Self Awareness; The Value of Early Discovery
Self awareness is where our dreams come from, how we know what we feel, where our intuition resides and where opportunity lies. My clients must develop their sense of self awareness early on in the coaching process so that the direction and desire to succeed can be articulated and the path laid out to make the dreams reality.
Once self awareness is developed and the client has begun to “tune in” to him or herself, the realization that there are no limits, sets in. We begin to recognize our strengths. We can acknowledge all that we have already accomplished and therefore, all that can be accomplished. Self awareness is the key that opens the door to the future. Recognizing our strengths and our own power means that we can change the direction we are heading in and redirect our energy into positive outcomes and a greater quality of life.
Some within my client base suffer from chronic illnesses such as Fibromyalgia. As I also live with it, I know and understand how it can turn one’s life upside down. I also know, after suffering with it for fifteen years, that self awareness has allowed me to reduce my medication by over 75%. Self awareness teaches one to focus on specific parts of the heart and mind, redirecting the negative energy into positive energy, even pain can be reduced. It has changed bad days and good days to good days and great days
Self awareness gives the individual the power to be in charge of their own life. As stated by Steve Jones in the video “it puts them in the drivers seat” A client who cannot or will not develop this, will have limited success in any coaching program. An individual must be conscious of what their options are, what options they are acting on, the results of their actions and the lessons learned from those actions. Too many people go through life in a fog in terms of conscious decision making, unclear and without learning about themselves. This leads to repetition of mistakes, poor choices and remaining in the same “stuck” spot throughout their lives (if they are fortunate enough not to slip backwards). Consciousness or self awareness wakes you up!!! It makes you say “hold on….if I do this….this is likely to happen whereas if I do that….that is likely to happen. I have always done things this way and it hasn’t been working well for me. Now I know that doing it THAT way is more likely to have the results I am looking for”.
Self awareness does not mean letting others make decisions for you. While there is value in the experiences and paths of loved ones and trusted friends, they are not living your life. They generally do not have to live with the consequences of your actions and it is nearly impossible that anyone else knows every single thought or feeling you have. They are often unaware or skeptical of your dreams and truest goals. Accepting the value of the experience of others may be part of good decisions and moving forward, but without self awareness and consciousness, you end up living their lives and dreams.
Self awareness leads to being your authentic self and living your authentic life. Your authentic self is who you are under all of the turmoil and stress and fears. It is your strength and passion and joy. It is who you are under all of the stuff we accumulate from the day of our birth…until that moment….that realization….that we have one life and one self. The freedom that comes with self awareness is the greatest gift a person can give themselves. The earlier a client discovers it, the more success he or she will have and the further they will go in their dreams. My role as a Life Coach is to show the client that who he or she is, that the dreams and goals that they hold deepest in their hearts, are possible and that knowing that and believing in that is the most difficult step in the process. With self awareness, full consciousness of self, the limits of the client are sky high. He or she will not give up when obstacles pop up, opinions of others will not break the spirit and the coaching program will become self directed and successful.
UnLeash the KNOW 