Strategies for Rapid Growth Through Self-Awareness

I used to check with everyone in my life before I made a decision. This need for outside validation was rooted in self doubt. A self limiting belief that everyone else knew better than me. The problem with that way of thinking is that other people aren’t you! No one knows what is going to be best for you except you. Overcoming this reliance on external validation wasn’t easy, but it was transformative. Here’s what I did: 1. Recognize Your Achievements: I started by making a list of all the decisions I had made on my own that turned out well. This helped me see that I am capable and can trust my judgment. 2. Seek Self-Understanding: I invested time in understanding my values, goals, and preferences. This self-reflection helped me align my decisions with who I truly am, rather than what others expect of me. 3. Embrace Mistakes as Learning Opportunities: I learned to view mistakes not as failures, but as valuable lessons. This shift in perspective helped me to be less afraid of making decisions on my own. 4. Start Small: I began by making small decisions without seeking others’ opinions. Gradually, as my confidence grew, I tackled larger decisions. 5. Mindfulness and Intuition: I practiced mindfulness to stay connected with my inner voice. Trusting your gut is a crucial part of trusting yourself. 6. Limit the Influence of Others: While advice can be valuable, I learned to limit the number of people I consult. Too many opinions can cloud your judgment. 7. Celebrate Your Independence: Each time I made a decision on my own, I celebrated it. This reinforced the positive behavior and made me more comfortable with self-reliance. Remember, trusting yourself is a journey. Each step you take towards believing in your own judgment strengthens your independence and personal growth. The more you trust yourself, the more empowered you will feel to make decisions that are right for you.

Coaching is fundamentally different from a medical approach.    Trustworthy coaches don’t try to fix you.   Instead, they shine a light on what matters most to you, help you to see your strengths more clearly and then leverage them in a way that propels you into action.   The job of a coach is to help you find the power you need to embrace changes that refine how you navigate your professional spaces.    We all have aspects of ourselves that we wish to improve, and while a complete overhaul isn’t realistic, targeted adjustments can significantly enhance how effectively we move through our worlds. The beauty of this process is acknowledging that while some challenges may not disappear overnight, they can certainly evolve into something manageable.   This evolution is marked not by eradicating challenges but by transforming your relationship with them.   Here are concrete steps to apply this philosophy: 1️⃣ Self-Awareness: Begin with self-reflection. Acknowledge your strengths and the areas you wish to develop. This awareness is your foundation. 2️⃣ Set Specific Goals: Identify specific, actionable goals that align with your desired growth. These should be compelling enough to scare you (a little) and then broken down into small, manageable steps that lead to big changes over time. 3️⃣ Seek Feedback and Support: Engage with peers, mentors, or a coach who can provide constructive feedback and support. External perspectives can offer invaluable insights into your progress and areas for further growth. 4️⃣ Celebrate Progress: Recognize and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Each step forward is a testament to your commitment to self-improvement.   The journey of self-improvement is not linear.    Embrace it with patience and self-compassion. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and your potential to navigate and shape your path, leverage your strengths and continue evolving. You will lose momentum; you will face failure. That’s OK – you can fall down but then you must get back up and try again.   Never give up!

"To know yourself, you must sacrifice the illusion that you already do." - Vironika Tugaleva. 7 ways to become more self-aware (backed by science): 1/ Dive Inward: Understand your true self. ↳Reflect on what truly drives you and your core values. ↳Embrace your passions and how they shape your life. ↳If you get sidetracked, it's okay. Just come back to self-reflection. 2/ See Yourself from the Outside. ↳Seek feedback to understand how others perceive you. ↳Openly discuss perceptions to bridge gaps between self and external views. ↳Resist the urge to defend or explain; listen and absorb. 3/ Clear the Noise: Focus on self-discovery. ↳Make time to think about yourself without any interruptions. ↳Find a peaceful spot where you can be alone with your thoughts. ↳Don't let your usual ideas get in the way. Stay open to what you find out about yourself. 4/ Embrace Discomfort: Growth lies outside your comfort zone. ↳It might feel weird or hard to question how you see yourself, but it's important. ↳Think about why you feel uneasy. It can teach you a lot. ↳Be patient with yourself. Understanding takes time. 5/ Balance Internal and External Views: Harmonizing self-perception. ↳Balance what you know about yourself with what others tell you to get the full picture. ↳Value both introspection and external feedback equally. ↳If things don't match up, it's a chance to learn more about yourself. 6/ Cultivate Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself. ↳Recognize that self-discovery can be challenging and treat yourself with kindness. ↳Celebrate your progress, no matter how small. ↳Being kind to yourself helps you grow and feel better about who you are. 7/ Embrace Change: Self-awareness is a journey. ↳Accept that self-awareness is not a destination but a journey. ↳Be open to changing how you see yourself as you learn and experience new things. ↳Change is all about getting better and knowing yourself more. These insights are inspired by Tasha Eurich's 'Insight' and brought to you by Omar's Desk. PS: Remember, self-awareness is finding your truth, not fitting into others. 🔁 Useful? I would appreciate a repost! Image Credit: Henk Wijnands.

Most think of Personal Growth as something that can be felt but not measured. The truth is there is a key quantifiable measure of growth and we control it. Cycle Time (borrowed from Lean Manufacturing) is an indicator of growth that measures the speed of your 5-step adjustment cycle from Awareness of an old habit/thought pattern to re-Alignment with your desired approach. The more CT increases, the closer you get to real-time Aligned Action such that when a misstep occurs you are able to catch it and adjust in the moment. For example, if it used to take you a week after an outburst with your [Parent/Sibling] to own your sh*t and instead you call the next day, that acceleration in your response is a measure of growth. Heck, that’s an 86% increase in cycle time! Celebrate it! An adjustment cycle moves from Action > Awareness > Acceptance > Integration (async) > Aligned Action. Awareness and Acceptance are the key real-time levers. ❇ Action. If your initial action is intentional, it’s in alignment with self, priorities and values. Cycle complete. Next! 👀 Awareness. The moment you notice a misalignment with the way you want to show up: a boundary being crossed, a fear-based response, an offensive defense, a fixed mindset, a thousand other things. Notice. Check! Awareness is the biggest accelerator of CT (and growth in general!), it’s the easiest way to move the needle (all you have to do is Notice),it’s super-responsive to practice, and it has ripple affects across every facet of your life. Talk about a gateway practice! 💨 Acceptance. You’ve noticed that you haven’t shown up as your idea of your best self. You get to decide how soon you release the regret / frustration / shame / other crappy feeling of that moment. I recommend ASAP. It’s done. The sooner you internalize the “fact of” the misalignment as an objective reality outside of your control, the sooner you can lean into learning from it. Can you hear the rev of the CT engine? 🏎 Grow baby grow! 🔍 Integration. Acceptance is one piece of integration, learning is the other. That learning can happen after you adjust course with the next Aligned Action. So this variable impacts overall Cycle Time, but not necessarily real-time realignment. The key is reflection, and internalization, whether in the moment or after the fact. ⚡ Aligned Action. You already know what to do. That Awareness you exercised is you noticing the gap between how you showed up and who you want to be. So even if you haven’t done the deep dive that Integration requires, you’ve got this. Make the adjustment and take your next step as that You you want to be. 💪 Let’s grow! (Insert my kids’ eye rolls here)

Leadership isn’t about being perfect. It's about being aware enough to recognize your imperfections and work on them. This awareness is crucial. It directly impacts how a leader interacts with their team and how the team functions as a whole. A self-aware leader must acknowledge their areas of growth. By doing so, they create a more supportive, stable, and inclusive environment. This fosters open communication, trust, and a sense of belonging, which are essential for a high-performing team. A leader’s self-awareness is the foundation upon which strong, resilient teams are built. Improving self-awareness doesn't have to be a daunting task. -----A Few Ideas That Continue to Work for Me----- Self-Reflection Journaling 📓✍️ Why It Helps: Journaling can help you process your emotions and identify patterns in your behavior. It's a powerful tool to gain insight into how you react to different situations and why. Ask for Feedback 🗣️🔄 Why It Helps: Constructive feedback provides an external perspective on your actions and decisions. It can highlight blind spots and areas for improvement that you might not see yourself. Set Personal Goals 🎯📝 Why It Helps: Setting goals gives you a clear direction and purpose. It also provides a benchmark for tracking your progress and celebrating your achievements. Regularly Review Your Values and Beliefs 🌟📜 Why It Helps: Understanding your values and beliefs helps you align your actions with your principles. It also clarifies your motivations and can reduce internal conflicts. Learn from Experiences 📚🌍 Why It Helps: Reflecting on experiences helps you gain deeper insights into your behavior and decision-making processes. It also provides lessons that can guide future actions. -----Improving self-awareness is a continuous process----- It's about making small, consistent efforts to understand yourself better and align your actions with your values. ♻ Repost this if you agree the goal isn't to be perfect but to be aware of your imperfections.

The power of self-reflection is a transformative force that allows us to delve deep into our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, fostering personal growth and development. Furthermore, self-reflection fosters empathy and understanding towards other’s perspectives and experiences.   Some tips that have helped me on this journey:   Set Aside Time: Carving out dedicated time for self-reflection – Whether it's a few minutes each day or a longer period once a week, I try and commit to this practice regularly.   Create a Quiet Space: For me it’s in my backyard, but this could be a peaceful corner of your home, a park, or anywhere else that allows you to focus without interruption.   Ask Yourself Questions: I believe in using open-ended questions to guide my reflection process. Questions such as "What are my strengths and opportunity areas?" "What did I learn from recent experiences?" "What are my long-term goals?" These questions can help stimulate deeper introspection; I also make sure I revisit them on a regular basis.   Writing down thoughts and feelings: This can be a powerful tool for self-reflection which I personally found most difficult to follow, but I keep trying to get better at it, most recently I have started writing for 15 – 30 mins daily using journal on my phone/iPad. Initially I feel my writings didn’t make much sense, but I am getting better at it 😊   Practice Mindfulness: Deep breathing with my eyes closed help me focus on the present moment and observe my thoughts and emotions without judgment. Mindfulness can help develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and our experiences.   Seek Feedback: I strongly believe “Feedback is a Gift”, that being said I filter some of it to keep focus on what aligns to my purpose and goal (not forgetting the other feedback but just stacking them in order of what aligns more with my person purpose and goal). Being open to constructive criticism and using it as an opportunity for growth has helped me immensely and continues to do so.   Set Clear Goals: Using self-reflection to set meaningful goals for myself, considering what I want to achieve in various aspects of life and outline actionable steps to work towards those goals. This helps me break my larger goals into actionable items.     Celebrate Progress: Most of us enjoy being recognized and rewarded. Coming up with self-incentive plans and pausing to celebrate achievements keeps me moving ahead. My family constantly help me come up with creative ways to celebrate success and enjoy every small achievement with me, also keeping me honest on what I can do better to continue growing and evolving.   Remember, self-reflection is a journey, and it takes time and dedication to develop self-awareness and insight. Be patient with yourself and approach the process with kindness and compassion.

"The degree to which a person can grow is directly proportional to the amount of truth they can accept about themself without running away." At the core of personal development is the ability to look inward and recognize our own shortcomings and areas for improvement. This introspection requires a level of honesty that many find a little uncomfortable. It's easier to blame external circumstances or others for our problems than to acknowledge our own role in them. However, growth begins with taking responsibility for our actions, decisions, and their outcomes. The truth about our limitations One of the hardest truths to accept is that we have limitations. These can be in the form of time, resources, skills, or emotional capacity. Recognizing these limitations doesn't mean resigning ourselves to them; rather, it's about understanding our current starting point. It's from this foundation of truth that we can start to push our boundaries and expand our capabilities. Learning from failure Failure is often seen as a negative outcome, something to be avoided at all costs. However, a truthful assessment of our failures can be one of the most powerful tools for growth. Each failure provides insights into what doesn't work, guiding us towards more effective strategies and approaches. The ability to accept and learn from failure without running away or making excuses is a hallmark of resilience and growth mindset. The power of feedback Feedback from others can be a valuable source of truth about ourselves that we might be blind to. While it can be difficult to hear criticism or suggestions for improvement, embracing this feedback is crucial for personal and professional development. It's important to seek out and listen to honest feedback, even if it challenges our self-perception or comfort. Actionable steps for embracing truth - Practice self-reflection: Regularly take time to reflect on your actions, decisions, and their outcomes. Be honest with yourself about what you could have done better. - Seek feedback: Actively ask for feedback from peers, mentors, and supervisors. Approach this feedback with an open mind and a willingness to learn. - Set growth-oriented goals: Create goals that challenge your current limitations and push you to grow. Use the truths you've discovered about yourself to inform these goals. - Embrace vulnerability: Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Acknowledging your fears and insecurities can be a powerful step towards overcoming them. - Learn from failure: View each failure as a learning opportunity. Analyze what went wrong and how you can improve in the future. Conclusion The journey of growth is an ongoing process of confronting and embracing the truth about ourselves. By accepting the full truth of who we are, we unlock our potential to evolve beyond our current state. #motivation #productivity #selfgrowth

Cultivating Self-Awareness: A Leadership Essential Having worked in leadership development for nearly 40 years, I firmly believe that self-awareness is the cornerstone of effective leadership. Yet according to Gitnux, “Self-awareness is an important skill to have to be successful and happy. Unfortunately, statistics show that only 10-15% of people are truly self-aware, while 85% believe they are more aware than they actually are. Additionally, roughly 50-70% of people have a significant blind spot which can negatively impact their relationships and leadership skills.” Korn Ferry says nearly 80% of leaders have blind spot. That’s not particularly surprising since most of us have blind spots, regardless of our roles. But a blind spot in a leader has a greater ripple affect, often impacting the people they lead. The Importance of Self-Awareness: Self-awareness is the ability to introspect and recognize our own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It empowers leaders to identify their strengths, weaknesses, values, and blind spots. By being conscious of our own impact on others, we can build strong relationships, foster a positive work environment, and make mindful choices that align with our vision and goals. Developing Self-Awareness: Here are some of the most important tools for developing self-awareness. Reflection and Meditation: Carve out dedicated time for introspection and self-reflection. Engage in mindfulness practices or meditation to quiet the mind and gain deeper insights into your thoughts, emotions, and motivations. Feedback: Actively seek feedback from trusted colleagues, mentors, and team members. Encourage honest and constructive feedback to gain a comprehensive view of how your actions impact others. Journaling: Maintain a journal to capture your thoughts, experiences, and lessons learned. This practice can help you identify patterns, recognize triggers, and track your personal growth as a leader. Assessments and Tools: Utilize various self-assessment tools, such as personality assessments or 360-degree feedback, to gain objective insights into your strengths, weaknesses, and leadership style. Continuous Learning: Engage in professional development activities, attend workshops, or pursue executive coaching. These avenues can provide fresh perspectives, challenge your assumptions, and enhance your self-awareness journey. Consclusion: Self-awareness is an invaluable trait that enables leaders to make informed decisions, build strong relationships, and inspire their teams. Through introspection, seeking feedback, journaling, and continuous learning, leaders can cultivate self-awareness and create a positive impact on themselves, their teams, and their organizations. Assess your own self-awareness regularly. #selfawareness #leadershipskills #leadershipspeaker #marksanborn