Do you consider yourself self-aware? That is to say, do you truly know thyself? Speaking on a micro to macro level – from your deepest desires and fears to your personal opinions and bias – can you truly articulate who you are and why?

Many people have no real understanding of what self-awareness actually is, let alone the importance of cultivating it. Self-awareness goes far beyond just your mental capacities, as it equally pertains to your body, soul, and emotions too.

Self-awareness is the very foundation of personal growth. Until you evaluate who you are at your core, it’s impossible to build a solid foundation. Unfortunately, having no basis on which to hold your beliefs promotes an automatic response to life, which causes you to operate on autopilot.

What is Self-Awareness?

It’s hard to believe that there can be any functional adult that doesn’t ‘know thyself’, but it’s far more common than you might think. We live in an age where the older you grow, the less in-tune with yourself you become. Technology has made it easy for people to escape their reality and immerse themselves in an artificial world.

In a series of surveys, 95% of people surveyed described themselves as ‘self-aware. According to Tasha Eurich, the accurate percentage is a mere 10-15%. The study cited 3 different potential causes for such a low percentage:

• natural blindspots that we all have due to our tendency to operate on auto-pilot, i.e. subconsciously
• a inclination to see ourselves in a positive light simply because it feels better to do so
• the technological aspect of society has created a more self-absorbed population of people

The dictionary definition of self-awareness is: conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires.

In the philosophy of Self, self-awareness is the experience of one’s own personality or individuality. Self-awareness is the recognition of awareness. Self is sometimes understood as being the unified Being connected to consciousness and the ether.

To be self aware is to be self concious. The terms are interchangeable because they are but one in the same thing. Humans Beings are a unique species equipped with the capacity to focus their attention on either internal or external environments. To be self conscious is to be aware of your very own existence.

Socrates famous words “Know thyself”; Lao Tzu in his Tao Te Ching says, “Knowing others is wisdom. Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force. Mastering the self requires strength”; Adi Shankaracharya’s commentary on the Bhagavad Gita says, “Self-knowledge alone eradicates misery. Self-knowledge alone is the means to the highest bliss. Absolute perfection is the consummation of Self-Knowledge.”

To simplify, self-awareness is being actively aware of who you are mentally, physically, and emotionally, and how those facets of you interact with and affect the world around you.

Benefits of Self-Awareness

Becoming self-aware isn’t something that happens overnight. It requires consistent dedication and determination. Additionally, it demands an on-going commitment to honing the craft. People are ever-changing Beings that require deliberate upkeep if they are to maintain self-awareness.

There are countless benefits that come with truly knowing yourself. The benefits have been shown to positively impact both the personal and professional aspects of life. The more self-aware a person is, the more benefits there are.

Personal

We are social Beings by our very nature. We love to connect with others on a variety of levels, be it physically, emotionally, or mentally. Humans are complex creatures, fully equipped with all the necessary intel to make thoughtful decisions at every intersection we encounter. However, this ability has been diluted by societal programming, which has caused people to become less fluid with their surroundings.

When you enter a room, there is a tendency to read the room in order to gain insight about what’s occurring. This ability, known as emotional intelligence, can be fostered in order to benefit everyone involved.

Emotional intelligence is the psychological theory that humans, as emotional Beings, have the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. An easier way to say it is the ability to perceive, evaluate, and control emotions.

Emotional intelligence speaks to both yourself and your immediate environment. To have a high degree of Emotional Intelligence is to be aware of your both emotional set-point, as well as that of those around you. Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is all about understanding our emotional responses to life. You can increase your EQ just like you would your IQ, with focused determination.

EQ is made up of four different components, according to researchers. The most basic level consist of first perceiving or becoming aware of emotional responses in yourself and in others. Emotions can be displayed in both verbal and non-verbal ways, i.e. body language or facial expressions.

Reasoning with your emotions is the second step in becoming more emotionally intelligent. People have a tendency to react to emotions, assuming they’re more of a spontaneous human trait than one that can be controlled. The fact of the matter is that emotions are cues for us to pay attention and listen to, serving as a internal compass.

Building Emotional Intelligence is like strengthening any other muscle: it takes time, dedication, and skill.  

Understanding and interpreting emotions is the third level of becoming emotionally adept. It involves critical thinking in order to decipher the clues (such as the environment), possible triggers, and immediate responses.

The fourth and final phase is to manage your emotions. It is possible to achieve an emotional equilibrium, which naturally inhibits the way you react to situations. Instead of being a person who is emotionally charged and always reacting to circumstances, you become someone who is aware of the underlying factors that create emotional situations. As a result, you become more empathetic to the emotional needs of others.

Professional

“Self-awareness can directly translate into better choices, and result in more fulfilling careers,” said Global Vice President of the Korn Ferry Institute, Joy Hazucha. “On the other hand, those with low self-awareness tend to scramble the messages they receive concerning improvement, interpreting them as a threat rather than an opportunity. They often have an ‘I am what I am’ mentality and continue doing things the way they always have.”

The American Medical Association conducted a study of 72 Senior Executives found that a “high self-awareness score was the strongest overall predictor success.” Researcher Dr. Becky Winkler contends that it’s due to the fact that Executives tend to be aware of their weaknesses, and they understand the value of bringing on someone else who is more equipped in that particular area of expertise.

Entrepreneurs can especially benefit from taking a closer look at their own though patterns, emotions, and behaviors. Psychologist, Author, and Co-Founder of eHarmony Dr. Les Parrot believes that self-awareness is essential for entrepreneurs who tend to get overly focused, creating tunnel vision. “An organization can only be as good as its leaders”, he totes. “Lack of self-awareness can be toxic.”

“The higher you ascend up the corporate ladder, the less self-aware you become.”

Tasha Eurich

The lack of self-awareness can have detrimental effects. In the professional arena, it is not uncommon for leaders to become less self-aware as they gain more power. This is a dangerous slope, as many members of the upper echelon are known to act without integrity.

The fact of the matter is that the more self aware a person is, the more stable their personal foundation is. A sturdy and stable foundation allows for the avoidance of environmental pressures. Greater self awareness can help leaders perform with more empathy, making them less likely to lie, cheat, and steal.

Types of Self-Awareness

There are two emerging themes amongst self-awareness studies, and that is the way we see ourselves internally versus the way we see ourselves externally. They are both essential, equally important aspects of self-awareness. In order to fully appreciate who we are on the inside, we need to also take into consideration how we are perceived on the outside.

Self-awareness is a multifaceted feat. It involves deep introspection, but also frequent external assessments to recenter and recalibrate. The key is to balance your efforts.

Internal

It can be beneficial to start with an internal self-assessment in order to gauge your current state of self-awareness. After all, as we grow and change over time, so too does our ability to be fully self-aware. There are many different types of self-assessment tests that can be found online to spark insight on areas that need improvement.

“Self analysis can trap us in a mental hell of our own thinking”, according to I/O Psychologist Tasha Eurich. She goes on to say that most people approach the act of introspection wrong. In her four-year-long research on self-awareness, she found that people who introspected more were found to be more stressed and depressed, and overall less satisfied with their jobs, relationships, and life in general.

“Thinking about ourselves isn’t related to knowing ourselves.”

Tasha Eurich

The problem lies with the most common introspection question: why? Unfortunately, asking why something is the way it is does not lead us towards more self-awareness. On the contrary, it leads us away. Humans tend to overcompensate where there is a gap in our understanding. Studies reflect that people will even make things up to validate their outlandish opinions.

Instead, try asking yourself what. It will force you to dig deeper and ask yourself probing questions, like “what can I learn from this?” It’s in these open and aware moments we can be truly honest with ourselves.

External

We all misinterpret external feedback at some point in our lives. It’s a given simply because we are all different, and yet we tend to assume that we are more alike than not within life’s experiences. It is impossible to shed your personal perspective, and therefore biases. When interpreting information be it internal or external, you can only ever do it through your own personal lens. This allows room for much error in judgement.

The average person reacts to external feedback with defensiveness and contempt. The only time it’s truly acceptable to give someone your constructive criticism is on the job, and therein lies the problem. If people correctly sought out self-awareness, they would understand the benefit of feedback from others.

Verbal feedback, when incorporated properly, can serve as a guide for someone actively seeking self-awareness. The key is to learn to truly listen and digest verbal feedback with appreciation for the clarity it provides.

When someone tells you about yourself, listen. 

Not all external feedback is so blatant though. The human brain processes information received via our 5 senses. We are always picking up cues utilizing these senses, as well as our intuitive senses. Research has shown that our brain’s ability to process feedback relies on not just a persons verbal responses, but also their non-verbal cues. Tuning into these cues as feedback is yet another facet of becoming self-aware.

So now that we know what self-awareness is and the benefits of it, it’s time to explore exactly how we can cultivate it.

How to Improve Your Self-Awareness

Personality and strength-finder tests are a great tool on your path to self-awareness. Some are better than others. The good ones will give you direct insight into your personality traits, behavioral tendencies, and psychological profiles. The internet has made it easy to access these assessments, many for free.

These tests are surprisingly accurate, and can give you direct insight about yourself. A few sights I’ve tried and recommend are:

• Authentic Happiness Assessment
• RedBull Wingfinder
• 16Personalities
• TestColor 
• DISC Profile
• 123Test

Meditation is not exactly the answer people want or expect to hear under the category of self-awareness, but it is one of the most beneficial daily rituals you can adopt along your journey. A Harvard study connected both science and mindfulness, proving that mediation does positively affect your genetic thumbprint. A UCLA study showed that people who had meditated long-term had brains that were better preserved, or less aged than those who did not meditate habitually.

Meditation, by definition, is the act of quieting your mind for an extended period of time. It can be done by simply focusing on your breath for 15-20 minutes at a time, or in other forms such as walking or exercise. Physical activity causes that brain to emit some of the same regenerative chemicals that are produced during meditation.

The scientifically documented benefits of meditation include reduced stress, managed anxiety, pain control, and eliminating addictions.

Meditation comes in a variety of forms. This makes it easy to find a method that suits your personal style, ensuring you’ll stick with it long-term. Some include:

• Guided meditation
• Walking meditation
• Tai Chi
• Yoga
• Transcendental Meditation
• Qigong

Pay attention to triggers. What bothers you most about others? Recognizing irritations caused by someone else’s behaviors can provide insight about your own disposition. Most often what irritates you in another person is merely reflecting back to you the things that you dislike about yourself.

This is a vital part of the self-awareness process because we all have parts of ourselves that we have allowed to fade into the background, so as not to have to deal with them. These facets don’t go away though; instead they fester. You have to deal to heal, but how can you deal with something you can’t even see in yourself?

Ask for feedback. Never underestimate the power of good, old-fashioned feedback from others. We can never truly rid ourselves of our personal biases, therefore, we can never really see ourselves objectively. The people you interact with most are able to see you more objectively, making them the best people to ask to tell you about yourself. If you do a good job in the preparation phase, external feedback can be extremely valuable.

To prepare to receive external feedback properly, it is first necessary to be open. Feedback from others can only benefit you if you actually listen and hear what people are saying about you. It’s not always easy to listen to negativity as it pertains to you directly. To incorporate this information, you must also perceive any/all feedback as beneficial. Simply putting a positive spin on negative information can pivot how you interpret that information. Always look for the silver-lining.

Self-awareness is an essential part of maturing. While most people tend to think that they know themselves pretty well, the truth is that the majority of adults are growing less self-aware with age. Self-awareness takes active intention to foster. It is not something that once you achieve, it is yours forever more. Instead, true self-awareness is a work-in-progress. You can never get it done. As long as you live and breathe, you will always be in the pursuit of self-awareness.