5 clues you might need to work on your awareness
Cultivating awareness is an intentional practice, yet many mistakenly believe they don’t need to work on it.
Welcome to Illuminate Me. Each week, I share an illuminating insight to help you communicate and connect better, growing your reach, impact, and career.
This week’s insight: You might not be as aware as you think.
There’s nothing worse than having a boss or colleague who’s clueless.
Completely oblivious to everything and everyone around them (and their own behavior), they blindly make their way through the world, never quite understanding why they aren’t progressing in their careers.
They’re the same folks who haven’t tapped into the power of awareness, the soft skill that helps you better understand yourself, others, and your environment.
It’s a pretty useful skill, which begs the question: How aware are you?
The trouble is most people think they are, but here are five clues that might suggest otherwise:
1. You can’t answer the question, “What do I want?”
If you can’t articulate what you want, it’s time to focus on your awareness.
Self-aware people seek clarity and understand the importance of regularly carving out time to reflect on their goals. They also accept that what they want may and most likely will change over time and adjust their activities and priorities to support that shift.
2. Your career is on autopilot.
If you’ve reached the point in your career where you’re mindlessly going through the motions, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Finding your rhythm is great; coasting is not. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize when they’re in a career rut because they busy themselves being busy, ignoring the red flags of their discontent.
Self-awareness will help you recognize when you’re feeling unmotivated or frustrated because you don’t have an answer or resource that might help you progress or seem to lack a clear direction.
3. You’re a multitasker.
Sorry to break it to you, but multitasking won’t help you be more productive, and it dulls your powers of observation. Studies show that we’re wired to monotask, and attempting to multitask splits our focus and slows us down. It also prevents you from being fully present with others and picking up on body language subtleties and tone nuances that suggest something else in play.
The savviest leaders understand that giving someone their full attention helps them tune in and cultivate their awareness.
4. You don’t understand why everyone is so sensitive.
What we think we’re projecting and how others are receiving us can be two very different things. For instance, you may not realize that you’ve brought negativity and anger from the upsetting call you just had into your meeting, but your colleagues can certainly feel it.
Self-awareness is not just about knowing how you move through the world but also how your energy affects others. Before you head into a team huddle, begin a pitch, or meet with a client, make a conscious choice about what energy you want to project and then do that.
5. You’re always the last to know.
Are you always caught off guard and feel like you’re the last to know when there’s news or a change? Time to up your awareness and pay attention.
Your ability to perceive what is happening—or predict what will happen—in your company or industry means that you understand how to connect the dots and read between the lines. For instance, during an all-hands meeting, you might be able to decipher that your boss is hinting at a future acquisition. The more observant you are of what’s happening around you, the better you’ll be to see the current reality and future possibilities.
Did any of these clues ring true for you?
Not to worry; you’ve just taken the first step in cultivating your awareness.
Because remember, you might not be as aware as you think.
One thing I’m aware of?
My many interests and creative pursuits. And maybe you’re the same.
In my latest Forbes article, I share six clues you might be a multipotentialite—and the best way to leverage it.
And speaking of leveraging things…
All the hustle in the world won’t help if you lack the one element essential for career success:
CLARITY.
You can’t make progress if you can’t identify your goals.
And you’ll never get what you want if your priorities aren’t aligned with them.
ICYMI, in my recent Forbes article, I shared two simple questions to address both issues.
More illumination:
Miss last week’s newsletter? I shared the one place you’d never regret investing: yourself.
And one from the archives: Are you stuck? Your nisus might be to blame.
P.S.
What I do:
When I’m not writing this newsletter or cultivating my awareness, I’m a social media ghostwriter. (Yep, that’s a thing). I help founders craft their stories to communicate and connect better, magnifying their reach and impact. (Think personal branding and thought leadership.)
I can also weave together your personal and professional experience to write an engaging, original, and authentic career story that aligns with and supports your personal brand and thought leadership, positioning you for success.
Learn more by visiting my website.
Where you can follow me and find more of my work:
Forbes: I write weekly articles on personal transformation and its impact on career growth.
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