Self-Awareness is the mother of all skills. It transcends every aspect of your life–for all of your life–and is the gate keeper to intentional, sustainable growth because it provides you with insight about your experiences.
WHAT it is
Taking inventory of how you are likely to behave in a specific environment (aka context or situation) and considering the thoughts and feelings that influence that behavior.
HOW to train it
Start by reflecting on how you are likely to behave (your observable approach and mannerisms) when in one environment versus another.
For example, how are you likely to behave when recreationally spending time with friends and/or family compared to how are you likely to behave when participating in a formal, professional setting? In order to enhance the specificity of your reflection, consider your behaviors through the following filters:
- Is your behavior more direct or indirect?
- Is your behavior more task or relationship oriented?
- Is your behavior more fast paced or slow paced?
- Do you tend to be more thought oriented prior to taking action or more action oriented prior to thinking and contemplating?
WHY this skill is so critical
Self-awareness training cultivates the kind of insight that provides the necessary clarity to be able to enhance any skillset—mental, physical, or technical. As a high performer, it is invaluable to know how you are likely to behave, so you can improve your ability to self-regulate your behaviors more optimally.
