SELF-AWARENESS

SHORT DEFINITION FOR SELF-AWARENESS:
Knows their own strengths and weaknesses (and also mentors team members in seeing their strengths and weaknesses)

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS FOR SELF-AWARENESS:

I have used the Soft Skills Checklist to honestly rate myself on the behavioral indicators for each of the soft skills (ask your Store Manager or District Manager for a copy of the checklist!) I am willing to learn more about soft skills, and work with my supervisor to strengthen areas where I have the opportunity to grow I can side-step a confrontation by choosing to use direct positive communication I recognize when my buttons are getting pushed and am learning to shift from reacting to responding Integrity and fairness are in the front of my mind at all time ARTICLE: Self-Awareness: What, Why and How Full article below OR download the PDF! SELF-AWARENESS: What, Why, And How -          By Paula Williams WHAT IS SELF AWARENESS?             Self-awareness is the ability of someone to identify themselves as separate from the environment they are in. More practically, it's the ability to understand yourself physically and mentally. WHY DO WE NEED TO BE SELF AWARE? Self-awareness is the first step in creating what you want and mastering your life. Where you focus your attention, your emotions, reactions, personality and behavior determine where you go in life. Having self-awareness allows you to see where your thoughts and emotions are taking you. It also allows you to take control of your behavior so you can make changes you want. Having a clear perception of your personality allows you to understand other people, how they perceive you, your attitude and your responses to them in the moment. Until you are aware in the moment of your thoughts, emotions, words, and behavior, you will have difficulty making changes in the direction of your life. HOW DO WE BECOME SELF-AWARE?             A huge part of self-awareness is the ability to reflect. In order to be self-aware, you must look at yourself objectively and identify what you're thinking and feeling and why. The following are some helpful exercises that can help you to become more self-aware: GET AWAY FROM PEOPLE, BE STILL, AND DON’T DO ANYTHING In order to develop self-awareness it is imperative that you start with an “empty canvas,” and silent solitude is the best place to start. This is because solitude grounds you in reality, and although it can be scary and lonely at first, spending time alone each day provides you the opportunity to reflect on yourself, what you have done, what you have said, what you feel, and what you would like to do. Solitude realigns us with our deepest needs and yearnings in life, and is thus a perfect conduit of self-awareness. SELF REFLECTION Take time to ask yourself the following questions and record your answers: What are your beliefs and principles? What motivates you? What emotions are you feeling right now? What emotions did you feel over the past day? What caused them? What have you been thinking about? Have you been devoting too much or too little time to that thinking? In what ways have you been reactive or proactive lately? What do you want out of life? What have you done well, and what could you improve on in the last week? KEEP A JOURNAL Writing not only helps us process our thoughts but also makes us feel connected and at peace with ourselves. Writing can also create more headspace as you let your thoughts flow out onto paper. Research shows that writing down the things we are grateful for, or even things we are struggling with, helps increase happiness and satisfaction. Finally, writing your thoughts down gives you an opportunity to explore and reflect on what you truly think and feel, and what you can do to feel better or remedy certain issues. BE A GOOD LISTENER Listening is not the same as hearing. Listening is about being present and paying attention to other people’s emotions, body movement and language. It is about showing empathy and understanding without constantly evaluating or judging. When you become a good listener, you will also be better at listening to your own inner voice and become the best friend of yourself. GAIN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES We all have blind spots in our thinking patterns and behaviors. Asking for regular constructive feedback cuts through any self-deceit or one-dimensional views you might hold. But only ask people you consider mentors — those who understand you; whom you respect; and will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Be ready with an open mind to hear the feedback and trust that it is necessary to help you make positive changes. Some examples of question you can ask a trusted person: What behaviors do you believe are limiting my potential? How do you feel when you are talking to me? What do you think I’m good at? What are some of my weaknesses? If you had to describe me to someone, what would you say? Is there anything you avoid saying to me because you are afraid of how I will react? Now that you know what self-awareness is and why it is so important, you can use these exercises to help you gain self-awareness. The Soft Skills Checklist is one more way to ask yourself questions and become more self-aware.  Click the link for the checklist or find it by visiting softskills-goodwill.blogspot.com Adapted from these Sources: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254669#; https://lonerwolf.com/self-awareness-activities/;  http://study.com/academy/lesson/self-awareness-activities-for-adults.html; https://scottjeffrey.com/self-awareness-activities-exercises/