A 2018 study found that most people believe they’ve mastered the art of self-awareness. Yet, only 10-15% of people are truly self-aware.
And the question we have for you today is: on which side of the scale do you fall?
Are you truly self-aware or do you only believe that you are?
To help you evaluate which side you fall on, we’re sharing these 10 habits of self-aware people. Feel free to use them as a checklist to know whether you’re one of the 15% that are self-aware.
You can also take this free self-awareness quiz by Dr. Tasha Eurich. The quiz surveys you and a friend who knows you best to find out how you score on self-awareness.
Also Read: 10 Reasons Why Self-Awareness is Important; according to a Self-Awareness Expert
Are you ready for the 10 habits of self-aware people? Let’s dive in!
10 Habits of Self-Aware People
1. Self-aware people are intentional about life
When you’re not self-aware, it’s easy to live life on autopilot. It’s easy to exist or survive instead of thriving. And the reason for this is that you don’t know what you want or are constantly wondering what your purpose is in this life.
On the other hand, self-aware people know exactly what they want, who they are, and how other people see them. They are masters of both internal and external self-awareness.
And they are constantly evaluating their lives and trying to improve their true self-awareness.
2. Self-Aware people accept what they can’t change
There’s a Maya Angelou quote we love here at HSP Tools. You’ve probably seen it in our previous posts, or in our 40-Day Guide to Self-Love.
And it goes like this:
If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.
Not only do we love this quote, but we also use it as a rule to approaching life. Because being able to control how you feel about something is the bare minimum benefit of true self-awareness.
And that’s why self-aware people are good at accepting what they can’t change.
You may find it difficult because you haven’t learned how, but self-aware people have mastered the self-awareness that allows you to become self-accepting.
Learn more about self-acceptance in week two of our 40-Day Self-Love Guidebook.
3. They choose their words and actions carefully
Have you ever said something and wished you had thought about it more before you spoke it?
As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), we imagine that regret for something you said or did isn’t a new concept.
Because while HSPs are hailed for being detail-oriented and taking their time to think through an opinion or decision, we’re also rushed by the pressure to please others.
We want to make other people so happy that we say what someone wants to hear and do what is expected of us. And we may end up suffering in the end, but the fact that we made someone happy gives us temporary satisfaction.
And again, this is true for HSPs who aren’t truly self-aware. This is because self-aware people are not swayed by the needs of others. Instead, they choose their words and actions carefully in a way that appeases them.
4. They are aware of their blind spots
One of the main components of being self-aware is knowing what your blind spots are. It’s identifying your physical, emotional and psychological flaws and understanding how they affect you and those around you.
And truly self-aware people have learned the art or gained the ability to know what their blind spots are and identify them as they happen.
This is so they can regulate their reactions with respect to those aforementioned blind spots.
5. Self-aware people know their strengths and weaknesses
You’ve probably heard this point about your strengths and weaknesses more times than you can count. And you’ve probably been in an interview where the interviewer asked you about your strengths and weaknesses.
At that time, the question may have felt like the pressure you don’t need in your life. Or maybe it felt like an unnecessary factor that you had no clue or conviction about.
Either way, you probably hated the question and came up with a generic response.Yet, did you know that truly self-aware people know exactly what their strengths and weaknesses are? And that they don’t need to think too hard about the answer because it’s already at their fingertips.
That’s one habit of self-aware people. And if you’d like to possess this habit too, you may need to learn exactly how to achieve self-awareness.
Here are 10 Reasons Why Self-Awareness is Important; According to an Expert.
6. They are curious about their minds
Have you ever wanted to know and understand how your mind works? Or to know if you are capable of changing your thoughts and directing them where you want?
If your answer is yes, you may be more self-aware than you think. This is because self-aware people are highly curious about their minds. They always want to ask the Why questions (even though they know it’s better to ask What than ask Why).
And they want to understand what makes their minds have the thoughts they have or conceive the things they do.
So if you’re wondering what some habits of self-aware people are, curiosity about how the mind works is one such habit.
7. They listen more than they talk
Self-aware people understand that there’s immense power in feedback and criticism. So while Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPS) that aren’t self-aware struggle to accept criticism and learn from others, self-aware people are great at it.
In fact, highly self-aware people prefer listening to others to speaking. Because they understand that true knowledge comes from listening to others; not speaking what you already know.
And they understand that listening to others more than you talk is the best way to know your flaws and change your perspective on life.
8. Self-aware people reflect on their values, thoughts, feelings and reactions
In the first post of #SelfLoveDecember, we talked about how true self-awareness is a balance between how you see yourself and how other people see you. This is with respect to your thoughts, emotions, values, feelings, actions and basically every part of your life.
Knowing this then becomes a habit, not just a destination. This is because while achieving self-awareness may be a destination, maintaining it is a result of daily habits.
And one of these daily habits of self-aware people is reflecting on the components that make you who you are.
9. They are more confident
As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) struggling to love yourself or be truly self-aware, there’s a high chance you’ve struggled with self-confidence. And this is nothing to be ashamed of.
Many HSPs struggle with confidence, so you shouldn’t concern yourself with why you’re not as confident as you’d like. It’s genetic and you have to accept it.
But just because you’re genetically predisposed to being less confident doesn’t mean lack of self-confidence is a life sentence.
As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), inner work is as simple as counting from one to 10. And this means that becoming more confident is an inner work process that all HSPs can excel at.
Self-Awareness then becomes a catalyst that makes the process so much easier and helps improve life in general.
10. They own and learn from their mistakes
When you lack self-awareness, your mistakes become your judge and jury. They decide how you approach life, what you say yes to, and whether you live happily ever after or don’t.
Yet, mistakes are normal human experiences and lessons for our future. And as a self-unaware person, you don’t get to see this part of mistakes. All you see is failure and unmet expectations.
So to avoid mistakes controlling your life and living a life that sees mistakes as failures and letdowns, learn to master self-awareness.
Because when you do, you will also learn how to own your mistakes, let their feelings wash away, and then learn a thing or two from the experience. That’s what self-aware people do. And that’s one of the ten habits of self-aware people you should adopt.
Want to love yourself more? Get our 40-day guide to Self-Love
In the End
These 10 habits of self-aware people are a drop in the ocean that is self-awareness benefits. If we were to list all the habits, we wouldn’t come close to exhausting each one.
Because you can’t quantify something as monumental as achieving self-awareness: you can only try.So use these 10 habits of self-aware people as examples of how your life can improve when you’ve learned to be self-aware and use the lessons to love yourself more.
And then get our 40 Days of Self-Love Guidebook to learn more about the power of self-awareness in developing self-love.
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With Love and Kindness,
Selipha
The Landlady at HSP Tools.
