Taking advice from your inner voice: the art of self-awareness, self reflection and being present in the moment.

Hello again, dear reader. Yesterday's discussion was concerned with the art of truly listening and understanding other people and not just trying to hear enough of a conversation to formulate your own response. The art of listening is considered a must-have skill for any current or aspiring leader (at least one of substance anyway). As it will help a leader to better understand those that he or she is trying to lead. However, the other side of the coin when it comes to listing is listening to one's self and taking into account one's own thoughts and feelings concerning any given situation and being present in the moment. The mark of many truly excellent leaders is that they are able to sort through and understand their emotions, thoughts and concerns any given situation and either uses them to their advantage or being present enough to lay them aside long enough to confront a given situation. This post is going to discuss the arts of being self-aware and self reflection, as well as being present in the moment is a crucial skills and qualities of any good leader. All too often people try to analyze the consequences or actions of themselves or others without actually being present in the current moment. There is nothing wrong with thinking a few moves ahead. In fact, this is another thing that is a must for any leader. However, a problem arises when a person is too caught up in thinking five moves ahead, and forgets to consider how those five moves will affect the situation. They are dealing with at a particular moment. This discussion is going to be concerned with the art of self reflection and self-awareness, as well as being present in the moment as any good leader should also be able to listen to their own inner voice....

How aware would you say you are … of yourself, the people in your life, your surroundings?

If you’re like most people at any given time you may be highly focused on a few things (or people) screaming for your attention while the rest of the world around you is left to fend for itself until they too require your attention.

Most of us are simply far too busy getting on with the daily requirements of building a life to spend much time thinking about our level of awareness.

The problem is we not only miss out on some of the best things in life when we live in a state of limited awareness, but we also risk missing important signals that indicate we may be heading for trouble ahead. You’ve heard the term “blindsided”? In most cases the signs are there, but we’re either unable or unwilling to see them.

At its most basic level, self-awareness is not only a critical characteristic of emotional resilience it is the key to greater life satisfaction and becoming the person you were meant to be.

Defining Self-Awareness

Self-awareness involves looking within you to get a better understanding of your thoughts, beliefs, emotions and motivations. The challenge is that for most people “honest” self-reflection is not an easy process, either because they resist taking the necessary time to nurture themselves, or they are so filled with layers of personal history and internal limiting beliefs that they no longer have a clear sense of who they are or what they want from life.

Another way to look at awareness is that it’s all about paying attention.

Have you ever finished reading a passage in a book only to realize you have no idea what you just read? Or have you ever been on the receiving end of a conversation where you were physically present, looking right at the person as they were talking, but afterward had no recollection of what they said because you listened but never actually heard them. This is because your mind’s attention was elsewhere recycling familiar thoughts and; themes causing you to overlook what is happening right in front of you.

Sometimes it’s even more complicated than a simple distraction. Studies have found that when our minds are confronted with an unknown situation or concept, it will almost always deny it, or replace what it doesn’t understand with preconceived notions and the familiar stories we keep telling ourselves about who we are and what we believe to be true.

Have you ever wondered how two people can listen to the same lecture or read the same book and come up with completely different interpretations? Bingo!

The only way to stop these automated mechanisms is by conditioning ourselves to be fully present in the moment.

Once self-awareness dawns in you, the questions you can ask about yourself, about how you think and feel have no limit. Self-aware questions are the keys that make consciousness expand, and when that happens, the possibilities are infinite. ~Deepak Chopra

The Big Picture

Let’s take a moment to consider the big picture of what is involved with becoming more aware of yourself and the world around you.

• There’s awareness of your inner workings … your feelings, emotions, values, beliefs, strengths and weaknesses, purpose and the stories you tell (to yourself and others about who you are).
• There’s awareness of how you communicate with the people in your life and all the ways in which you manage your interpersonal relationships.
• And finally, there’s awareness of the world around you … the people, things and places in your immediate surroundings and on a larger scale society and the world.

As always thanks for listening, there will be more to come soon.