What is the definition of being self-aware? The dictionary describes self-awareness as “The conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires.”
The topic of self-awareness has become almost main stream with the amount of online content related to meditation and mobile apps that guide you towards becoming more emotionally intelligent.
I, like many others, have done a fair share of reading and online downloading in an attempt to find the right information that will drive the enlightening moment I’ve been searching for. After a recent leadership retreat, I looked back at what we accomplished as a group and immediately saw value in what was created in the time we spent together. Many of our conversations revolved around self-awareness, empathy, emotional intelligence and acts of service.
Each participant at the retreat could easily be viewed as passionate, focused, and over achieving; all very important qualities to possess in order to operate a successful enterprise. Some of us in the room certainly had more trials and tribulations in life than others, but one theme was constant among each of us and that was acts of service.
Out of all the topics discussed, what really resonated the most was the desire to create a platform for the greater good; all boiling down to the desire to complete acts of service that benefit others. Some create a public platform to make those good deeds known, while others push their cause behind the scenes.
If you are a leader inside a business big or small, my challenge for you is to find a way to focus on bettering your community through acts of service. That process of serving others is likely going to create self-awareness, making you a more emotionally intelligent colleague, leader, mother, father, brother and sister.
My moment of enlightenment came when I realized all the information related to emotional IQ is really driven through the desire to help others through acts of service. It’s been under my nose all along, but lost in the noise of online content.
Check out the 5 languages of Love by Gary Chapman.
