Self-Improvement | Self Awareness | The Self Improvement Blog

Developing Self Awareness

April 29, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

Self awareness is necessary to affect change. After all, how can you fix something if you aren’t even aware of what is wrong? Becoming self aware is a large part of any journey towards self-esteem and happiness.

Once the basic physical needs of food, shelter, and comfort are met, we move on in our search for happiness. Unfortunately, many of us are often let down by those around us, by circumstances that arise, and by our own limitations. The practice of being self aware can help us center ourselves and stop focusing on those trivial things that cause us to become discouraged.

Most people have been ‘conditioned’ for focus on the world around them instead of what lies within. Over the years, each of us collects assumptions, beliefs, and expectations about what will make us happy, and these push us to make certain choices. When we are influenced by false beliefs, we end up disappointed, disillusioned and frustrated, among other things.

Also as we change, our tastes, needs, wants and expectations change. A college student has a different world view than a senior; they may not expect the same service, treatment or advantages. In other cases, a good relationship turns sour – but the person being neglected or abused keeps holding on to what once was. They have been conditioned to accept, to gloss over or to deny.

You can change your worldview, however; recondition yourself to look at things differently and be more aware of your thoughts and feelings. You can even come to grips with false beliefs, and adapt to new information you know to be true, allowing yourself to change and become a more whole person.

Express love, acceptance, and respect instead of judgment, fear, jealousy, and anger. The negativity breeds emotional chaos, but positive emotions brings happiness and joy. You have to take the wheel; determine how you think, which words come out of your mouth, and what emotions you create. Your core beliefs can be altered to improve the emotional quality of your life!

This power to change your life belongs to you and you alone. If you let others try to manipulate you, change or ‘save’ you, the process is doomed to failure. Take responsibility for your own joy, and seize every opportunity to live in happiness instead of anger, and in joy instead of fear.

When reject and refute the false beliefs in your mind, you will break free of the shackles of emotional reactions. You will learn to control the moment when you begin to react, and choose not be a victim to runaway emotions. Instead, you can throw the switch and divert the train onto a track towards calmness and serenity.

Developing personal will power will help you keep your commitments with yourself and others. With self awareness you will be able to make choices that reflect that will power, and keep yourself from being driven by emotion alone. This can affect the way you communicate in your relationships, where false beliefs, emotional reactions and lack of will power cause the most emotional pain.

When you learn to master yourself, you are taking action on what you have learned through becoming self aware. You can seamlessly blend your natural reaction with the right emotions, for an appropriate display that guides you down the right track instead of leaving you derailed. Self awareness is one of the biggest things you can do for yourself, so take that first step and turn your focus inward. Ask yourself what happened the last time you had a sudden, intense emotional reaction, and start being self aware today!

Zoltan Roth is a native Hungarian teacher who resides in the United States. His passion is to help people around the globe to discover their enormous mental potential to create a happy, peaceful life we all deserve. For more information please visit his website at http://www.selfesteem2go.com.

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Filed Under: Self Esteem Tagged With: becoming self aware, developing self awareness, false beliefs, self aware, self awareness

Self Awareness in Fitness – Knowing Your Body’s Limits

April 7, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

Nick Jarosh -

Self-awareness is key when looking at any fitness program or fitness lifestyle. As you work toward your fitness goals, many times tunnel vision can set in. You can be so set on the plan and frame work, that you will ignore what your body could be telling you. Even though, it is highly important to have a plan, sometimes creating self-awareness and listening to your body is key to consistency throughout the program.

Let us look at an example:

You have committed to 30, 60, or 90 day challenge. Many programs like Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred, P90X, or a customized plan are structured at a set number of days. A good program will do that. However, many times there is a set schedule you must follow. While these schedules are great, they can be misleading at times.

Most of these programs are designed with everything in mind. Hard days mixed with easy recovery days. Many people follow these to the letter. However, some days you MUST LISTEN to your body.

Your body is an amazing tool. Its design is so complex we still haven’t uncovered all of its potential. Since it is so complex it often uses systems to tell you what is going on. It is your job to be in tune with these systems.

If today is a scheduled intense plyometric day but your body tells you, I am too run down, you listen! Use this as a yoga or light jogging day. Do the plyometrics tomorrow. Your body is telling you this for a reason.

When we listen to our body’s we are becoming aware of not just what the body needs, but what our life needs. Many times if the body is over worked, it is because of outside stressors. These stressors play a negative roll on the body’s ability to ward off infections, diseases, and other negative reactions. When we play an active role in the prevention of these harmful effects, we are talking an active role in our self-awareness.

Physical activity allows the mind and body to work as one. This self-awareness allows you to see potential problems before they are out of control. Listening to your body prevents injury and further damage to its structure. Know your limits and know when to push yourself.

Creating Self Awareness in your body can be the difference between completing the program or injuring and starting all over again.

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Filed Under: Health, Physical Health Tagged With: fitness habitudes, fitness knowing, P90X, self awareness

Self Awareness and Esteem

March 15, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

By Elena Pezzini -

The way people see and define themselves depends on the personal-social identity continuum at a specific time in their lives (Baron, Byrne, & Branscombe, 2005). For instance, they may see themselves differently after a big victory, at a certain age, after a win, after losing a loved one, or after receiving a big bonus. People think of themselves in terms of differences between themselves and others, which is in terms of intragroup comparison. People could also think of themselves as similar to other group members, or based on intergroup comparison. People who have a lowly complex self have a higher overlap in different parts of the self and vice versa.

Self-definition depends on a specific time and on a specific setting or environment. Self-identity can also depend on how others expect one to be and how one thinks others will treat him or her. Individuals can pick definitions that reflect either poorly or positively on themselves. Different selves (such as the immediate pleasure self versus the more responsible self) can encourage individuals to attain different, and sometimes opposite, goals. A person with body piercing and/or tattoos is often claiming that he or she is not part of the “mainstream”. Mentally retarded people may have only subjective self- awareness, and not objective, but not recognizing themselves in a mirror. Most people have symbolic self-awareness and can describe themselves. Symbolic self-awareness is correlated to the awareness that humans are mortal or to existential terror. Terror management theory suggests ways in which people cope with death, such as religions, faith and spirituality.

Self-esteem is made of the attitudes towards the self. It is easy to assess how people feel about themselves. It is as easy as asking them questions about what they think of themselves and as watching their behaviors in action. Most people follow the above average effect or self serving biases in which they see themselves more positively than they see others. Self-efficacy means believing a goal can be achieved with one’s own actions. Group self-efficacy is also called collective self-efficacy. According to the self-evaluation maintenance model, in order to protect self-esteem, people tend to be around others who perform worse. Some women hang out with some perceived less beautiful women, in order to feel better about themselves. This behavior shows a lack of self-esteem and self-confidence. According to the social identity theory, people spend time with similar people and with people who perform well, in order to preserve a positive social identity. People with high self esteem and people who strive to become better and better like to be around like minded people and around people who are doing better than them, so they can learn from their knowledge, example, inspiration and mentorship.

People do not like a victim, a complainer, or a person who does not take responsibility for his or her own failures and blame the world, even if others think the failures were really out of his or her control. Those victim thinking people are perceived as negative. High self-esteem is correlated with interpersonal aggression, to defend one’s own superior self-view. Women, on average, have lower self-esteem than men. This may be due to the media and the pressure on women to look perfect. This average is for sure due to the fact that the labor force is for the majority male based and due to the fact that the work environment sometimes practices gender based devaluation towards women. Due to the self-reference effect, people choose and prefer objects that remind them of themselves, such as clothes, homes, and cars.

Social comparison allows people to know themselves. Upward social comparison can cause pain and downward can be reassuring. The opposite occurs when people compare themselves with the group. An in-group member’s performance reflects on the overall group’s view. People tend to derogate disloyal in-group members to protect the group. Some people, in order to be liked, use ingratiation, which could also depend on the culture. Some cultures such as Asian culture or European cultures may find ingratiation as the norm, whereas American culture may interpret ingratiation as bribing or corruption. Self-monitoring allows the adaptation to different situational norms.

Prejudice against devalued group members can protect self-esteem, in an unhealthy way. A person who is discriminated against can become ill, causing anxiety, fear, distractions and the depletion of cognition. Stereotypes threat effects have occurred in devalued groups, throughout history. The performance of dominant groups can decrease as well, for the fear of a negative comparison with the devalued and stereotyped group. To cope with stereotypes, people distance themselves from the performance domain, such as statistics, or, much more emotionally costly, from their whole group, such as American women. Most self-help gurus recommend introspection to for self-knowledge, but that recommendation can be misleading. Comparison to society can also be necessary, depending on the culture and on the context. People usually do not live under a cave by themselves but live in a social setting.

To maximize the well-being, it is recommended to find a role model, whose achievements are attainable, so the upward comparison is inspiring. For instance, aspiring to be Oprah from being a low income individual, may be unattainable at first, but aspiring to be well off like a governor, is a more attainable goal. Another recommendation is to like those people one wants to become, such as singers. One likes the people who like and value him or her. It is best to avoid prejudice and discrimination. It is also best to avoid blaming others, especially public figures, in order not to have social repercussions. To avoid stereotypes threat, if forming groups, it is advisable to create equally diverse groups. Last, it is encouraged to practice thinking positively about oneself, which is likely to increase self-esteem.

Sociologist Morris Rosenberg created the most valid and reliable self-esteem assessment scale or questionnaire, at least in the United States. If the answers demonstrate solid self-regard (as in the accurate case of Elena Pezzini), sociology predicts that the test taker is well adjusted, clean and sober, lucid, lawful citizen and with some education with honors. If the answers reveal some inner shame, then the survey taker is, or has been, a teenage parent, who is prone to social deviance and if he or she does not have a substance addiction, it is thanks to the strict laws.

Institutions and people need to understand that high self-esteem is vital to well-being and its opposite causes crime, substance abuse, prostitution, murder, rape and terrorism. In 1990, David Long found that hijackers and suicide bombers suffer from feelings of worthlessness and that their criminal and aggressive acts are nothing but a desperate trial to bring some “inner flair to a flat mindscape” (Slater, 2002). High self esteem individuals: are on the whole satisfied with themselves, think they are good, feel that they have a number of good qualities, can do things as well as most other people, are proud, feel useful, feel worthy, at least the equal of others, have self-respect, feel successful and take a positive attitude toward themselves.

References

Baron, R. A., Byrne, D. R., & Branscombe, N. R. (2005) Social Psychology. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Slater, L. (2002) The Trouble With Self-Esteem. New York Times

–
Thank you.

Elena Pezzini, M.S., C.P.C.
You Have Got The Power, Inc.
Turnaround Coaching Psychology & Hypnosis
Office (702) 518-6649 Fax (251) 217-0082
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TGIM! (Thank God it’s Monday)

March 14, 2011 By ireneconlan 1 Comment

By Irene Conlan -

So what kind of Monday do you plan to have today?

Many people hate Monday because they had a bit too much weekend and don’t feel so good on Monday morning. Others dislike Monday because they have to get up and go to a job they don’t like or, worse, hate. Some dislike Monday because they don’t like anything.

But there are people around us who love Monday. Yep! They like going to work, or taking the kids to school or doing whatever Monday morning means they do. They like getting up on the other days of the week, too. They like Monday because they pretty much like everything.

Most of us fall somewhere in between.

What makes the difference? Attitude and attitude is a choice. Attitude is a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways. What you believe - about work, about recreation, about responsibility, about life, about yourself – all goes in the pie called attitude. What you value also gets baked in that pie so if you value work you will have a different outlook on it than if work is just something you have to do so you have money to spend on something you want.

The problem is that many people don’t really know what they believe and haven’t thought through their values. Their feelings are uncontrolled and all over the place and they tend to be re-active rather than pro-active.They don’t really know what they want and if you don’t know what you want, how do you know when you have it? Yikes!

It’s hard to make a solid decision on your attitude and how you want to face your day whether it’s Monday or another day if you have no foundation to base a decision on. If you have no data base it’s hard to get the data.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, it’s never too late to think these things through and there’s no better time to start on a journey of self discovery than today. Grab a notepad and a pencil or open a new .doc in your computer and write down the following headings. Later, begin to fill them in with answers that come from both you head and your heart.

1. What do I believe about:

work
money
family
recreation
God
politics
health
life
all those areas important to you

2. What do I value the most?

3. What do I really want in life?

You may be working on answers to those questions for a very long time to come and that’s o.k. As you become more self aware the answers may shift and that’s o.k., too. As you begin working to answer these questions, more questions will come to mind. Put them on your list and come back to them later. Make working on these questions a daily challenge and now and then take a glance at your attitude and make note of any shifts there, too. You may get the insight and the courage to make those changes in your life you need to make so that one of these days you can say with enthusiasm TGIM. Thank God it’s Monday!

Filed Under: Self Improvement Tagged With: attitude, monday, self awareness, work

March 9, 2011 – Self Awareness

March 9, 2011 By Admin 1 Comment

Whereas the average individuals “often have not the slightest idea of what they are, of what they want, of what their own opinions are,” self-actualizing individuals have “superior awareness of their own impulses, desires, opinions, and subjective reactions in general.

~ Abraham Maslow

Filed Under: Daily Quotes Tagged With: daily quote, self awareness

The Road to Self Awareness – Discover What’s Really Involved In Being Self-Aware

February 20, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

By Devon K -

Self Awareness is the ability to know oneself in such a way as to remove all doubt about who and what they are. What this means in simple terms is that if you know yourself, all the good and bad, all the strengths and weakness’, then you are self-aware. However, very few things in life are that simple. There is a journey that must happen on the way to becoming Self Aware and that is what we are going to talk about here.

Before we begin we have to lay down some foundations. The first thing we are going to do is help you to separate “True Responsibility” from “The Yoke of Responsibility”.

True Responsibility: This is what truly must be done in order to take care of you, and thus be able to grow and evolve. Here are things like eating, resting, etc. In short they are all the Needs that you have in order to live a true wonderful life. These needs to not stop at the basics, they also include the more complex needs, needs like companionship, joy, etc.

The Yoke of Responsibility: The Yoke is basically anything we convince ourselves we must do even though we don’t want to. This is working at a job you don’t want to because you have to pay the rent for example. This is a flawed idea because there are countless jobs out there, and not all of them are the same. The yoke can also be small things like having to clean your room because Mom said so. This too is a yoke. And the Yoke only drains energy, it can never increase it and it is energy that we need in order to become Self Aware.

There of course is nothing in this world cut and dry like the above explanation, and so we need to explain one step further. True responsibility is basically living your life for you, where the Yoke is living life for other people. Now many people starting on the journey feel that living life for themselves is Selfish, and the reason for that is because we have a flawed idea of that word.

“Selfishness” is when someone gets mad because you do not include them in whatever you’re doing and they feel left out, so it is you who are being Selfish. The reality of course is that they are the Selfish one.

This is important because is puts it puts Selfishness where it belongs. True selfishness is when you do something that hurts others intentionally so that you can have it for yourself. For Example if you take something from a store because they have so much anyway, that is true Selfishness.

To truly live life we must do everything for ourselves. This is not to say that we can not help and do things for others, it simply means that the reason behind doing it must be one that we benefit from. In other words…

IT IS NOT WHAT YOU DO THAT MATTERS, IT IS “WHY” YOU DO IT!

In every situation there is a Why, and as long as it is to your benefit they you will be doing it for the right reason. For Example if you help someone move because they made you feel guilty you lose. However if you were bored and it gave you something to do then you win. The reality is that when you do things “for” others it can very easily become something you do “to” others and that makes life harder.

The reality is that we all have a natural reserve of energy, the energy to cope with things. When that energy gets low we can not cope with as many things. How many people know parents who snap at their children for looking at them the wrong way, who freak out because their children spilled milk on the table? I am sure many have seen parents in a mall snap and lash out at their children. The reason for this is simple, their natural energy levels are so low that they simply can not deal with anything. The reason the levels got low was that they were so busy doing everything “for” their kids, and in their mind were getting nothing back.

How many people have heard the term “And this is how you re-pay me?” The reason for this is that they have set up a scale, on one side they see all they thing they did “for” others, and on the other side all they got back. The problem is that the scale is miss-labeled. When you do things “for” others who have not asked for help or need help, the reality is you did them “to” them and what that means is that you did it “for” you and they really had nothing to do with it. That thus means that you took something away from them, to help yourself. Remember the real definition of Selfish is when you hurt someone to do for yourself. That is what has happened here, someone was so selfish that they Rammed their help down someone else’s throat in order to get something else back. That something most likely respect, adoration, or some other emotional response.

So what happens on the scale is that all the things labeled “done for others” actually reads “taken from others” and all the stuff labeled “gotten in return” is truly “given of myself”. And as this is all going on the energy to cope lowers and lowers and lowers. This is because they are so busy looking at how little they have gotten in return for all the “wonderful” things they have done, and as a result since they truly did nothing it destroys the energy inside to compensate.

If you do everything for yourself, with the best of intentions, and do the work to the best of your ability, then you will never deplete your own internal energy. When we are honest and true we are open, when we are open energy can flow freely and thus replace all that we have removed. This is not to say that everything will always work out for the best, it simply means that you are doing it for the right reason and thus never sell your soul. And the more open and honest we are, the more energy will flow. And after all that is what this is all about, teaching you how to use energy to improve your own life and to help heal all those around you. This foundation is the single most important one taught. It is from here that everything else expands.

However you also need to understand that to be able to be open and honest means you have to be open and honest with yourself. That will take time and dedication. It is very easy to say we are good people, caring and honest. However if you curse and swear at other drivers who cut you off, if you lie to avoid getting in trouble, and turn your back on those down on their luck, then you can not actually be a good, caring, honest person. You contradicted all of those and lied to yourself in doing so.

That means you have to go inside, face all your fears and all of your ego driven beliefs. And when that happens you will never be able to call yourself a good, caring, honest, compassionate, etc, person and have it mean anything. Well till you actually become them and do them for real that is. It is important to note that almost all things you see as negative inside of you are not actually negative in and of themselves. They are positive things being used in a negative way.

For example I myself and “Self Righteous” and “Arrogant”, if I were to use them in a negative way I would take this information and ram it down your throat, use it to make you live life and conform to a new way of thinking. However I know I am these things, and I use them with pride. What I do is offer you the opportunity to learn, present things in a way that gives you the choice what to do with and help to guide you to the right path for YOU. Yet I am still using my “Self Righteousness” and “Arrogance” to do all of that, except now I have a positive way to do it.

That is the real goal of Self Discovery, then things inside of you will always be there, the trick is to know them, accept them and find positive ways to use them. If we do that everything is put into proper perspective, we will do things for the right reasons and out natural energy to cope will increase and grow stronger. And when that happens life begins to become a wondrous thing and not a burden. However it does take time and effort, and that is the Road to Self Discovery we are now going to talk about.

On the road there are two basic paths, the path of reality and the path of illusion. As the names state one is real the other fake. However you need to know them both.

Illusionary Road to Self Discovery:

[Garden of Eden]–>[Hell on Earth]–>[Barely Tolerable]–>[Moderately Tolerable]–>[Life is Good]–>[True Heaven on Earth.]

Garden of Eden: Here “Ignorance is Bliss”. What this means is that it is very easy to blame everyone else for everything that happens. People here are “sheep”; they follow but never lead. They do not want responsibility because that means they must be responsible and that is not acceptable. Those here coast through life and just let it happen.
Hell of Earth: This is the hardest section to live through for it truly seems like “Hell on Earth”. The reason for this is that it is very easy to feel like everything is now your fault. From never taking any responsibility to taking only a small amount seems like way too much, and as such can become overwhelmed by the tiny responsibility that now must accept.
Barely Tolerable: This is only slightly better than Hell. Responsibility seems slightly more tolerable, and indeed many become more willing to step up to the plate and take responsibility, at least as long as they don’t feel they will get into trouble if they do.
Moderately Tolerable: This is where life starts to feel better and responsibility slowly starts to take on a more reasonable role. In other words, responsibility is now in part a good thing, it is no longer a complete burden. Here people will step up to the plate, especially if there is recognition or praise involved. That included even if they get into trouble. “honesty is the best policy” starts to have meaning at this level.
Life is Good: This is a great place to be. Those here understand the truth about responsibility and indeed happily take it in stride and do not “pass the buck” Many people here seem to have a good grasp of reality and indeed seem to have a good idea of who and what they are.
True Heaven on Earth: This is where people truly excel. They understand themselves a great deal, responsibility is understandable and used in the right way. Those around these people really think they have their act together and should go far in the world.

However remember this is the illusion of the journey. Responsibility is a very important part of being Self Aware, however it is by no means the most important. The downside with this illusion is that it is easy to leave the most important elements of Self Awareness behind. As you can see from the above explanation of responsibility that there is a shift from the Yoke of Responsibility to True Responsibility. However not much else is added to the illusion, and that is because the things missing are very hard to deal with and accept. In other words you will still need to get to know yourself, deal with all the good and bad, and put it into proper perspective.

True Road to Self Awareness:

[Garden of Eden]–>[Somewhat Tolerable]–>[Moderately Tolerable]–>[Life is Good]–>[Life is Wonderful]–>[True Heaven on Earth.]

Garden of Eden: Here “Ignorance is Bliss”, the same as in the Illusion. Excepting that here deep down you know that this is truly “Hell on Earth”
Somewhat Tolerable: At this stage life is not Hell, but neither is it wonderful. This is still one of the hardest areas to live through, however that is because you only have a small amount of the tools and knowledge needed to grow and evolve. Here most people begin to deal with the surface baggage, realize they are not as good as they think they are, yet still get caught up in their own BS. Responsibility is still a burden, however there are some benefits to it and thus it is used from time to time.
Moderately Tolerable: At this stage realize that are still full of BS, however are willing to move beyond it; at least in the areas that are not too painful. Most people at this stage have developed a good number of tools to deal with life and from time to time jump into life head first. However most at this stage are still not willing to risk everything, it is easy to feel open and exposed and as such they try to protect themselves more than is really needed.
Life is Good: Here is where things shift for the better. The tools for living life are well developed. The idea that “others can hurt you” begin to fade, the realization that only what you “let” others do to you can really affect you. Responsibility is an old friend at this point and are willing and able to put things into their proper perspective. The only thing missing here is that still have some very deeply rooted ideas and patterns that once in awhile rear up and get in the way. However this is okay because they are being worked on slowly.
Life is Wonderful: At this stage of development “Life is indeed Wonderful” the reason being that have finally grasped the true meaning of life, and that is “Life is what you make of it”. You have the resources to deal with almost anything that comes your way, and indeed not much can bring you down. The resources for living are massive and the tools that you possess are well above average.
True Heaven on Earth: There is little difference between Wonderful and Heaven, save that in Heaven there is nothing that can affect you, not even the death of loved ones. Life is what is was meant to be and everything is seen for what it truly is. Here life is beyond measure.

You must also know, now that you have this basic outline, that it is completely possible for each separate area of growth and development to be on a different path, and indeed on different areas of the path. That is all a part of becoming Self Aware. You will have to face all your fears, put them into their proper place. Will have to confront all the “bad” things inside of yourself and embrace them, for they will be used no matter what, the difference is if they are used to better yourself and others, or to harm them.

The Road to Self Awareness is not easy, and indeed will be the single hardest thing that will ever have to do in life, however the rewards are so far beyond measure that there are no words in the universe that can truly give justice to how you will feel when truly reach Heaven on Earth. And remember the further you are on the road the better it gets, and indeed the better healer and person you will be. Life is truly what you make of it, so why not make it a wonderful thing?

Devon K has been helping people learn more about themselves and how to live a better life for over fifteen years. In that time his works have been featured in magazines, blogs, and is scattered all over the Internet. If you found this article entertaining or educational in some way, why not head over to Devon’s website www.freefromissues.com.

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Filed Under: Self Esteem Tagged With: life, living life, self aware, self awareness, self discovery, true responsibility

Self-Awareness: The Key to Positive Change

February 8, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

By Alan Paterson -

Just how much self-awareness do you actually have? Everyone these days has something that they want to change about themselves or in their life in general, but very few of these people stop to think about how changing these things will change them as a whole. Something’s may need to be changed if they have a negative impact on you, and the people around you, but just what do you actually know about yourself?

In this article we’re going to put forward ten questions that should help to improve your self-awareness, assuming you answer them honestly, and give you a greater insight into whether the thing you want to change about yourself are things you really do want to change about yourself.

1. What is it that I really want?

Have you actually taken the time to consider what it is you want to do with your life? So often we end up doing things that other people think we should be doing, or get stuck in a rut because we ‘fell into’ something and just can’t see ourselves doing anything else.

If you have the self-awareness to know what it is you really want to do, you’re on the path to achieving it. If you don’t have a path you just wander aimlessly.

2. Do I really need to change?

If you want a different outcome from what you’re doing now, then something has to change. This could be changing yourself to change your circumstances, or, changing your circumstances to change yourself.

If we don’t do something to at least keep up with the times then we get left behind. So the answer is ‘yes’, you probably will have to change to achieve the things you want to do.

3. Will there be a light at the end of the tunnel?

If you know what it is that you want to achieve you can make a plan. If you can make a plan then you can set a specific deadline to reach your goal, and if you have a reachable goal then you have something that you can focus on.

It’s only when you have something that you can truly focus on, and know that you can achieve, that you can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. So yes, the will be a light at the end of the tunnel for you.

4. Am I going to be comfortable making these changes?

Not all changes are going to be changes that we’re comfortable with. Self-awareness helps you to discover what you’re comfortable with. If you’re about to do something that’s completely new then you’re probably going to feel a little uneasy about it, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the wrong thing to do.

Don’t do anything that’s going to make a change that you’re not comfortable with; but don’t not do it because the process makes you feel uncomfortable at the time.

5. Have I neglected myself?

A lot of people tend to forget about their selves while doing a lot for others, and while doing a lot for other people isn’t a bad thing, you still have to make sure that you don’t totally neglect your own needs.

Many people feel that it’s selfish if they think of their selves, but, if you don’t take some time out for yourself, once in a while, how are you going to be in a fit state to help others anyway? Also, if you don’t have the time to reflect on what’s going on in your own life, you won’t have all of the information you need to make the changes that you’re looking to make.

6. Am I happy with who I am and where I am today?

This may be a tough question for most people, bearing in mind that who and where we are today isn’t who and where we were yesterday, or even tomorrow. We are always in a state of change.

Life may have been unfair in the past, but it’s got you where you are today; is that a good place? Changing something today may not have an immediate effect on your life, but it will make you who you are in the years to come.

7. Do I appeal to the opposite sex?

That’s often a hard one to judge for yourself, seeing as you haven’t met everyone in the world.

We can often appeal to others for the unlikeliest of reasons, but if you want to appeal physically then there are always things you can do to change the way you look. It may be something as simple as a new wardrobe, or something as involved as doing a little more exercise.

Most will come down to who and how you want to appeal to the opposite sex. Just remember, however, any changes you make should be for your own benefit, not for the benefit of someone else.

8. How much do I want?

In terms of money you should remember that the more you want, the more you’re going to have to do to get it. If you want a lot of money, and are prepared to put in the time an effort to get it, then there’s nothing wrong with that.

If you want a lot of money, and have a family, then you have to weigh up which is more important, spending the time and effort to get it, or spending the time with your family. It can be a difficult juggling act; it really comes down to you and which you want the most.

9. What gets me motivated?

What is it that gets you motivated? This will be different for everyone, so there really isn’t any right answer.

Is the pursuit of happiness your motivator? Is it making sure that the family is taken care of? When you sit down and think about it, what makes you take action?

10. What is it that really makes you, you?

Now that you’ve written down your answers to the above questions you should have a better self-awareness. The answer to the way you make your changes lies in what you really want, if you really want it, whether you can see the final outcome, are you comfortable in making changes, are you actually happy with where you are at the moment, and what sort of motivation it will take to actually achieve your goal.

It’s good to have a plan, but you won’t know how to fulfil it if you don’t have at least a basic amount of self-awareness.

For more interesting articles on health and fitness just visit better-health-fitness.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Paterson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Self-Awareness:-The-Key-to-Positive-Change&id=5848966

Filed Under: Self awareness, Self Esteem Tagged With: positive change, self improvement, self awareness, Self Esteem

January 21, 2011 – Self Awareness

January 21, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

- Jalal ad-Din Rumi

Filed Under: Daily Quotes Tagged With: daily quote, Rumi, self awareness

How to Say Good-Bye to ‘Poor Me”

December 15, 2010 By Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

By Jane Booth Robertson -

How aware are you of people and activities that are going on around you? Recognizing yourself, as a ‘poor me’ personality, is the first step in waking up. Listen to yourself talking to others. Some people are always cheerful, no matter what it going on, but others complain about everything, every day.

The complainers are all about themselves or ‘poor me’. Now, many ‘poor me’ people really do have things wrong in their lives. Their problems are real so they may feel justified in being a ‘poor me’. But being a ‘poor me’ puts you into victim mode and being a victim is never healthy or wise. We often do not know that all our negative thoughts and actions keep the cycle of negative energy floating back to us. What you give out comes back to you. For a ‘poor me’, this is creates one thing after another to complain about. So how do we stop this negative cycle?

Step 1.

You must want to change old habits. No one can do it for you. A ‘poor me’ probably learned this behavior as a child or from friends.

Step 2.

Let go of things that are not working for you. This is a biggy. This means letting go of friends who keep you down, jobs that you don’t like, or a relationship that is abuse or is just not working for the both of you. You must change to let go of your ‘poor me’ attitude and behavior.

Step 3

Listen to yourself. Stop and change your language or your thoughts when you are ready to say a negative thought or complaint. If you have a pain or ache, for example, say “I release my need for pain.” What will your world be like without that pain? Visualize a new way of being. Allow yourself to heal.

Step 4

Do something nice for yourself that makes you feel good. Look at the sunrise each day or take a walk in a park or forest. Talk to a special friend (but not about your ‘poor me’stuff). Have a treat. Do something nice for someone else.

Step 5

Forgive those around you who have hurt your feelings. Send them love instead of talking badly about them. People who do bad things can benefit from love. This can be tough but sending love will make you feel better too.

Step 6

Start being aware of the gift of life you have received. It may be difficult at times but take a look around and be thankful for one thing each day. It can be as simple as someone smiling at you or saying thank you as you open a door for someone. Wake up to little things that you appreciate and soon you will have a whole list of things you like.

Step 7

Know that every experience is part of our spiritual journey and it has purpose, even if we can understand it. There is a Divine purpose for your life and you will discover it and wake up as you change from a ‘poor me’ into a ‘thankful me’.

Step 8

Love yourself and treat yourself well. Love others and feel their love for you. Expand your love and feel connected to others and your community. You will feel the difference as your live transforms into greater harmony and peace.

Step 9

Take good care of your health by eating well and exercising everyday. Meditate everyday to discover the beautiful inner you and feel the love of God within.

Step10

Enjoy the new you. You deserve to be happy and joyful. Others will benefit by your new way of being. Shine your inner light as brightly as you can. Say “Yes, Yes Yes” to having peace in your life and really mean it. Now, enjoy your new way of living!

Jane Rosalea Booth Robertson is author of In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation. She is an Ordained Minister of All Seasons Church of Canada and an Ordained Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking. Jane is Certified USUI Master and Practitioner and a Certified Sound Energy Dynamics Practitioner who resides in Meaford, ON Her company is The Golden Light Centre for Well-Being Inc. She leads Peaceful Path Retreats for Women and Meditation Gatherings in Meaford, ON, Canada. She is owner of The Golden Light Centre for Well-Being Inc. an on line business with holistic services and products and art to create harmony in your life.

http://www.goldenlightcentre.com
Jane’s Peace Ministry Blog: http://janebooth.wordpress.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane_Booth_Robertson
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Say-Good-Bye-to-Poor-Me&id=2112364

Filed Under: Self Improvement Tagged With: change, personality, poor me, self awareness, self growth, self love, transformation

December 10, 2010 – Self Awareness

December 10, 2010 By Admin Leave a Comment

Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul.

~ James Allen

Filed Under: Daily Quotes Tagged With: daily quote, self improvement, self awareness

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The Road to Self Awareness – Discover What’s Really Involved In Being Self-Aware

Self-Awareness: The Key to Positive Change

January 21, 2011 – Self Awareness

How to Say Good-Bye to ‘Poor Me”

December 10, 2010 – Self Awareness

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