In today’s tug of war between getting things done and taking time to appreciate the moment, self-awareness can help us to become conscious of our primitive and self-destructive thoughts, beliefs, ideas, assumptions, and choices. When we are self-aware, we become more peaceful, loving, and intelligent beings. Not only do we stop suffering, but the people in our lives stop reacting to our self-imposed misery. Instead, they find more peace also.
Listed below are few self-awareness exercises and activities as well as tips to cultivate your gratitude practice.
Journal about what you are grateful for
Writing down a few things you are grateful for is probably the easiest and most popular gratitude exercise available and the one most people tend to skip or gloss over.
The purpose of the exercise is to remember 3-5 things you were particularly grateful for when you look back on your day. In this way, you are completely focusing on all the good things that happened to you, rather than the negative or the issues that caused you stress. When we practice gratitude, we are more at ease and expect more good things to happen in our lives.
Define your values
If you’ve been a client of mine, you know this is a foundational step for having more peace and alignment in your life. Your values are the core principles that define who you are and how you want to live. By defining them, you create personal guidelines for all of your decisions and actions. Without knowing your values, you live in reactive mode, allowing life circumstances and other people to define you.
Align with your integrity
Your values help you define your integrity — what you believe to be right and wrong, good and bad. When you’re living out of alignment with your integrity, you are living inauthentically and subjecting yourself to feelings of guilt, confusion, fear, and remorse.
Embrace your skills and talents
When you identify and improve upon your natural aptitudes and talents, you empower yourself and create opportunities for professional success and personal happiness. Recognizing your skills also improves your self-confidence and sense of personal fulfillment. Often times, you may overlook some of your skills and talents or undervalue them. Try asking others close to you for their insights as to your skills and talents. They might surprise you.
Identify your strengths and weaknesses
Self-aware individuals know their strengths and weaknesses and can work from that space. Being mindful of this means that you know when to reach out for assistance, and when you are good on your own. Many high achievers I’ve met feel weak if they ask for or invest in help, which generally turns into them working harder, and attracting more stress into their lives. Let go of what doesn’t serve you and hire the help you need. This shows a level of appreciation to others for their expertise and offers you a bit more peace and calm.
Spread gratitude
When you are self-aware, it’s easier to notice all the little things you appreciate in life. Once that deep appreciation becomes a way of life, you will naturally begin to spread the joy you feel to others. Give compliments. Offer sincere thanks for a simple kindness. Practice simple kindnesses. With self-awareness, you recognize that all good things are available for everyone. You wish everyone those lovely things and experience, which is the real definition of spreading gratitude.
If you’ve ever been curious to dive deeper into your own self-awareness so you can communicate better, appreciate others more, and live a more peaceful life, I’d love to help you. Let’s set up a quick time to talk, or simply shoot me an email at tina@builduup.net.
I’m grateful for you, my community, my clients, and my friends who consistently encourage and support me so I can help others to live their best life.