“A workplace that encourages self-awareness is an environment where the most productive, curious, and innovative people thrive.”

– Neil Blumenthal: Co-CEO/Co-Founder Warby Parker Inc, Board Member Allbirds Inc

At Mindful Nation we’re all about people development, with a particular focus on personal effectiveness. Working with clients over the years we‘ve found that the major key in developing personal effectiveness is increasing self-awareness.

Being aware of what’s driving your behaviour is vital.

This means understanding the triggers that can result in things like losing your temper, shutting down, comfort eating/comfort spending, picking a fight with a loved one, or pretending to have your act together when in reality you’re “drowning not waving.” These, and many other behaviours, are often knee-jerk reactions that seem to happen automatically and can leave a trail of unpleasant consequences for ourselves and for others.

Becoming more aware of how we are thinking and feeling allows us the opportunity to adapt and change our reactions to the challenges we encounter in our lives.

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to change habits of behaviour without changing the thoughts and feelings that are driving that behaviour. And you can’t change the thoughts and feelings without being consciously aware of them. That means being able to observe and notice what’s going through your mind, and what emotions are present as a result. We encourage people to engage in this by being gently curious, and open to exploring one’s inner world, without judging or criticizing oneself.

Self-awareness is also about being in touch with the messages from your body. For example, knowing when to take a break at work because your energy is starting to drop. Or, when you feel your heart rate increasing and your stomach churning, consciously choosing to take a few deep breaths and ‘put in a pause’ before you say or do something you’re likely to regret.

Often we become quite disconnected from the physical sensations in our body. Living out of touch with the body is like living only from the neck up. Michael Leunig, well-known Australian cartoonist, captures this perfectly in ‘Butterfly Net’ https://www.leunig.com.au/works/cartoons

The more self-aware you are, the less reactive you become, and the better able you are to
respond usefully, regardless of the situation.

Cultivating self-awareness can be challenging though. It takes conscious effort and application, but the benefits are profound. This on-going journey of self-discovery helps you become more effective both personally and professionally. It’s never too late (or early!) to benefit from “exploring within.” Check out our Personal Effectiveness Program.

PS: Self-awareness is a key attribute for high emotional intelligence. Psychologist Daniel Goleman, who popularised and wrote extensively about emotional intelligence, suggests that people who possess self-awareness have a good sense of humour, are confident in themselves and their abilities, and are aware of how other people perceive them.

Image credit: Ali Syaaban – Unsplash