“What is necessary to change a
person is to change his awareness of himself.”—Abraham H. Maslow
In the book, “Emotional
Intelligence,” Daniel Goleman explains that emotional intelligence rests on
self-awareness and self-regulation.
Moreover, awareness
is the first step in the journey of positive change of behaviours and habits.
However, the common
folks often don’t have the least idea of who they really are, of what they really
want, and, of what their own deepest instincts are; whereas superior
individuals have a higher sense of awareness of their own natures and emotions.
And as a result, they are much more in control of their lives.
If we want to
become a better person, we need to start with high awareness of the key behaviour
that is standing in the way. It's this strong sense of awareness of ourselves that
will compel us to actually make the change we need the most.
For example, if you
have an emotional issue of anger, first get a deeper awareness of the problem and
yourself by answering some questions which may include the following questions…
What triggers the
behaviour?
When does it
usually start?
Where does it
normally happen?
It may be that
someone needlessly provokes you. Or that it usually starts when you are bored
or stressed. Or that it normally happens at a particular place in your errands.
Just think of all these factors ahead of time in your self-reflective moments.
By
such analyses, you can make informed choices on how to regulate yourself in
response to the problem long before you get caught up.
With clear sense of awareness brought by detailed situational analyses,
you will be far more effective in dealing with real challenges that you need to
tackle.
The goal is to first
develop a greater level of awareness of yourself in relation to your problems as
the Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard boldly said: “Face the facts of
being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.”
In short, awareness
precedes any positive change!
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