4 Things That Deepened My Self-Awareness

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their work, I have examined my relationships with social media, money & debt, and what I truly want to pursue in life.</p><h1 id="8856">2. Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, And Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think by Tasha Eurich</h1><p id="c5c8">Dr. <a href="https://www.tashaeurich.com/">Tasha Eurich</a> is an organizational psychologist and modern pioneer of leadership and self-awareness. According to her research, 95% of individuals think they are self-aware, but only 10–15% <i>actually </i>are. When I first learned of this, I read her <a href="https://www.insight-book.com/">book</a> and took her course The Future Ready Leader (recently renamed <a href="http://www.theinsightcourse.com/">The Insight Course</a>). Through this self-paced course, you will learn about the benefits of self-awareness, how to get there, and how to work with those who might fall into that 95% category. I found new ways to understand myself and how I interact with others, personally and professionally.</p><h1 id="5840">3. The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman</h1><p id="1d43">I once met with a student who was going through some extreme challenges in her personal life. She carried The Daily Stoic with her and shared with me how each daily meditation helped her focus on that which she can control and keep a sense of calm in the storm. I bought my own copy and dove headfirst into learning about Stoic philosophy. You can read about the <a href="https://dailystoic.com/9-core-stoic-beliefs/">nine core concepts</a> to understand more. Focusing on “We don’t control external events, we only control our thoughts, opinions, decisions and duties” pushed me into a deeper understanding of myself and how I react to outside factors. (This is especially

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helpful during these pandemic times.) The daily meditations and reflections keep the work moving forward.</p><h1 id="deec">4. Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein</h1><p id="772f">I read many books over the past few years and <a href="https://davidepstein.com/the-range/"><i>Range</i></a> stands out as a reminder that the more we explore and learn in the world, the more we will understand ourselves. Epstein poses that in most professions, the most successful are generalists, not experts, in their field. This reinforces the concept of treating life like an experiment, trying things to see what you like. This leads to a greater depth of knowledge about who you are, what you enjoy, and how you want to spend your time.</p><p id="95f8">The benefits of self-awareness include more meaningful relationships, better decision making, and a greater understanding of our outside world. Understanding your self-awareness begins by asking yourself some pretty serious questions, forcing you to look deeper for serious responses. What are your values and are you living in alignment with them? What excites you? What is important? How do others see you? For a prompt, <a href="https://mathiasbarra.medium.com/">Mathias Barra</a> penned this excellent list of <a href="https://readmedium.com/20-questions-you-absolutely-need-to-ask-yourself-62693ae2afd5">20 Questions You Absolutely Need To Ask Yourself</a>. The key here is to be honest. There are no wrong responses, no one is checking your work, and the answers only matter to you. See what you find.</p><p id="d873"><i>Thank you for following me and reading my work. If you’re new to Medium, join by using <a href="https://medium.com/@herrmannwc/membership">my link here</a>. It’s a wonderful way to support fellow writers and you’ll get full access to great content!</i></p></article></body>

4 Things That Deepened My Self-Awareness

“I think self-awareness is probably the most important thing towards being a champion.” — Billie Jean King

Deepening my self-awareness led me to re-examine my life goals and aspirations. It has led to more meaningful relationships, changes in my work, and got me to start writing, something I wanted to pursue for a long time.

Many resources have guided me through this work, here are the tools that first introduced me to self-awareness and continue to add value to the process:

1. The Minimalists

I started listening to The Minimalists Podcast about six years ago. Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus embraced minimalism after personal hardships pushed them to examine what is truly important in their lives. Spoiler alert: it isn’t stuff. Their tagline, “Love people and use things, because the opposite never works,” ends every podcast episode and is the title of their latest book. One key piece to living in alignment with our values starts with defining what those are (The Minimalists provide a values worksheet and many other free resources). Through listening to their work, I have examined my relationships with social media, money & debt, and what I truly want to pursue in life.

2. Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, And Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think by Tasha Eurich

Dr. Tasha Eurich is an organizational psychologist and modern pioneer of leadership and self-awareness. According to her research, 95% of individuals think they are self-aware, but only 10–15% actually are. When I first learned of this, I read her book and took her course The Future Ready Leader (recently renamed The Insight Course). Through this self-paced course, you will learn about the benefits of self-awareness, how to get there, and how to work with those who might fall into that 95% category. I found new ways to understand myself and how I interact with others, personally and professionally.

3. The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

I once met with a student who was going through some extreme challenges in her personal life. She carried The Daily Stoic with her and shared with me how each daily meditation helped her focus on that which she can control and keep a sense of calm in the storm. I bought my own copy and dove headfirst into learning about Stoic philosophy. You can read about the nine core concepts to understand more. Focusing on “We don’t control external events, we only control our thoughts, opinions, decisions and duties” pushed me into a deeper understanding of myself and how I react to outside factors. (This is especially helpful during these pandemic times.) The daily meditations and reflections keep the work moving forward.

4. Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

I read many books over the past few years and Range stands out as a reminder that the more we explore and learn in the world, the more we will understand ourselves. Epstein poses that in most professions, the most successful are generalists, not experts, in their field. This reinforces the concept of treating life like an experiment, trying things to see what you like. This leads to a greater depth of knowledge about who you are, what you enjoy, and how you want to spend your time.

The benefits of self-awareness include more meaningful relationships, better decision making, and a greater understanding of our outside world. Understanding your self-awareness begins by asking yourself some pretty serious questions, forcing you to look deeper for serious responses. What are your values and are you living in alignment with them? What excites you? What is important? How do others see you? For a prompt, Mathias Barra penned this excellent list of 20 Questions You Absolutely Need To Ask Yourself. The key here is to be honest. There are no wrong responses, no one is checking your work, and the answers only matter to you. See what you find.

Thank you for following me and reading my work. If you’re new to Medium, join by using my link here. It’s a wonderful way to support fellow writers and you’ll get full access to great content!