Inform Yourself

In my previous post I presented you a process for becoming more self aware. Additionally, I also revealed the key relationship between self awareness and success. The part tying the two together is self management.

While self awareness is a key piece of the foundation for success, self management is the process by which you utilize your self-awareness in achieving greater success either personally or professionally.
So how do you utilize your self-awareness to achieve your success? The following process provides you the keys to utilizing your self-awareness in self-management.

The first step is to recognize what emotions you are experiencing in the current situation. Also, recognize the emotions that others are displaying in the current situation. These emotions have the potential to get in the way of your most important personal and business decisions.

The second step is to be empathetic towards the emotions you and those you are interacting with in a given situation are exhibiting. Being empathetic doesn’t necessarily mean you agree with them however it does mean that you recognize and accept their emotions. Emotions are not right or wrong, good or bad, they are merely emotions. The key here is to recognize the emotions being exhibited. In doing so you give yourself and those with who you are engaged significance. Significance is one of the core emotions everyone seeks in every moment.

The third step is to determine if the emotions being exhibited by all is more or less useful in reaching a decision on a course of action to take. Focus on your emotions first. Other will feed off of the emotions you are outwardly exhibiting about the situation and those involved. Ask yourself, are my emotions hindering me in anyway? If they are, what must you do to change your emotions? Are they the most useful emotions in order for me to make an informed decision right now? It not, what emotions would be more useful?

The fourth step is to take action in changing your emotions to those that would be more useful for the given situation. This is your conscious decision to be more effective in the moment. Change how you feel about the situation to those emotions you identified as being more useful in step three.

The fifth step is to decide on the source of action to take for the given situation. Ask yourself the following:
What is the core issue?
What are my options?
What is my best option?

The sixth step is to acknowledge the emotions of others and then presenting your decision on the course of action you will take. This accomplishes two things. First it again gives those involved significance. They do matter! Secondly, it gives them certainty on how you and they are going to move forward. Certainty is the other core emotion everyone seeks at every moment.

When you utilize the process above you will demonstrate good self management. This is born out of your heightened self awareness. Additionally, it will enable you to interact more effectively with others and make more sound decisions.

How certain are you about where you are headed personally, professionally, or both? What is your plan for getting you there? If you are like most people, your best laid plans have been severely impacted by the current economic conditions in which the world finds itself right now.

So what have you done about it? If you are like most people, you have done nothing except absorb and internalize the negative messages you are bombarded with on a daily basis. This has led the majority of people to become both personally and professionally stagnant. They are no longer focusing on their long term goals and their plan to get there and are instead focusing on day to day survival. When one goes into a state of survival they typically become very short sighted. This short sightedness leads to ineffective decision making. Ineffective decision making leads to uncertainty. Uncertainty generates the fear the vast majority of the population is now experiencing. Fear leads to stagnation. It is safe to say the majority of the population around the world has done little if anything to combat this downward spiral into stagnation.

So why haven’t they done anything to stop or better yet reverse this trend? The reason is simple, they don’t realize they are in the spiral until they hit bottom. They recognize they have hit bottom when their uncertainty hits them like a lightning bolt or a bus as they try and cross the street. They lie awake at night fretting about everything, their stress levels get so high they begin to experience the physical effects, they become more irritable, they no longer smile, they hear themselves constantly complaining about everyone and everything. To put it another way, they wake up one day and they realize they do not enjoy who they have become. They are no longer enjoying life at all!

So what do they do next? When people realize they are at or close to the bottom they have two options. They can do nothing and remain exactly where they are at or they can make a conscious decision to change. This is what they vast majority of the population will do. The second option is to make a conscious decision to change what they hear and how they hear it, the way they are thinking, and how they are operating. They can choose to do this regardless of the environment around them! Their decision to act now gives them the certainty they need to take action!

In order to succeed they must return to focusing on the larger picture. This enables them to determine if their long range goals are still desirable. If not, they redefine them. They also look at their plan to achieve their long term goals and determine if they need to modify their plan. Once they have done this, they can then get back to ensuring they are doing what they need to do to achieve their goals, not someone else’s! These actions now give them the confidence they need to keep moving. Their movement creates even more confidence and certainty they will achieve their goals and get the live life the way they want. Those who take action will succeed.
So I ask you again, how certain are you about where you are headed personally, professionally, or both? Where are you right now? Are you spiraling or are you at the bottom? Are you standing still or are you moving?

I invite you to share your thoughts, comments, and experiences by leaving comments about this post.

SELF AWARENESS AND SUCCESS!

What is self awareness? Webster’s distionary defines self awareness as “an awareness of one’s own personality or individuality”. What are they really saying and how does this relate to success?

Let’s start by breaking down each component of the Webster’s definition. Personality is the complex characteristics that distinguish you from everyone else in the world. Your personality is the totality of all of your behavioral and emotional characteristics. These are your unique distinctive traits and characteristics.

Your individuality is your total character unique to you that distinguishes you from all others. Your individuality is those traits that make each one of us unique.

To become more self aware you must first willing to be totally open and honest with yourself. The above definitions don’t say this but it is implied. In order to have superior self awareness you must be willing to accept those characteristics about yourself that you may make you uncomfortable. To become self aware, you must focus on you noting of all your unique characteristics, behaviors, and emotions. Those that you enjoy and are comfortable with are your strengths. Those that you are less comfortable with or do not enjoy are your weaknesses. Make a complete list of all of your strengths and weaknesses.

Once you accept and understand your strengths and weaknesses, you are miles ahead of the majority of the population in moving towards success. Most people are uncomfortable admitting their weaknesses. This is unfortunate because the better you understand them the greater your opportunity for success.

In order to achieve success, you must define exactly what success means to you. We each have our own unique definitions for success. Some examples of how we all define success differently is noted in the fact that some people are driven by materialistic things, some strive for more social causes, others are driven by the quest for knowledge, and still others are driven by some combination some or all of the above.

So now you have the two key ingredients to achieving true success. You have increased self awareness and your unique definition of success.

So how do you use your self awareness to achieve success? First, identify which of your unique characteristics you need to utilize in order to achieve your definition of success. Take note if the characteristics you need to utilize are strengths or weaknesses. Ideally you will want to maximize the use of your strengths and supplement these with continued development of your identified areas for improvement. The more you can utilize your strengths the faster you will achieve your success.

Next, continue developing those areas you identified which are necessary for you to achieve your success. Develop them so you become a master of these strengths. You want people to identify you as a genius in these areas. Develop those areas which you noted are weaknesses but are necessary for you to achieve your success. This is critical in order for you to achieve your success.

Finally, take action towards your success. You now understand your uniqueness’s, true definition of success, and what you need to do in order to achieve your success.

True self awareness is the complete understanding of yourself, your strengths and weaknesses and how they relate to your definition of success. You should now understand which of your characteristics are most important in achieving your success. The more self aware you are the more likely you are to achieve your success.

"Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it is a small price to ay for living a dream." Peter McWilliams

The more self aware and willing to be uncomfortable you are, the greater your probability of success.

Welcome home! Welcome to Your Blissful Life. So, tell me, what does it look like? Why do you sound so different? How does it feel to achieve that what you have been searching for so long? This is your new and improved life. Words can hardly express how you feel at this moment. Like the movie star who just received their first Oscar, you cry. Look back at where you came from and all that you have achieved to be in your new place. Wow!

You are much like the old-time sailors. You left a safe and comfortable port (your old place) with the definition of a broad destination of where you were headed. You utilized the various posts here, as well as other information, and defined your specific destination. You then charted your course of action. It provided you with the process and certainty you needed to continue sailing. This is much like the old maritime sailing charts. While sailing traditions provided a process, the destination was always determined by how the sailors utilized the process. Once they began their journey, there was no turning back to port. Their desire to reach new and safer harbor was too great. Just as they sought new and exciting places, so did you. Your destination— Your New Place or Your Blissful Life — was defined, and how you charted your course was the process you just completed and will maintain on a continual basis. The closer you got, the more focused, specific and determined you became to reach it.

Enjoy your new place, Your Blissful Life. It is your personal Garden of Eden. Look around you and notice how all of the colors are brighter, more vibrant! Listen to the birds; hear the songs they are singing in your honor! What is that song? How happy are you at this very moment? This is how every day will be for the rest of your life. You will enjoy every moment of every day because you now feel, hear and see things in a new and more useful way. You look forward to every day and all that it offers to you.

Even when faced with what others perceive as bad or stressful situations, you remain blissful because you now know how each moment or event fits into your life! Your knowledge enables you to deal with these events in a manner that is more useful for you. You realize that they are merely teaching something that you need to know or experience. You now take these lessons and experiences and enjoy them for what they are—lessons and experiences. Where others see limitations, you see opportunity. Where they feel pain or depression, you feel a sense of tranquility and hope. Where they hear others calling them back, you hear joyous music urging you forward.

Is it possible to be any happier than you are right now? I didn’t think so! When I finally achieved my blissful life, it felt as though I had finally reached what I had been searching for my entire life. I was finally blissful! No longer was a part of me missing. I now knew exactly what I wanted my life to be, how I wanted to live it, and who I wanted in it. I am still on cloud nine!

Awaken every day and be thankful for all that you will experience today. You cannot wait to get moving and experience all life has to offer. Who will you meet today? What will you learn today? Who will you help today? What gifts will the universe offer you? You are a powerful force within this universe and you can do and achieve all that you dream. Wow! Every evening, reflect back on you day so that you do not miss anything. Be thankful for all that you have experienced, learned and received. Finally, take a step back and realize how this day fits into your future. How is it preparing you for tomorrow? By doing so, you better understand all that you have experienced and how it fits into your grand plan.

I never knew just how great life could feel. I am truly in awe of all that I have become and all that I have. I am amazed at how everything I experience and learn prepares me for the next step in my journey of life. I love today and cannot wait for tomorrow!

Now go and enjoy Your Blissful Life! You have what you need to live life like you have never done before. Enjoy!

How do you feel about yourself and your life right now?

How are you different now that you have completed the process defined in my prior posts?

Anyone who has spent any time focused on self-improvement or self-growth has heard the word “integration.” But what does it mean? Is it another process? It is an action? What does it mean to you?

Actually, integration is all of those things rolled into one. Webster’s Dictionary defines integration as, “The act of combining into an integral whole.” Ultimately, because we are all unique individuals, every individual defines integration as it relates to them. Some define integration as a process, some a specific action, some merely a definition. However you define your integration, it is the essence of how you meld and weave your new features into your existing core.

So, how do you integrate your changes? What works for one person may be less useful for another. Just as we are all unique individuals, our integrations are also unique. One thing is certain though, integration is a good thing. It leads to a new and improved you!

The objective of integration is to find that balance between your mind, body and spirit in a manner that is most useful for you. It is that easy, peaceful feeling you have when you are in complete balance. Many people utilize meditation, others prayer, and still others a conscious effort to realize this balance. “Your Blissful Life” actually incorporates a process within the process of defining your blissful life, enabling you to naturally integrate changes into yourself. As long as you take action to achieve your blissful life, your integration will take place. This is because you consciously defined your goals for every part of yourself. Next, you consciously and subconsciously checked to ensure that your goals for each part were congruent with your other parts. This process is a step of integration, ensuring that your mind, body, and spirit are congruent. Finally, you defined your action plan to achieve your blissful life. This enabled you to define the actions you need to take in order to achieve your blissful life, all the while, ensuring that your mind, body and spirit are in congruence. As such, you defined your own integration, in your words, so it is most useful for you.

When I discovered my blissful life, I actually spent a great deal of time not only discovering and defining exactly what it was that I wanted for each part of myself, but also how I was going to integrate these things into my life. I did not use the framework defined in this book to help me. As a result, I was actually quite lost for a period of time, searching for a method of integration that was most useful for me. I had my defined my blissful life, but what was I going to do with it? How was I going to use this to change my life? What did I need to do to achieve it? How was going to get from where I was at to where I truly wanted to be? I struggled for a long time. My blissful life was a radical shift from where I was before my discovery. It was, without a doubt, a life-changing event.

After much struggling, I attended a retreat that introduced me to the process for stepping into the future and looking back toward the now in order to discover what I needed to do to achieve that which I wanted. I could clearly see exactly what I needed to do to get here. I took it a step further though. I would focus on a single part” at a time and note all of the items I discovered. I would be very clear and specific about what I needed to do to achieve all that I wanted for that part of myself. After I was done with all my parts, I had many pieces of paper, each with its own action plan. I then reviewed all of them and noted any common actions so that I would know how many separate parts would be impacted by specific actions. I also prioritized which parts were most important to me and then focused on my top three. Since my action plans were already defined, all I had to do was act!

This method became the process that is interlaced in my prior posts. You rintegration is actually sprinkled throughout the posts so your integration would occur naturally, without struggle! You can avoid the issues I faced simply by working through each post. This makes your integration easy and simple to do.