How Self Awareness Leads to Greater Productivity, Motivation and Personal Growth
It is said that most of the great leaders of the world kept journals. Does this just mean that if you are a leader, you like to journal, or does journaling turn you into a leader? I don’t think we’ll really know, because I’m sure there are leaders out there who never thought about journaling a day in their life!
Ask yourself why you track your habits. Why do you keep a memory journal or even a planner? Sure, it’s to help organize yourself and help you to remember things going on in your life. However, all of these tools help you to know yourself better. If you have a planner already, for example, you know that you forget things if you don’t write them down. What happens when you have a planner? You’re on time for appointments, you remember birthdays and anniversaries, and you have your life together (generally).
Sometimes, I feel like it’s this great circle. You start learning what you need out of life (through journaling, experiences, planning, living, etc…) With increased awareness and wisdom as you go through life, you become more aware of the things you need and want. I’m not just talking physical things here like housing or food. Values, or who we are as people (or who we may want to be) dictate our actions. Once we know what we stand for, or the kind of person we want to be, we can start living that life. It all comes down to listening to your mind, your heart and soul (and sometimes even body). You know that feeling when you hurt someone; you might feel guilty or like you yourself got hurt. That’s called listening to your intuition, or your gut, and if you feel that, you know you may have done something that’s not within your value system.
Once you’ve tracked down the basis of who you are (you might think you know who you are when you’re in your twenties, but that self-reflection changes with each decade as you go though life and gain more experience), you can become a more efficient and productive human being. There’s no more beating around the bush because maybe you have come to the realization that life is short. If you don’t ask for what you want, you most likely won’t get it. With age, I’ve come to realize there’s no harm or shame in asking for what you want. Ask…what harm can it do? If the answer is no, fine - move on; at least you tried. However, if you don’t even try then you will never know and you’ll never succeed at getting what you want.
I’ve learned with experience that the more productive I am, (the more I get done, the more I do well), I feel more motivated to keep doing it. I want to feel that feeling all the time. It’s like this constant high without taking drugs; a feeling of euphoria that you’ve accomplished so much. I can chalk this up to a number of things…tools of my trade (goal planner, Franklin Planner, journal, etc…). But, there are other people out there who have all of those things as well and never feel motivated to touch them.
I remember during the Pandemic - it had just hit at the beginning of 2020. Everyone was so excited for the beginning of that year, because it was supposed to be THE year to start things - like this magical year that all good things would come to fruition for everyone. Well, as soon as lockdown hit, people dropped their goals and commitments so quickly. They lost hope and gave up too fast. Yes, things definitely changed, but it’s what you make of changing situations that determines who you are as a person. If you can adapt and change with the situation, you’ve got the win in the bag. Some people realized this early on and decided to start working on themselves. They opened online businesses, they started getting more creative and doing things they didn’t have time for before when they were working their 9-5pm dead-end jobs. Changing with the tides and making the best out of situations - this is a prime example of personal growth.
When I hear success stories, most of the time, I give them the cold shoulder. It’s like those ads that suck you in so they can sell you something. When it’s a success story of someone close to me through, I really listen. What do they have that made them succeed and can I learn from them? Well, most likely, they know what they want. Again, I feel like a lot of us don’t know what we want, especially in our early years. The time to explore is in your twenties and thirties; have fun, be courageous and take opportunities whenever they arise. It might be scary, but that’s how you get to know who you are. Eventually all these experiences and life situations you go through become who you are. They change you and reshape you until sometimes, you might not recognize the twenty-something you, which is a good thing. It means personal growth is happening and that's something worth more than money.
Looking at the New Year, it might be a good time for you to learn something new about yourself. Take a class - even if it’s trying paint night for the first time. You might really enjoy it and meet some amazing people. Take a cue from my last blog about Goal Setting, and try something that you’ve always wanted to do. The things you can learn about yourself are endless, and you don’t need to wait until a mid-life crisis to do it. Go out and have fun, but heed the life lessons that come your way!
🧡 SANDRA
