What is something that a person who has low self-awareness can do to build resilience?

21 Feb Why Does Self-Awareness Matter?

6 Reasons Why Self-Awareness Is Important For Well-Being

High self-awareness is a solid predictor of success in life, perhaps because a self-aware person knows what they want so they can more easily take the steps that get them there. Unfortunately, many of us are on “autopilot,” hardly aware of why we succeed or fail, or why we behave as we do. Our minds are so busy with daily chatter that we usually only self-reflect when something goes awfully wrong. That’s why self-awareness matters. But that’s not the only reason. Here are some more:

1. Becoming more self-aware can be enlightening

There is so much we don’t know about our inner thoughts and processes that the inward journey at times can be surprising. Sometimes certain phrases come out automatically to reveal attitudes or opinions that we don’t even realize we subscribe to, or even know where they came from.
Over the years of being submerged in a family, a school, various jobs, and a social milieu, we absorb prevailing ideas from our environment, and some of these get buried in our subconscious, where they often don’t get examined until we inadvertently blurt them out, at times to our own embarrassment. This is one good reason why it behooves us to become more self-aware . . . so we can find ourselves and feel more confident that the ideas we are expressing are really our own.

2. Self-awareness can open your mind to new perspectives

As we develop our perspectives they get more rigid and hard to change. But new ideas are refreshing and stimulating, opening our thinking in new and possibly promising directions. Open-mindedness is definitely a plus in being successful at dealing with life’s challenges and diverse situations.

3. Self-awareness can boost self-worth 

Very often the opinion we hold of ourselves is based on what others think, or more correctly, on what we think others think about us. If we were criticized often as children, we may develop a case of low self-esteem and sensitivity to rejection. On the other hand, if we were praised as a “prince or princess,” we are likely to develop false self-esteem or arrogance which can be hard our relationships. We owe it to ourselves to become more self-aware of the thoughts and beliefs within and whether they are consistent with reality.

4. Self-awareness can help you look at yourself objectively

Humans tend to be critical beings, whether self-critical or hard on others, and sometimes both. By beating ourselves up, we serve no one and harm our well-being. No one is perfect, so why should we expect ourselves to be?
So learn to cut through the hype and become more objective, especially about yourself. Simply be willing to evaluate yourself as objectively as possible. Be sure not to gloss over what you’d rather not see, but rather mine the subconscious for its opinions and correct the mindsets that are not compatible with your values. You can do this by being completely honest with yourself, and when you find something that is out-of-sync, examine it, remove what isn’t compatible, and insert a better value or phrase to bring the idea in alignment with your personal values.

5. Self-awareness can help you evaluate your strengths and weaknesses

You might say, “I’m a good starter, but I have more difficulty finishing a project.” “It’s easy for me to meet new people, but I have reservations when it comes to commitment.” “I’m a great friend, but I’m not so good at saving money.” We all have strengths and weaknesses. Use your strengths to succeed in life, and your path will be happier, because you will find appreciation and support along the way.

6. Self-awareness can help you set intentions

If we wander through life without purpose or direction, chances are we’ll end up nowhere in particular. In order to form an intention, you really need some idea about what is important to you and what you hope to accomplish. It’s not necessary to know how you are going to get there, but you want to have some idea of your general direction. For instance: “I intend to create my own business in __________ (whatever field) and become self-sufficient by age ____”; “I intend to find the right life partner and raise a happy and healthy family together in the country”; “I intend to stand up for myself when my boss puts me down”; etc.

Say your intention out loud, communicating with your inner self, letting yourself know that you intend to create a more meaningful and satisfying life.[/vc_column_text]

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Kalini Kent

Kalini Kent

Helping you communicate with confidence & clarity, be fearless about lives & public speaking, & connect with charisma for sales success &…

Published Jun 10, 2021

Self-Confidence is trust in oneself and having the belief that you are capable and can achieve success and competence. A self-confident person is ready to rise to new challenges, seize opportunities, deal with difficult situations, and take responsibility if or when things go wrong.  Self-Esteem is your opinion of yourself and your worth.

People often speak of Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence in the same breath; but whilst both relate to your perception of yourself, Self-Confidence relates to your perception of your abilities and Self-Esteem relates to your perception of your worth or value as a person, particularly with regard to the work you do, your status, achievements, potential for success, strengths and weaknesses, how you relate to others, independence, etc.  

Both concepts are closely related and those with low self-confidence will often have low self-esteem and vice versa. However, self-confidence and self-esteem do not always go hand in hand: it is possible to be highly self-confident and yet to have profoundly low self-esteem, as is the case, for example, with many celebrities, who can perform before an audience of thousands but then damage and even kill themselves with drugs. 

Resilience (or resiliency) is our ability to adapt and bounce back when faced with adversity and things don't go as planned, so that we flourish in everyday life and cope when things get tough.  It doesn’t mean being happy all the time because real life isn’t like that. In our daily lives we all face set-backs, hardships, trauma, tragedy, health problems and sources of stress such as school and workplace conflicts or relationship problem. Our resilience is what allows us to deal with the difficult situation and learn from it, bounce forward and thrive, feeling stronger and more capable to cope than ever before, and it is one of the key ingredients for success. It also means that when an opportunity arises, we seize it and make the most of it.

SOME KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF RESILIENT PEOPLE 

• Self-Belief - At the heart of resilience is a strong belief in oneself.  Our view of ourselves plus our own opinion about how deserving we are has a direct bearing on our capacity to succeed. 
• Confidence is a key characteristic.  Even if they don’t have all the skills and knowledge required to overcome a particular problem, they are confident in their abilities and resourcefulness to acquire what they need 
• Solid goals and Commitment - Resilient people are committed to their lives and their goals, and have a strong desire to achieve those goals.
• Challenges and Opportunities - Resilient people view a difficulty as a challenge, not as a paralyzing event. They look at their failures and mistakes as lessons to be learned from, and as opportunities for growth. They don't view them as a negative reflection on their abilities or self-worth.
• Personal Control – Resilient people never think of themselves as victims – they focus their time and energy on situations and events they have control over. Because they put their efforts where they can have the most impact, they feel empowered and confident. Those who spend time worrying about uncontrollable events can often feel lost, helpless, and powerless to take action. 
• Strong Healthy Relationships – and support networks that help them to amplify their productivity and results. Whilst they are empathetic and compassionate, they don't waste time worrying what others think of them or bow to peer pressure.
• Control of Emotions – don’t dwell on their failures but acknowledge the situation, learn from their mistakes, and then move forward.
• Resilient people also demonstrate great flexibility, high energy, mental agility and consistently perform at their highest level. 

DEVELOPING RESILIENCE AND A RESILIENT MINDSET

The good news is that even if you're not a naturally resilient person, you can learn to develop a resilient mindset and attitude in several ways, by incorporating the following into your daily life:

• Sleep and Exercise: take care to exercise regularly and get enough sleep, so that you can control stress more easily. The stronger you feel physically and emotionally, the easier it is for you to cope effectively with challenges in your life.
• Focus on thinking positively: don't let negative thoughts derail your efforts. Research shows that up to 80% of inner dialogue is negative for the average person, so "listen" to how you talk to yourself when something goes wrong and nurture a positive view of yourself.
• Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems – they are opportunities.
• Try to learn from the mistakes you make - Every mistake has the power to teach you something important.
• Build strong relationships with colleagues and friends - strong connections and friends at work and home make you more resistant to stress and happier plus builds a strong support network to fall back on.
• Self-Confidence – work on developing confidence in your ability to solve problems and that you will succeed eventually, despite setback and stresses. When you trust in your own instincts and develop confidence and a strong sense of self, you have the strength to keep moving forward, and take the risks you need to get ahead.
• Goals - Set specific and achievable personal goals that match your values.
• Flexibility and Change – accept that change is part of living and understand that certain goals may no longer be attainable as a result of adverse situations, so focus on circumstances that you can alter.

Developing resilience and a resilient mindset does and will help you to build self-confidence and self-esteem. When you work through difficult circumstances and come out the other end feeling OK and a stronger person, you have flexed your resilience muscle. Just as a muscle gets stronger when lifting a weight, your resilience grows with each obstacle you overcome.  So keep persevering.

If you would like to discuss this further, please drop me a message or contact me on /07780685498