Building Self-Awareness | Why It Is a Necessary Part of Knowing Yourself

Being self-aware includes knowing what you like and dislike, recognizing what motivates you, and even being familiar with your strengths and weaknesses.  In addition, it is being aware of what "rules" you live by, following those guidelines, and recognizing your own habits.

Self-awareness is the ability to see yourself openly and objectively through reflection and self-examination, or introspection. If you want to be really good at something and live an enriched life, it’s essential to embrace and build a greater sense of self-awareness. It is an important skill that we can build and nurture continuously to help us progress in our personal development journeys.

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Would you like to see some changes in your life? You can begin making these changes by building self-awareness. Self-awareness is a self-conscious state where you’re in tune with and focused on yourself and your well-being.  It, in essence, means you know your own self. 

Being self-aware includes knowing what you like and dislike, recognizing what motivates you, being familiar with your strengths and weaknesses, and even tuning in to how the world around you sees and experiences you as well. 

In addition, it is being aware of what “rules” you live by, following those guidelines, and recognizing your own habits all contribute to your level of self-awareness. 

When you live life being self-aware, there’s little confusion. You know who you are and what you believe.

Self-awareness exists on a spectrum, and there are different levels to it. Where you are on that spectrum all depends on you. But the good news is there is no final destination.

“We cannot change what we choose to not see.”

It’s often said, “We cannot change what we choose to not see.” 

Self-awareness is the process of acknowledging not only our strengths but our weaknesses as well. 

Becoming self-aware entails listening to your body and feelings and taking action based on what those things tell you.

If you’re in tune with your body, you’ll know when to say no to that extra piece of cake or say no to staying up late. You’ll become more in tune with your body the more often you respect it. 

Self-awareness is a process. 

The more we do it, the better we become at it.

In all the stress of our daily lives, it’s easy to react to our environment passively and therefore lose opportunities to connect. Having emotional intelligence and governing our emotions should be a skill we prioritize; self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence.

How do you become self-aware?

Becoming more self-aware requires a commitment to a journey inward.

It is the ability to monitor the world we live in and the way we experience the world around us.

Our thoughts and feelings emerge as signals, and developing self-awareness allow us to not be swept away by those signals. When one is more self-aware, they respond to them objectively and with thought.

One of the main goals is to not relive negative emotions, but instead to acknowledge them and learn from their presence.

Having increased self-awareness builds resilience, and improves our ability to empathize with others.

When compassion coupled with empathy rises, it also elevates your higher self.

These tips will help you in your journey to self-awareness.

4 Things That Can Help You Build Greater Self Awareness

Reflect on who you are and who you’d like to become 

While it’s important to notice your faults and weaknesses, it’s equally important to acknowledge your strengths. 

The better you understand yourself, the better you’re able to accept yourself as you are or change the things you’d like to be different. 

Self-awareness requires you to be honest with yourself and have the courage to change the things you can, and even get the help to change the things that require something more.

Full knowledge and recognition of yourself give you the opportunity to become the self-fulfilled person you’re destined to be.

Looking deep within your soul, you’ll find the many character traits that make you unique. 

Begin by acknowledging the positive things. This will strengthen and encourage you to face the less favorable character traits without abandoning your journey.

On the other hand, when evaluating your strengths, don’t let your ego get the best of you. 

It is important to note that over magnification of either your strengths or your weaknesses, can limit the possibility of getting a realistic picture of yourself.

Until you examine the truth of who you are, you cannot move into the person you can become.

Grab Your Copy of the Who Are You Workbook!

A guidebook that walks you through identifying your values, assessing your strengths and weakness and then how to leverage them, looking at what you love to do and what you would not be caught dead doing, and so much more!

All with the intention of becoming more aware of who you are, so you can go after the things your heart truly desires and live the life you authentically desire to live.

Pay attention to your likes and dislikes

Having an understanding of your preferences in life will start you on the road to self-awareness. 

If you dislike going to the theater, it may not be a great fit for you to agree to a date at the theater for a first date. On the other hand, if you love going to the ballet, why not spend more of your time there? 

This can be helpful in determining the activities you decide to participate in with friends and family.

For example, maybe you dislike boating, but your friend, Kelly always wants you to go out on her family’s boat with her. You probably receive some good feelings about yourself for making Kelly happy, but you’ll probably be even happier if you encourage her to participate with you from time to time in a hobby that you’re passionate about as well.

In addition to day-to-day activities, far too often, people make life-changing choices without acknowledging deeply rooted personal preferences.

Before you embark on goals for your future, have a full awareness of the things you especially enjoy and those you prefer not to have in your life.

This helps to ensure that you make decisions to allow you to have more joy, happiness, and love the life you live.

Face your inner self

During your self-awareness process, think about your motivations, dreams, fears, and even your stressors. 

What motivates you? 

Are you motivated by love, personal interest, or money? Do you have to love your job to perform it to the best of your ability? 

Money is an incredible motivator for many. Perhaps money motivates you, too. Some of the hardest workers you’ll find are people who were paid to mow lawns when they were 12 years old. They learned the value of a dollar and how to get it and have been motivated ever since.

Which rules do you live by? 

Some folks live by the rules of their religion. Others live by the rules their parents taught them. 

Knowing what you use as a standard, or ideal, in life will increase your self-knowledge.

What are your habits? 

Everyone has habits – those things you do repeatedly. 

Simply knowing your habits reveal more to you about yourself. 

When you know your habits, you know yourself a little better. 

Not to mention that if you do not like one of them, you can change them. 

But awareness is required in order to adjust your habits in any way.

In addition to identifying these things, think about why you feel the way you do, and then begin to work toward overcoming these inner battles. 

Ask your loved ones’ opinions

A person who knows himself well is open to and accepting of critical feedback. After all, critical feedback informs you about yourself.

When someone tells us honestly and without malice (and this is the part that requires discernment) what we’re doing and how we could improve, we’ve just received some valuable information that helps us be more self-aware.

Talk to people who know you best and really listen to what they see as your dominant character traits and motivations. 

Ask them to be completely honest with you and be prepared to hear their opinions.  Try to avoid becoming defensive or angered by what you are told.  Take time to sit in those things and see what they bring up for you.

Openly accept feedback from others. When you’re lucky enough to have those around you willing to honestly give you input and feedback on your actions and behaviors, you’ll get another perspective on yourself. This, in turn, enhances your self-awareness.

Without making excuses for them, you may even want to try and identify why the less favorable characteristics exist.

Doing that can help you determine where you need to do work.

You may not be your own best judge of character. Accept the way your loved ones see you as part of this process. Consider their opinions along with your own analysis in order to see the full picture of who you are.

Self-awareness is a necessary part of self-esteem and change. When you’re in touch with who you are, your day-to-day life gains great clarity. 

If you want to grow as an individual, begin with a complete and honest picture of who you are now. Honesty is the cornerstone of becoming more self-aware.

The more self-knowledge you have, the more consciously you’ll live your life. And living consciously is the healthier, happier way to live. 

This total awareness will start your journey to becoming the best you can be.


Ready to become more self-aware?

Get signed up for self-awareness group coaching. Where we do the work to examine our thoughts and beliefs, tune into our desires, and do the work to walk in our true authentic selves. Or start by grabbing your copy of the Self Awareness Workbook – Who Are You? Designed to help you journal your way into a greater space of self-awareness.

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I’m TaKenya

I HELP WOMEN succeed in life and business

Fueled by equal parts oat milk lattes and passion alike, I spend my days coaching, building things, researching, and figuring out ways to help women change the world while finding, understanding, and loving themselves and their unique individuality.   

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