Self-awareness and Meaningful Change - Essay on Psychology

Self-awareness refers to the situation where individuals are aware of their feelings especially emotions, spirit, physicality and mind, and the reason as to why they feel that particular way at that specific time. Self-awareness is thus a great skill that is learned and perfected over a period. It entails an awareness of ones individuality, character, and personality.

Based on my own life set of experiences and in addition to those of my few trusted friends, I can confidently agree that being self-aware can change an individuals life for better. Understanding how we feel allows us to inspire ourselves as well as those around us, while also at the same time channeling our positive energies and passion to the significant areas. I come to learn that being self-aware is a lifelong journey which results due to changes that happen within the environment that we do live in or the people we interact with. Thus, anything can happen anytime. It is therefore worthy to create an environment where life is enjoyable for others and us to be proud being a part of it.

To begin with, my best friend John owns a mining company. He has been working hard and therefore his physical energy is low. He has exhausted himself. He, thus, decides to take a leave from work and relax at his home for two days to avoid a strenuous workout. As a result, he becomes calm and composed. The effect is that every person he encounters is also cool, calm and collected. Due to his focus and self-aware, he is now able to identify his peoples needs. This not only inspires him but also with those around him. It is therefore vital that despite our busy schedules we find time to think about whom we are, our weaknesses and strengths, our habits, values, efforts, and personalities. Self-awareness is thus an essential first step towards maximizing managerial skills. It improves our judgmental skills and helps us identify future opportunities for professional growth.

Another example is that of my friend Sally who owns a beauty therapy shop. She has been working hard for over two years without a break. Her physical energy is therefore almost depleted. She is running low on energy. However, she is not listening to her bodys signals. She keeps on working hard, sleeping less to get it all done giving an extra effort in her workout in a comparatively less time. But the results of her actions affect those people around her without her knowing. Stress, anxiety and sometimes anger ooze out of her and people around her absorb all that energy. Smiling becomes difficult for her since she has a lot of work to be done. As a result, no one laughs when they are around her. This kind of low self-awareness creates a poor environment between her and people she engages with, which may end up being harmful to her business if not controlled on time. People may criticize her business skills and vow not to work with her again.

In conclusion, comparing the two cases of John and Sally shows the importance of self-awareness. Knowing your personal characteristics and how your actions affect other people may have a meaningful change in your life as well as that of those people you interact with. Moreover, self-awareness allows one to motivate him/herself and manage stress better. It helps in decision making enabling one to lead and motivate others effectively.