“Self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, or emotions do or don’t align with your internal standards.

If you’re highly self-aware, you can objectively evaluate yourself, manage your emotions, align your behavior with your values, and understand correctly how others perceive you.”

—Harley Hunter

As many of you know (because I talk about it a lot) I am a member of BNI, and I have been for the past six years. There are a bunch of leadership roles that make a BNI chapter work, and I have been in a few different roles, some which I really enjoyed, such as being a Visitor Host greeter. Another role I enjoy, and a role which keeps coming back to me on rebound is that of Education Coordinator.

In general, as education coordinator, I get to spend about five minutes per meeting educating the group. The topic is very often up to me. This means that I am usually really watching what is happening during our meetings and thoroughly going over the bi-monthly Power of One report to see where I can help educate our members so they can improve their performance.

Our meetings is Thursday morning, so usually I am looking at ideas on Tuesday so I can send something to be inserted into he slideshow for Thursday morning. I find that there is so much out there already created that I don’t very often have to recreate anything as far as what I want to talk about, although sometimes I envision a graphic I want to accompany my presentation, and I might have to create that graphic.

Sometimes in my research I come across things that are really great, but just not what I want to present on that particular week because there is something else I feel like is kore important to present that week.

While I was searching this week for the right topic to present, I came across an education moment from a Tampa chapter on self-awareness. I saw the eight tips and it resonated with me. I decided I need to share it, so I found a photo to put them onto and created a “digital poster.”

I guess we all go through thigs, and being self-aware definitely helps us get past not only the stresses that come from our own lives but also the stresses that occur when we interact with someone else and that interaction causes some sort of reaction in us that may not be a behavior that you want the public to see, especially if you’re a business owner.

When you’re a business owner, you’re visible in the community, and you really do have to practice self-discipline and consider how your actions affect others. Lately, I think I may have become more self-aware than I was even a few months ago. Maybe it occurs in cycles. I remember one day complaining about something to somebody and knowing immediately that the person already had their plate full and could not do anything to make me feel better. I still think about that morning and wonder if the other person thinks about it. I sort of hope he has forgotten, because I really wasn’t my best self at all. I was actually not myself at all, and I really don’t always complain and make excuses for myself.

I see other people all the time who never accept responsibility for their own actions. I am not like that. We all make mistakes, so sometimes we have to admit the mistake and do better next time. That doesn’t happen when we blame somebody else. When I observe this happening with the same person over and over, it is a little upsetting. It has begun to trigger me. Now I avoid people who regularly cause me to become aggravated. I don’t want to subject myself to that behavior (or even the possibility of it) if I have the choice not to.

It’s been a learning experience, for sure! I guess you could say I am learning to set better boundaries for myself.

Here are a few other excerpts from the self-awareness education moment that I found while researching for my next presentation:

What is Self-Awareness?
Self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, or emotions do or don’t align with your internal standards.
If you’re highly self-aware, you can objectively evaluate yourself, manage your emotions, align your behavior with your values, and understand correctly how others perceive you

Self-awareness is crucial for effective leadership, impacting confidence, creativity, decision-making, relationship building, communication, ethical behavior, career progression, and overall leadership effectiveness.
Despite its significance, true self-awareness is rare.

The Two Types of Self-Awareness
Internal Self-Awareness: Understanding one’s values, passions, strengths, weaknesses, and impact. Linked to higher satisfaction, control, and happiness.
External Self-Awareness: Understanding how others perceive oneself. Correlated with empathy, better relationships, and overall effectiveness.

We are all works in progress when it comes to self-awareness. At any given time, we may be working on it with more diligence and focus than at other times. I would, however, venture to say that any adult who is never or rarely working on their self-awareness should be! Nobody is perfect and there is always room for improvement.

The quotes that accompany this blog are all ones that struck me in a certain way at the right time.

The Maya Angelou quote, for example, resonated with me about 15 months ago when I was feeling unappreciated by someone who always seemed to expect a lot, but never could really ask the right way. I love to help people, but I don’t want to associate with those who fail to appreciate it. It’s a trigger for me, so I am learning my boundaries and stepping away from volunteering my time when the behavior of others who are less self-aware tends to make every step forward turn into two steps back.

Feel free to borrow/post any of these quotes which make you feel some sort of way. What are some of your favorite quotes that made you have a moment of self-awareness? Let me know so I can appreciate it too!