We define self awareness as "a heightened sense of continuous attention to one's feelings, emotions and thoughts."
While success does not automatically emanate
from self awareness, those who have achieved greatness in any area of life tend
to have a deep sense of self awareness.
On the other hand, perhaps greatness can be born
through a highly elevated sense of self awareness. As Carl Jung wrote, "Your vision will become clear only
when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks
inside, awakes."
Of course, self awareness is only one pillar
creating the foundation for personal and professional success. In the words of Lord Tennyson, "Self-reverence, self-knowledge,
self-control ── these three alone lead to sovereign power."
Additionally, whatever emotional state you are in will dictate
your behavior. This can be both a positive and a negative thing, depending on
your emotional state.
By being aware of your emotional state you an opportunity to control this state. In doing so, you prevent yourself from just
having to accept and take whatever the world dishes out to you. You control how
events and people impact you, simply by controlling how you feel and think
about these events and people.
Here's what two people from opposite ends of the
literary spectrum have said on this subject:
Nothing
has any power over me other than that which I give it through my conscious
thoughts. Anthony Robbins
There is
nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare
Your emotional and social states are closely
tied together, for the emotional side of your life will be primarily (though
not exclusively) created, developed and troubled by your relationships with
others.
An inability to notice true feelings as they
are occrriung leaves you at their mercy. There is a crucial difference
between being caught up in a feeling and being aware that a feeling is about to
sweep you away through what Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, aptly calls "an emotional
hijacking."
As Goleman points out, emotional self-control,
such as delaying gratification and stifling impulsiveness, often leads to
greater success and outcomes.
Self observation and continuous attention to
your feelings, emotions and thoughts are crucial aspects of your personal self-development
journey. Through these observations you will identify your core strengths, areas
for improvement and techniques for greater self control.
George Gurdjieff, an author and spiritual
teacher of the early 20th Century, wrote, "Self-observation
brings man to the realization of the necessity of self-change. And in observing
himself a man notices that self-observation itself brings about certain changes
in his inner processes. He begins to understand that self-observation is an
instrument of self-change, a means of awakening."
When you awaken to your true self, you not only
change your destiny, you grab control of it with two hands firmly on the
steering wheel of your life. Your dreams become your reality. Your choices will
be based on meeting your most important needs, leading to what psychologist
Abraham Maslow described as "self actualization."
"A
man must be obedient to the promptings of his innermost heart," wrote Roberston Davies,
one of Canada's most distinguished men of letters. The first step, of course,
is to have a clear awareness of what reverberates in your innermost heart.
As Maslow wrote, "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must
write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself."
Do what makes you happy and that which sparks
the passion within, and then you will be at peace with yourself.
It all starts with self awareness. As Maslow
stated, "What is necessary to change
a person is to change their awareness of themselves."
There are four parts to
you ── your mind, your body, your heart, and your soul.
It is easy to be aware of your body and your
bodily functions. You spend all your conscious hours, and even some hours of
sleep, listening to your mind chattering away.
The hardest task, and the most revealing one
despite the monumental effort required, is to be fully aware of your emotions
and your spirit, for these form that inner self at the core of your personal
universe.
By rising to this
challenge, a more meaningful life awaits.
"The essence of principle-centered living is to create an open
channel with that deep inner knowing, and acting with integrity to it. It is
having the character and competence to listen to and live by our
conscience." 
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