Do you know…
What beliefs are driving your behavior?
What gifts of yours others appreciate most?
Why you got so mad the last time you talked to so-and-so?
What brings you joy?
Self-awareness. It’s an essential ingredient for creating change and being successful. Being conscious about what your feelings, beliefs, traits and motives are is critical for reaching your full potential. So, how well do you know yourself?
Below are 3 exercises you can use to increase your self-awareness. Approach them as fun explorations and know the results will empower you to achieve what you want for yourself.
1) Ask 5 people you know: What are three of my greatest strengths and one thing that’s holding me back?
Choose at least five people in your life – a mix of family, colleagues and friends – and ask them to tell you or email you (they’ll need time to think about it) what they perceive three of your greatest strengths to be and one thing that may be holding you back from reaching your full potential.
Having a better understanding of how you show up to others will help you realize what gifts to foster and what issues may be keeping you stuck. Look for patterns amongst the people’s feedback. Know it was offered with love and to help you grow and that it’s not about explaining or defending anything.
2) Recall the last time you got really mad, and ask yourself the “Real Why.”
When was the last time you were really pissed off – like you could feel it in your chest or stomach? Was it when someone challenged your idea? When someone accused you of something? When someone let you down?
Concentrate on that moment, as difficult as it may be, and ask yourself why you were so upset.
Realize there’s a button inside you that got pressed. That same situation might have happened to other people, and they wouldn’t have gotten upset. So there’s a belief you have that prompted you to react in that manner. Figuring out what that button is will help you understand several areas where you’re stuck in your life.
For example, if someone challenges you, is that communicating that you’re not good enough? If someone isn’t there for you in the way you’d like, is that communicating that you’re not valued? THESE are the real issues behind your reaction. Becoming more aware of them when they show up will help you take your power and ownership back to achieve your full potential.
3) Determine your sources of joy.
When was the last time you were fully in the present moment, forgot about everything else in your life and were happy and joyful? Recall that moment; bring it back to life. Where were you? Who was with you? What were you doing?
Identify how you felt and why. Did you feel confident? Authentic? Fearless? Proud? Capable? Successful? What was it about that place, those people, that moment that brought about those feelings?
Knowing that can help you understand what situations bring about your best self, your full potential. Look for opportunities – personally and professionally – to create more situations and opportunities like that. Seek out those types of situations to grow into your full potential!
When going through these exercises, be proud of yourself for having the courage to get to know yourself better in an effort to reach your full potential. And take this opportunity to gain some self-acceptance, and give yourself a hug!
Let me know which one of these exercises was most helpful to you by using the comments section below:
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