Definition Of Self Awareness - What Is Self Awareness

Simply put, the definition of self awareness is the capacity to notice the self. What is awareness itself, and what does it actually mean to be self-aware? What is the role of self-awareness in personal growth, self improvement and motivation? Read on and find out...

What Is Awareness?

To get a clear understanding of self awareness, it's a good idea to first understand awareness itself. So what is awareness?...

Simply put, awareness is our capacity to notice things. We may be aware of the time or aware of a particular situation - we may notice that we are late or that someone is watching us. Being aware of such things means we have taken note of them.

This is awareness.

Definition Of Self Awareness

What Is Self-Awareness?

Self awareness basically describes a situation where the light of awareness is turned onto ourselves. While awareness is our ability to take note; self-awareness is our ability to take note of ourselves.

When we turn our awareness to shine on ourselves, we may become conscious of a great deal of internal activity. We may notice specific thoughts or thought patterns. We may notice particular emotions or flows of energy. We may awaken to physiological processes happening in our body such as heartbeat, heat, sweating. We may notice intuitions or gut feelings.

The world of the self is rich and fascinating and we are privileged to possess the ability to actually enjoy all of this consciously. Our capacity for awareness is what makes this possible.

Definition Of Self Awareness - What Is Self Awareness

The Key To Positive Change

Self-awareness is the ultimate enabler. Without living knowledge of ourselves (which is another definition of self awareness) there would be no hope for conscious, positive change. Thanks to awareness we can take a good look at ourselves and our lives and see what is working for us and what isn't. This awareness plants the seeds of change in our subconscious mind. It plants in us the drive and motivation to choose to do things differently.

The motivation for breaking bad habits , for example, comes from an awareness of the detrimental effects the bad habit is having in our lives. The self-motivation to change also comes from a vivid awareness of what we want for ourselves and our future, and a lucid recognition that we simply won't be able to have it if we don't leave our bad habits behind.

With self-awareness we can monitor the negativity inside us and prevent it from getting the best of us. In breaking bad habits, self-awareness can help ensure that we are being hard on our habits instead of being hard on ourselves. It can also help us work with the body mind connection to reduce damaging stress and revitalize. The more self-aware we become, the more power we have to create positive change in our lives.

Defining Self Awareness - What Is Self Awareness

Living Knowledge Of The Self

An expanded definition of self awareness is our ability to notice ourselves in the present moment. Self-awareness is often a good measure of 'presence'.

Being present with our body can bring us awareness of many things. A gut feeling may alert us to something that's not quite right; the flow of blood in our veins can awaken us to the simple joy of being alive; a shiver down our spine may let us know that we have connected with a truth. Noticing this internal activity as it happens is the manifestation of self-awareness.

This living knowledge of what is happening with us now is self-awareness, to be differentiated from self-knowledge which is based on what we know of ourselves from the past - even if that past is as recent as only a moment ago.

Awareness helps us keep-up with life as it happens. It helps connect us with the present moment and the constant changes that the present moment brings.

For related out-of-the-mind self improvement and motivation articles visit:

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