HOW LACKING SELF AWARENESS AFFECTS US

 Self-awareness is an under-rated trait that has, in recent times, become a popular topic in self-development and leadership forums.

Self-awareness is a basic attribute that enables us to observe our habits and behavior, and the beliefs, values, and emotions that trigger them. Self-awareness is fundamental to our ability to be happy and content, maintain relationships we cherish and respect, and perform will in professional environments. 

Lacking self-awareness affects us adversely. Lacking self-awareness can manifest as:

Not Identifying and understanding core beliefs, values, and emotions

Persons lacking self-awareness do not identify the emotions they express; most times they suppress emotional expression, for fear of being called out as weak. For young men, the archaic admonition, "Boys don't cry," could be a trigger. There are several situations where people get conditioned into suppressing their emotions. Becoming self aware gives us the ability to identify the emotion, and the reason behind it.

Lacking empathy

There are times we do not acknowledge other peoples' feelings. We cannot understand why they are expressing the emotion. This is a sign of lacking self-awareness.

Not being able to see others' perspectives

There are many instances in our professional and personal lives when we have arguments in the guise of discussions. Lacking self-awareness leads to not being able to see and understand the other person's perspective. The ability to understand another person's point of view get's us to a peaceful, logical conclusion, even if it, "Let us agree to disagree."

Avoiding responsibility - passing the buck

Accepting and responding to responsibility is an attribute of a self-aware person. If we avoid responsibility and follow up with blaming others for the failure, shows a lack of self-awareness.

Acting without thinking things through

Reacting spontaneously, rather than responding after thinking through on the situation, is a trait of a person lacking self-awareness. This behavior leads to arguments, unfinished tasks, staying incommunicado, and other similar situations.

Struggling with self-discipline and self-management

Lacking self-awareness leads to not being able to control our desires, not being able to prioritize important tasks, and not being able to sustain efforts to complete tasks and deliver on our promises. This results in a lack of trust.

Conclusion

Lacking self-awareness leads to many unpleasant situations. We all derive pleasure from the tasks we do and nurturing our professional and personal relationships.

Further reading: 10 Signs You Lack Self-Awareness by Carley Swanson-Garro.