We all want to be more self-aware. Right? Becoming more self-aware gives us the ability to comprehend life's pleasures and challenge more effectively. Aristotle once said, "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom". Filtering our thoughts and creating a more efficient mindset is a goal I am after. If you in search of improving your cognition, self-awareness, and the understanding of your wellbeing, this article is for you.
Self-awareness can be challenging to manifest entirely. Benjamin Franklin put it best when he said, "There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self".
I'm going to level with you here. I can't tell you how to become more self-aware because self-awareness is an individualized process. The only person who can teach you self awareness is you.
The traditional and old-fashioned school of thought is doing a lot of stuff and live a long life. Then you will come to know yourself. I don't know about you but waiting until I am 60 years old to figure out who I am sounds too passive for me to get on board with this thought process. I think it would be more efficient to accelerate your self-awareness of who you are with 13 questions right now.
What am I good at?
What am I average at?
What am I bad at?
What stresses me out?
What relaxes me?
What type of person do I want to be?
What type of friend do I want to be?
What makes me sad?
What makes me happy?
What am I afraid of?
What is the most important thing in my life?
Who are the most important people in my life?
What is my definition of success?
If you want to use this questioning method, it's advisable to answer with the first thing that pops into your mind. These are practical questions (don't overthink it).
If you start a discussion about the hidden meaning of each of these questions and variations of answers you could give, we will still be asking ourselves these questions at 60 years old.
It's important to know everyone interprets and answers these questions differently. It's about you. Hence the term self-awareness.
Go through these questions again at your own pace and use them to think about ways to improve your life. Reasoning and becoming aware of who you are is a difficult task, but one that propels you forward in life's endeavors.
After coming up with your answers... Do the things that make you happy. Avoid the things that make you dissatisfied. Dive headfirst into the things you are good at and stay away from things you are bad at. You will manage your time and wellbeing more efficiently this way.
All the best,
Dan