NLP Master Practitioner and Cognitive Hypnotherapist Finlay McArthur shares more of his wisdom, this time on the subject of self awareness. 

I have been watching and noticing so many different bits of writing come through the media recently about what we should or shouldn’t be doing to build confidence or direction in our career or personal life. But, after studying behaviour for many years, there is one secret that combines everything to bring durability and growth. And that is the simple act of being Self-Aware.

That little process that most ignore due to the ego sabotaging us into thinking otherwise. It is the key to tapping into our inner selves and our capabilities and beliefs. Before I continue, please don’t get confused with being aware, as this is different. Being aware means we have an ability to take notice of our surroundings and therefore make choices regarding our environment, but, that’s it. Being self-aware means we recognise the fact we exist and therefore we can calculate that choice and ponder the rights and wrongs of making that choice, thus we need to be self-aware.

Right now in the world today, most are in a fear mode which automatically switches on the survival mechanism. This survival mode kicks in around all sorts of areas of our lives from business, career to personal. We become clouded with the ‘what if’s’ and the ‘what maybe’s’. And it doesn’t matter what advice is being given because we are not listening, we simply switch off due to being afraid and have that need to survive, which is triggered from an unconscious level.

Being in a state of self-awareness can give the ability to act from a here and now mindset. It will allow you to become centred and confident to make clear-cut decisions and not confused ideas driven from being in that reaction state of mind. It allows the mind to stand back and monitor ‘us’ on where and what we are doing on a moment to moment basis.

Being self-aware, if used properly, can bring us competence over our emotions, thoughts, and our behaviours and may take away the need for those reaction driven attitudes. If we can take away our reaction driven behaviours and beliefs it brings clarity of choice. Having the capacity to see and make choices, opens us to possibilities, and possibilities lead to actions.

Isn’t that a better place to be rather than relying on an ego-driven state of fear and anxiety? How do you become self-aware? Well, that is something personal to you, as we all see life through our own map of the world. If you would like to know more, get in touch. In the meantime realise that no matter what decisions and choices you need to make, be it in the boardroom, your career, or jus as we go through life. Being self-aware can make the difference to obtaining clarity, drive, confidence and direction.