Self-awareness is a key to personal growth. But what is self-awareness exactly? Being aware of your inner state, i. e. your feelings (and preferences, intuitions, …). If we figure out how we react to certain events, we can work to improve these reactions.
People who lack self-awareness will run into the same problems again and again, because they don’t understand how they end up in these situations. You need to examine yourself and your motivations honestly (that bit might hurt quite a bit), if you want to find the root your problems.
Are you a budding Product Owner? Check out our compilation "Skills for Successful Product Owners"
Content of 1-Pager:
Self-Awareness Onion
Self-Awareness is a key to personal growth. Being aware of your emotions and why you feel them allows you to better deal with circumstances you can’t change, to anticipate your feelings and reactions to upcoming situations and to understand other people’s feelings better, too.
First Layer
Being aware of your own basic feelings. “I’m happy”, “I’m sad” etc.
Not everybody is in touch with their emotions.
Second Layer
Being able to wonder why you feel a certain way. “Why am I angry?”
Answering these questions properly can take a long time. It’s worth it because it gives you a chance to find and fix root causes.
Third Layer
The why of the why: your core values. “Why do I consider some-
thing a success / failure?”
This layer requires frequent soul searching and often yields uncomfortable answers. Peeling to this layer allows you to consciously examine your values and see if they are helpful.
Sources:
- “The Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson
- https://www.trackinghappiness.com/why-self-awareness-important/