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Self-Awareness

            Having strong conscious knowledge about one’s character, motives, feelings, and desires is perhaps the best thing that can happen in an individual's life. It is one of the best qualities that human beings embody. The mindfulness that we have and the deep reflections on our thoughts, emotions, motives in interaction with others, and what is happening in our lives enable us to interact and create strong connections that last for a lifetime. It helps in making humanity the most desirable race to be a part of (Gabriel-Petit). This quality is self-awareness and is an essential quality that I try to lead myself by daily. Self-awareness manifests itself in my life in various ways: In the manner in which I develop bonds with others, in how real my imagination is, and to an extent, it can impact me negatively, sometimes leading me into severe depression, especially when I come across some bad news that requires help but I know that I cannot help in any way.

            Self -awareness affects a great deal of how I connect with people because it generally determines the kind of motive I embody while talking to a person. Until I know what I want correctly, I cannot laugh, be emotional, or talk truthfully to a second party. I am always afraid to make a fool of myself, especially before the people who know me. The people I connect with are already acquainted with my ignorance, mistakes, and even weaknesses. Therefore, I can never try to hide my deficiencies from them. If I attempt such a thing, it only means I do not have integrity, honesty and as a result, I lose their trust and respect for me. Sometimes, I get myself involved with the people I never thought I would get involved with. People put much hope in me. They become emotional and open, especially when talking about what is affecting them. Sometimes they cry. My self-awareness enables me to embody the right attitude and listen to them with utmost empathy. An example was the loss of the mother of my best friend Andre Coleman back in 2018. It usually reminds me how strong and empathizing I am in matters that cause distress to people. I found myself yelling words of comfort, reassurance while putting myself in Andre’s shoes, and trying not to cry at the same time. It was difficult because I was affected too, I was almost crying, but my friend had faith in me that I could help through the tough time. I had to embody the fact that I am an independent entity aside from my emotions and have to do what is expected of me instead of letting my emotions control me.

           My imagination of what a good life was deeply immersed in the club life that I forgot to take my time to notice who I really was. I lacked self-awareness. My imaginations were clouded and were not realistic. Throughout my early adulthood, I was a student with gifts. I took honors courses always, took part in extracurricular activities, and still read as many books as possible. I am not boasting; everyone around me knew that. The very same people can tell you that I was adamant about advising and wholly surrendered to the power of imagination at the expense of what was realistically suitable. My lack of self-awareness led me to subject myself to the single theoretical perspective of life and deeply barricaded myself from external advice, criticism, and the general societal perspective. On my 22nd birthday, I was alone in a full-time club attendant job and had no desire whatsoever to something meaningful with my life. It was an eye-opener that self-awareness could grant us the ability to develop ourselves by following the correct life principles. I am now bold to confront my imaginations and consider my decisions from others’ point of view, and doing things according to the principles of a society of doing the right thing at the right time. I am now more realistic in my decisions and never let my imaginations cloud my reality.

           Sometimes self-awareness from a personal point of view can impact us negatively. Personally, it made my life stagnant and pushed away everyone I loved. I struggled to come to terms with my reality and knowing my stands, defining what I love, crafting my person and the things I want to do. It was a real struggle, you know, having to surf the internet for more extended periods to find lime minded people. In my pursuit for self-awareness, I neglected the opinions of the people I care about, like they did not matter. My self-awareness became my reality which was contrary to everybody else’s belief. I had my stands which I strongly believed were realistic, and if anyone did not agree with them, then I simply had to cut ties with them. I did not think that I should still listen to other peoples’ points of view when I already know my weaknesses and strengths. I could not sit, talk or even take my time to listen to anybody because I knew myself. I had no idea that self-awareness required empathy, hearing others out, and viewing life from others’ points of view. I ignored the basic principles of self-awareness that say, ‘when we become aware of ourselves, we also become more aware of others” (Hendel).

           In conclusion, self-awareness enables me to powerfully connect with people because I view their comments positively and make readjustments where necessary. I am able to listen soundly to people when they talk to me and put myself in their shoes without allowing myself to drift into their emotions. Lack of self-awareness has negatively affected my life as a young adult since I firmly believed and had the conviction that whatever I imagined life to be was real. You know, going to the clubs, partying all night, and I imagined how my life would be filled with fun by taking a job at a club. Again, my own sought self-awareness that did not bring my loved ones' opinions into consideration made me lose the best bonds I had in life. Human beings are created to generate self-awareness from self-evaluation, understanding, and considering other people's views to live amicably with others. Self-awareness allows us to embrace others fully and without any fear. It also enables us to create more friends and bonds since it allows us to express ourselves freely without the fear of judgment. Self-awareness gives us the power to be leaders of our own lives and be looked upon by others for guidance and leadership.

Works Cited

Gabriel-Petit, P. "UXmatters." 2014, www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2014/09/13-human-qualities-you-must-have-to-succeed-in-work-and-life.php.

Hendel, S. "The Emotion Machine: Why Self-Awareness is The First Step toward Empathy." www.theemotionmachine.com/self-awareness-is-the-first-step-toward-empathy/.