As it should be, I am not too much of a talking person, I do my talking by ideation, strategic planning and execution. Quite frankly, theory bores me, just show me the how, and consider it done. You see, what produces the results is not the knowledge in your head but the knowledge you put to use. Knowledge in motion give rise to the results. Like what they say... 'action speaks louder than words', This goes to mean that what someone does has more value than what someone says. If you are in the 'executionist camp', three cheers for you.🥂 A cheerful welcome to today's edition of Dear Young Leader Email Newsletter. I hope your weekend was all exciting, mine was all bonkers. It is the beginning of a new week, expect nothing short of heavenly goodness💯...Amen?🤗
Parenthically, today's spotlight is on SELF AWARENESS. Self-awareness is your ability to perceive and understand the things that make you who you are as an individual, including your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts. Self-awareness is a critical tool to help you reach higher levels of job satisfaction, become a better leader, improve relationships with colleagues, and manage your emotions better. It’s also positively correlated with higher levels of overall happiness.
HOW TO BECOME MORE SELF-AWARE
Once you’ve discovered how self-aware you are, you can get better at it through the following ways;
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness allows you to be present with yourself and observe your thoughts in a non-judgmental way. Mindfulness forces you to focus on yourself on purpose and in the present moment. Next time you’re feeling frustrated at work, use mindfulness to check-in with yourself: what thoughts are going through your mind? How are you feeling? Simply being present enough to acknowledge your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, will help you become more acquainted and better at recognizing them properly within yourself.
Spend Time With Yourself
Give yourself the space and time necessary to self-reflect, by avoiding distractions. Try spending time reading, writing, meditating, or practicing other solo activities to connect with yourself.
Become a Better Listener
When you learn how to listen to your friends, colleagues, and managers without evaluating or judging them, you’ll become more empathetic and understand people better. Listening, by the way, isn’t the same as hearing -- like mindfulness, the practice of listening takes purpose and control. Listening to the important people in your life should give you a true sense of how they perceive you.
Ask for Feedback
It's important to ask for feedback from the people you work with, or lead. It’s impossible to have true, complete self-awareness, if you only turn inwards gaining different perspectives on who you are will help you see a truer, more complete picture.
RESOURCES FOR THE WEEK
Alx Full-stack Software Engineering Training for Africans
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An Exposition On The Power Of Cumulative Growth
What they say... 'little by little, a little becomes a lot'. Here is a realtime exposition on the Power Of Cumulative Growth you should check out here.👇
Ps: If you will love to feature an article in the next email newsletter, send us an email.👊
Cheers to your success.🥂
Talk soon.
Peace Ikoi, Founder | Head Of Communications, Dear Young Leader Media House.
Reading this self awareness piece reminded me of the words of the legend Greek philosopher, Socrates... "" Man know thyself... An unexamined Life is not worth living"" Thanks so much Peace for the great insights on self awareness. I'm expecting MORE of this...Remain blessed.