adapt yourself to change, grow steadily, and achieve the great successes you were meant for.

Another way you can become more self-aware is through meditation. You will be able to understand your feelings, thoughts, and physical sensations with more clarity, and over time, you will be able to identify aspects of yourself you have never realized before. You will start to see yourself in a different and more honest light, and that is what self-awareness is all about.

By being honest with yourself, you understand exactly who you are and where you are in life and are able to concisely map out your trajectory to success. 

Want to know how else you can grow yourself? Check out my book “Homeless to Billionaire: The 18 Principles of Wealth Attraction and Creating Unlimited Opportunity”.

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CEO of Blue Horizon Developments

Andres Pira is a real-estate tycoon based in Phuket, Thailand who is also becoming well-known for his inspirational homeless-to-billionaire life story. Andres was not the product of a top-tier business…

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