The Power of Self-Awareness

#eqfit #self-awareness Feb 19, 2024

The human brain is a fascinating creation. There are so many things we still do not know...but we have learned much in the last few decades. When it comes to EI (emotional intelligence), there are 5 primary areas of focus: Self-awareness, Self-regulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social Skills. Today the focus is Self-awareness. What is it and what does it do for us?

Self-awareness defined

Self-awareness is a fundamental component of emotional intelligence, encompassing the ability to recognize and understand one's own emotions, motives, and desires. Key aspects include:

Recognition of Emotions: The capacity to identify and name one's own emotions accurately.
Understanding the Causes: Comprehending what triggers these emotions.
Recognition of Impact: Awareness of how these emotions affect one's thoughts and behavior.
Influence on Performance: Understanding how emotions influence one's performance in various situations.
Self-knowledge: Gaining a deeper understanding of oneself through recognition of feelings.
Impact on Others: Recognizing how one's emotions and actions impact others.

Why is self-awareness important? Let me share an illustration that I hope will give you insight into the value of self-awareness.

This graphic comes out of a presentation on "The Power of Feedback" by TMA Change Partners©. This is a very good visual to understand self-awareness.

Arena -the Arena is what you know about yourself and what other people know about you. It is the place where your most productive interactions happen. Enlarging your arena is an important part of growing your self-awareness. To do that, you have to reduce the size of some of the other areas.
Blind spot - as you might guess, blind spot is what we are not self-aware of. You can also think of this as just as it says, blind spots. Many times we avoid greater self-awareness, specifically blind spots, because they can be uncomfortable. They can trigger emotions that we prefer not to experience. The consequences of blind spots can be minimal or can be profound. Have you ever known someone who had a blind spot that made it difficult to be around them? Reducing our blind spot by becoming more self-aware allows us to access more of our untapped potential.
Facade - this is something we know about ourselves that we keep other people from knowing. It may be because we perceive it would hurt a relationship or make us look weak. Keeping up a facade takes effort and energy. This effort reduces the energy we have to grow our self-awareness. How? By limiting how much we choose to open ourselves up to other people. If someone tries to give us feedback, we may become defensive which can lead to less trust and connection. The same thing can happen with our blind spot. How much we are willing to disclose to others has a direct impact on how much of our untapped potential we can access.
Untapped potential - this is the "gold mine" when it comes to self-awareness. Research tells us that the average person only uses about 10-15% of their total brain power and only gives about 40% of their potential effort on a daily basis. That may not be you, but it is the world we live in. What would it be like if you could reduce your blind spot and facade, increase your arena, and realize more of your untapped potential? Do you have an idea of how much untapped potential you have?

Next Level Self-Awareness

I am currently working with a new strategic partner, Dr. Chuck Coker. He is known around the world for his work in behavior, mindsets, and habit formation. Our work together is now focused on a new online course specifically designed to help people understand, grow, and develop their emotional intelligence (EI). Are there other courses out there that do this? Sure. So how is ours different?

It teaches people about people first - different personalities, behavior, mindsets, and EQ (their measure of emotional intelligence)
Then the course provides learning and insight into the 5 primary categories of EI (emotional intelligence)
From there, individual EI competencies are explored
Practical application comes next, where the EI competencies are transformed into skills that can be strengthened and applied for better outcomes

This holistic approach to enhancing EI is simply not available anywhere else.

Self-Awareness Take-Aways

Considering the elements that define self-awareness at the beginning of this article, it becomes clear that the more these foundational elements of self-awareness are developed, the better equipped we will be to navigate the emotional environment we live and work in. How do you know if someone has strong EI skills? Here are a few things to look for:

Confidence in times of uncertainty
Someone who seems like a natural leader
The ability to focus and be productive when stress increases
Someone who embraces change in a healthy way
A person who demonstrates agility and resilience
Someone who appears to have an abundance of energy
Holding decisions and actions up to an overarching purpose or standard
A person who is a very good listener
Someone who practices empathy in their interactions with others
The ability to overcome fear or anxiety to achieve a goal
A person who looks to the future with hope and possibility

If those sound like a way you would like other people to see you, then the path forward is clear. Begin (or continue) growing your EI strengths...and start with self-awareness!

Author's note: The best way to know where you are today in your EI journey is to take an assessment that is well validated and provides clear insight into your own EQ. We would love to help you with this! Just let us know by clicking here.

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