6 Reasons Why Self-Awareness Is Important
What exactly comes to your mind when you hear the word “Self-Awareness”? If it’s awareness about yourself, then you’re right! But what exactly this concept means, and why would so many self-help gurus and authors preach about the importance of such an obvious concept that everyone seems to “know”?
Well, it can be simply because the concept of attaining total objectivity about oneself may not be possible. Although people generally understand self-awareness, they usually don’t know where it comes from, what its predecessors are, or why some people appear to have more or less than others.
Before moving forward, let’s understand what self-awareness is and why you need to be aware of yourself.
What is Self-Awareness?
To define the term self-awareness, psychologists Shelley Duval and Robert Wicklund said, “Self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, or emotions do or don’t align with your internal standards. If you’re highly self-aware, you can objectively evaluate yourself, manage your emotions, align your behaviour with your values, and understand correctly how others perceive you.”
In simple words, it means to be aware of your own personality and sentiments. But not everyone is aware of what they are doing or why.
And that’s not always a negative thing — it makes your lives a lot simpler when you don’t have to think about trivial matters like bathing or eating your breakfast. However, the problem arises when you lose sight of some of your more critical habits, such as how you react to or cope with challenges.
Because the human mind is pretty adept at generating blueprints of emotional reactions, some responses don’t take long to become routines. To delve deeper into the concept of self-awareness, you need to understand different forms of it.
Psychologists distinguish two forms of self-awareness: internal self-awareness and external self-awareness. Internal self-awareness is concerned with your thoughts, feelings, strengths, flaws, and values, among other things. External self-awareness is concerned with how others view you.
Both types of self-awareness are essential because they enable leaders to analyze their own progress and effectiveness and change course as required.
Benefits of Self-Awareness
There are a few benefits of practising self-awareness, such as:
- It provides you with the ability to influence outcomes.
- It aids you in becoming better decision-makers. It helps you to boost your self-esteem, and as a result, you can speak with greater clarity and intent.
- It enables you to see things from a variety of viewpoints.
- It liberates you from your preconceptions and biases.
- It aids in the development of stronger relationships.
- It improves your capacity to control your emotions.
- It reduces tension and makes you happy.
These benefits are compelling enough to concentrate on enhancing self-awareness. Self-awareness can improve practically every experience you have since it is a tool and a practice that can be used anywhere, at any time, to ground yourself at the moment, genuinely evaluate yourself and the circumstance, and assist you in making good decisions.
To delve deeper into the benefits of self-awareness, here are 6 reasons why you need to be self-aware:
6 Reasons Why Self-Awareness is Important
#1 You’ll have a better understanding of yourself
Thoughts, feelings, values, objectives, and prejudices all influence behaviour and decisions. Confusion ensues when there is no comprehension. You won’t understand why you do what you do or feel what you feel, and if anything goes wrong, you won’t know where to start with solutions. Understanding that root is essential for success in life, whether personally or professionally. The more self-aware you are, the more solid your foundation will have in life.
#2 You’ll get to know what impacts your beliefs
Everyone has beliefs about themselves or others and how the world works. For example — religious and political convictions. These beliefs are not formed on their own. They are shaped by variables such as your upbringing and other life events. Self-aware people have a better knowledge of where their beliefs originate from. This might either strengthen their views or lead to the formation of new ones.
As an example, most people have prejudices that can harm others. A self-aware individual can look more closely at discrimination and recognize that it isn’t a hard and fast rule. This provides them room to grow.
#3 You’ll know your strengths and weaknesses
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is an important component of self-awareness. Taking the time and energy to examine your life teaches you what you’re best at. What is the importance of this? Every job interview will inquire about your strengths and weaknesses. The more self-aware you become, the more specific and correct your response to this question will be.
#4 You’ll enhance your critical thinking skills
The capacity to comprehend and analyze information objectively is referred to as critical thinking. When you are self-aware, you can identify the subjective aspects of yourself — such as your feelings and ideas — and try your best not to allow them to influence your critical thinking. This is a handy skill in various situations, both personal and professional.
#5 You’ll improve your decision-making skill
Many skills are required to make a smart decision, and when you are self-aware, you already have many of them. Analyzing is something that self-aware individuals are used to doing since they evaluate their own ideas and feelings. They are also accustomed to critical thinking, which is an essential component of making sound decisions. Knowing your own strengths and limitations might also help you make the best decision for you.
#6 You’ll become empathetic to others
The advantages of self-awareness do not end with you. When you understand yourself better, you will understand others better. You realize that everyone’s thoughts and ideas are influenced by their experiences. You also become a better listener, which is critical for developing empathy. Given that self-awareness is about understanding emotions, it seems to reason that this understanding should extend to others.
